History of Nevada, Colorado, and Wyoming, 1540-1888, Part 64

Author: Bancroft, Hubert Howe, 1832-1918; Victor, Frances Fuller, Mrs., 1826-1902
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: San Francisco : The History company
Number of Pages: 872

USA > Colorado > History of Nevada, Colorado, and Wyoming, 1540-1888 > Part 64
USA > Nevada > History of Nevada, Colorado, and Wyoming, 1540-1888 > Part 64
USA > Wyoming > History of Nevada, Colorado, and Wyoming, 1540-1888 > Part 64

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

He set up and operated the first engine in Colorado, in Bentley & Bayard's saw-inill at Central City. In 1862 he worked on J. L. Pritchard's quartz-mill at Nevadaville. Afterwards he superintended different mills-D. P. Casey's in Chase gulch, Ophir mill, Clayton mill, Truman Whitcomb mill, and Wheeler & Sullivan mill. In 1877 he leased the Tucker mill in Russell gulch, which was burned in 1879, after which he purchased an interest in the New York quartz-mill at Black Hawk. He was elected county commissioner in 1877. Henry Paul, born in Ky in 1841, and brought up to farm life in Ky and Mo., came to Colorado in 1859, but returned to Mo. the same year, and studied medicine until 1863, when he settled in Gilpin co., where he engaged in mining and farming, varying these pursuits with medical studies. His mining discoveries are the Hazelton, Helmer, Powers, and Searle lodes in Willis gulch in Gilpin county, and Security lode, on Mt Bross, in Park co., and many others in several counties. He was elected to the legislature in 1873, and was chairman of the committee which drafted the mining law of Colorado. He was a delegate to the National Democratic convention at Cincinnati in 1880. He engaged in mining and merchandising.

Joseph S. Beaman, born in Baden, Germany, in 1834, was apprenticed to a brewer. He came to the U. S. in 1851, and learned carpentry at Louisville, Ky, after which he attended school two years. In 1859 he came to Colorado, locating at Central City, where, after mining a few years, he worked at his trade, and finally established himself as a bottler of soda water and liquors.

Lewis W. Berry, born in Brooklyn, N. Y., in 1822, was the son of a ship- carpenter, and learned the trade of painter. He was in New Orleans in 1846, where he raised a company for the Mexican war, and fought under Gen. Scott, as 'captain. Returning to Brooklyn, he remained there until 1859, when he came to Colorado, mining at Central City for 4 years, when he spent two years in Montana, living later at Idaho Springs.

Samuel Copeland, born in Me in 1819, after a youth spent on a farm and at academies in St Albans and Charleston, embarked in mercantile pursuits at several points in Me, N. B., and Mich., and travelled for health and pleasure. In 1860 he came to Colorado, having invested his means in a train of 11 wagons, 28 yokes of oxen, and 4 horses, the wagons being freighted with machinery for a quartz-mill, saw-mill, and shingle-mill. The quartz- mill proved a loss, but the others were set up and profitably operated in Michigan gulch until 1863, when he removed them to Boulder, being the principal lumber merchant there until 1870, and engaged also in mining and merchandising. His energetic course resulted in a fortune.

James B. Gould, born in N. Y. in 1836, was reared in Pa and Iowa as a farmer. He came to Black Hawk in 1860, engaging in freighting about the mines for two years, and afterwards for 7 years between the Missouri river and Denver. He then sold his teams, and purchased a farm in Boulder co., where he secured 440 acres of improved land near White Rock. I have ab- stracted these biographical sketches from Clear Creek and Boulder Val. Hist. The names of C. A. Roberts and Charles Peck occur in connection with min- ing regulations in 1859, but I have no further information of them. Hollister's Mines of Colo, 78. Some facts concerning Central City and Gilpin co. have been drawn from N. T. Bond's Early History of Colorado, Montana, and Idaho, MS., containing narratives of discovery and early government.

Clara Brown, a colored woman, born near Fredericksburg, Va, in 1800, after an eventful life as a slave, was liberated in Ky. In her 57th year she removed to St Louis, and again to Leavenworth, joining in the spring of 1859 a party bound for Pike's peak, and paying for her transportation by cooking for a mess of 25 men. She had the first laundry in Gilpin co., and in a few years accumulated $10,000. After the close of the war she went to Ky for her relatives, and established them in Colorado, herself settling in Denver in

617

GUNNISON, HINSDALE.

what is now Routt county. It now embraces the Middle park and most of the settlements of its former territory. 5

Gunnison county, whose early history has been given, was organized in 1880. Its development has been rapid. Over 100,000 tons of coal were taken out of this county in 1883. It is beginning to be cul- tivated for its agricultural wealth ; its grazing inter- est is large and increasing ; but its gold, silver, cop- per, lead, coal, and iron mines are still the chief incentive to settlement. The bullion output in 1883 was $650,000, and the assessed valuation of the county $3,234,490.6

a neat cottage of her own, and being a member in good standing of the pres- byterian church. Clear Creek and Boulder Val. Hist., 443.

5 It contains arable and grazing lands, beautiful mountain lakes, and is a sportman's paradise. The lack of facilities for transportation have interfered with its development. The population in 1880 was but little over 400, but had increased in 1883 to 2,000. One of the attractions of the park are the hot sulphur springs on Grand river and at Grand lake. Placer mining has been carried on in this county for twenty years, and coal of good quality is one of its best known resources. The later mineral discoveries have revealed gold and silver lodes of great value. Petroleum is another natural produc- tion awaiting railroads to be made available. The assessment valuation in 1883 was 353,998. Grand Lake, with a population of 300, was the county seat. Hot Sulphur Springs had 300 inhabitants, Teller 500, while Fraser, Gaskill, Lulu, Troublesome, Colorow, Rand, Hermitage, and Canadian had 100 or less.

6 Gunnison City, the county seat, had in 1886 6,000 inhabitants, and the county not less than 14,000, distributed among other towns as follows: Pit- kin 1,500, Crested Butte 1,000, Gothic 900, Irwin 600, Tin Cup 500, West Gunnison 400, and the remainder among mining camps and settlements. There were numerous settlements belonging to Gunnison at that time, namely, Allen, Almont, Anthracite, Aureo, Barnum, Bellevue, Bowman, Camp Kingsberry, Chipeta, Chloride, Cloud City, Copper Creek, Crooksville, Cur- ran, Delta, Doyleville, Drake, Elko, Elkton, Emma, Galena, Haverly, Hiller- ton, Howeville, Indian Creek, Jack's Cabin, Marom, Montrose, Ohio, Paradox Valley, Parlins, Petersburg, Pittsburgh, Powderhorn, Quartzville, Red Moun- tain, Richardson, Roaring Rock, Rock Creek, Ruby City, Rustler Gulch, Sage, Sapinero, Scofield, Silver Night, Spring, Stevens, Toll Gate, Tomichi, Turner, Uncompahgre, Virginia, Waller's Camp, Washington Gulch, White Earth, White Pine, White Sulphur Springs, and Woodstock. Some few of these have been cut off by the division of the county in 1883.

The Denver and Rio Grande railroad now passes across the county from east to west, with a branch to Crested Butte, where considerable progress is being made in the development of extensive and valuable deposits of anthracite, bituminous, and coking coal. But there is less population in the towns, nota- bly less in Gunnison City, than for the first two or three years of growth, and when this was the terminus of the railway. The secondary epoch of all mining and railroad towns is upon it, from which the healthy growth of the country, which comes later, alone will redeem it. There are some interesting and

618

COUNTIES OF COLORADO.

Hinsdale county, named after George A. Hinsdale, was organized in 1874, on the discovery of the mines of the San Juan country. Owing to its mountain- ous character, and lack of transportation, it made

instructive facts given in Eaton's Gunnison Yesterday and To-day, MS. 'We have always,' he says, 'lived on eastern capital,' and proceeds to relate that a St Louis company laid gas and water pipes, expending $100,000; erected the La Veta hotel, on foundations abandoned by its projector, at a cost of $212,000; formed a plan for an opera house and a block of stores; organized the Gunnison Steel and Iron company, buying coal and iron lands all over the country, the city raising $20,000 to put in escrow, to be paid over when it should fulfil certain conditions. Furnaces were partially erected when it was discovered that the coal owned by the company was not coking coal, and that the coking coal had been bought up by the Colorado Coal and Iron com- pany. This suspended the business of the St Louis company. A patent smelter, owned by Moffat of Joplin, Mo., was erected in 1882-3, and failed, but was afterward made to work successfully. Shaw and Patrick, young men, also erected a smelter, which when still incomplete was abandoned, presumably for want of capital. An attempt was being made in 1884 to raise money to start the works. These several failures of companies and individuals affected the business of the town, and decreased its population. In the autumn of 1SS4 a brewery was started, which, with the Moffat smelter, two planing-mills, a cement, and a mineral-paint factory constituted the manufacturing industry of Gunnison.

The first banks of Gunnison were the Miners' Exchange, and the Bank of Gunnison, both owned by private individuals, but afterward made the First National and the Iron National banks, the latter printing drafts with an en- graving of the projected steel works in a corner.

A. E. Buck, proprietor of the News-Democrat, formerly of the Spirit of the Times in New York, laid out an addition to Gunnison town site. The first amusement hall was the Globe theatre, of a low character. It was pur- chased by the citizens, and converted into an academy of music. In IS82 the Gunnison opera house was erected, and a private theatrical company of the citizens gave entertainments occasionally, varied by the performances of travelling artists. In 1SS2 Gunnison had two small brick school houses. The following year $28,000 was appropriated by the citizens for the erection of two new school buildings, to be used in connection with the others, and the schools rose to a high order. Six churches were organized by 1SS6, having their own edifices. A chamber of commerce was started in 1SS4, for which there appears to have been no urgent demand. It had begun making a col- lection of minerals.

Hartly C. Eaton, from whose MS. I have taken most of the above sug- gestive items, was born in Portland, Me, in 1853. He came to Gunnison in 1882, with J. A. Small and A. W. Sewall, to engage in the book and sta- tionery trade. John B. Outcalt, born in New Jersey in 1850, a carpenter by trade, who came to Denver in 1871, and to Gunnison in 1874, with Richard- son and William W. Outcalt, and who secured, with his brother, 1, 100 acres of meadow land and town property enough to make them wealthy, also furnished me the result of his observations on Gunnison county and city, in Grazing in Gunnison, MS. See Gunnison Sun, Oct. 13, 1883; Gunnison Re -· view, Jan. 1, 1883. The principal reliance of Gunnison is in coal and iron, to promote manufactures, which are still in their infancy, a fine grade of an- thracite being found within twenty-five miles. Sandstone, granite, and marble are abundant in the neighborhood; also fire clay and materials for cement. But the place lay long under the ban of the railroad, to whose tyrannies men and municipalities must ever submit. Archie M. Stevenson, born in Scotland in 1857, but brought up in Wis, and educated for the prac-

619

HUÉRFANO, JEFFERSON.

little progress. Lake City, the county seat, had in 1886, 800 inhabitants. It lies in a sloping valley, at an elevation of 8,550 feet, surrounded by mountains ribbed with mineral veins. The principal mining dis- tricts are Engineer mountain, Lake, Park, Sherman, and Cimarron. The first development attained to was due chiefly to the firm of Crooke & Co., eastern capitalists, who purchased a number of mines, and erected concentrating and smelting works near Lake City, which were completed in 1878. The product of their mines the first year was $85,498 in silver, $23,698.27 in lead, and $2,925 in gold.

Huérfano county was organized in 1861 with the county seat temporarily at Autobes. It was removed to Badito subsequently, and is at present at Walsen- burg, a railroad and coal-mining town. Huérfano is principally a grazing and agricultural district. There were in the country in 1883, 20,000 cattle, and 100,- 000 sheep. No mining except for coal was being done there, although it is known to have mines of gold and galena. The coal product of 1883 was 100,000 tons, from the mines of the Colorado Iron and Coal com- pany. The population at that date was over 5,000, and the assessed valuation $1,321,826. Walsenburg had in 1886 400 inhabitants.'

Jefferson county, besides being one of the earliest

tise of the law, came to Colorado in 1880, locating first at Pitkin, but remov- ing to Gunnison after being elected to the state senate for 4 years, in 1882. He formed a law partnership with Stevenson and Frankey.

7 Two smelters were also erected at Capitol City, in 1880, under the manage- ment of George S. Lee. The mines of the county best known are the Little Annie, Golden Queen, Ute, Ulé, Belle of the West, Ocean Wave, Emperor, Fairview, Scotia, John J. Crooke, El Paso, Inez, Palmetto, and Hotchkiss, which are but few of the many good mines. Capitol City, Antelope Springs, Sherman, Burrows Park, and Argentum, have from 125 to 200 inhabitants each. There are a few other settlements, and mining camps: Antelope Park, Barrett's Station, Belford, Clear Creek, Crooke City, Hudson's Rancho, Lost Trail, San Juan, Sparling's Rancho, Tellurium, and Timber Hill.

8 Lesser settlements are Apache, Butte Valley, Chabez Plaza, Cucharas, Dickson, Dixolt, Fabian Plaza, Gardner, Garzia Plaza, Hager's Mill, Ham- ilton, Huerfano, Huerfano Cañon, La Veta, Malachite, Meaz Plaza, Mining Camp, Mule Shoe, Ojo, Park's Mills, Piedras Animas, Quebec, Quinland, Rito de Gallina, Sangre de Cristo Station, Santa Clara, Santa María, Span- ish Peaks, Tirneros Plaza, Turkey Creek, Veta Pass, Wahatoya, Walsen's Springs, Walsen Station.

620

COUNTIES OF COLORADO.

settled and first organized, enjoys the advantage of a nearness to the metropolis and a variety of products to take to that market. While not strictly a mining county, it contains in its western portion gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, iron, mica, coal, mineral paint, petroleum, alabaster, fire clay, potters' clay, limestone, marble, building stone, timber, and other productions which enter into manufactures. Its coal mines are extensively worked. It is one of the foremost agri- cultural and horticultural counties, and has a greater variety of industries than almost any other. The population in 1883 was 8,000, and the assessed valu- ation $2,746,498. Golden is the county seat, with 2,500 inhabitants. There are a number of smelters located here for reducing the ores from other coun- ties, besides flouring mills and factories of various kinds. 9

9 The towns of Arapahoe, Mount Vernon, and Golden Gate were mining camps in the spring of 1859, the second at the mouth of Table Mountain cañon, and the latter at the mouth of another canon called the Gate of the Mountains. Golden City on Clear creek, was settled at the same time by W. A. H. Loveland, John M. Ferrell, Fox Deifendorf, P. B. Cheney, George Jack- son, Hardy, Charles M. Ferrell, John F. Kirby, T. P. Boyd, William Pollard, James McDonald, George West, Mark L. Blunt, Charles Remington, E. B. Smith, J. C. Bowles, David MeCleery, I. B. Fitzpatrick, and W. J. Mckay. A part of this number belonged to the Boston company of 8 members who crossed the plains together, arriving in June, among whom were Henry Vallard and A. D. Richardson and Thomas W. Knox, the celebrated correspondents of the N. Y. Tribune. George West, a Bostonian, was president of this company. They decided that the temporary settlement at the crossing of Clear creek was the proper site for a city, and accordingly they, with Loveland, Kirby, J. M. Ferrell, Smith, H. J. Carter, Mrs Williams, Stanton & Clark, F. W. Beebe, J. C. Bowles, E. L. Berthoud, and Garrison selected 1,280 acres on both sides of Clear creek and laid out a town. F. W. Beebe surveyed 320 acres that season, but the survey was completed in 1860 by Berthoud. By the close of the year, with the help of a saw and shingle mill, Golden had grown to a town of 700 inhabitants. Robert L. Lambert erected a log store in the winter of 1859, between the seasons of mining. He became a wealthy cattle and sheep raiser in Las Animas co. Many farms were taken up. I. C. Bergen settled in Bergen park, where he kept a hotel. In the autumn Mc- Intyre and McCleery organized a company to construct a wagon road from old Fort St Vrain to South Park, via Golden, Bergen Park, Cub Creek, etc., which was located in the following spring. On the 7th of Dec., 1859, the Western Mountaineer issued its first number, George West publisher. The first county election under the provisional government was held Jan. 2, 1860, when the votes for county seat gave Golden a majority over Arapahoe of 401 to 228. Baden, later Aleck, received 22 votes. Joseph C. Remington was the first sheriff elected. There was a public sale of town lots in February, prices ranging from $30 to $120. A school was also opened in the spring by M. T. Dougherty, with 18 pupils. At the first municipal election, held April 10, 1860,

621

LAKE.

Lake county was first organized in 1861, when Cal- ifornia gulch was in its first flush period, with the county seat at Oro. On the discovery of silver at a later date the legislature cut off the northern end and

J. W. Stanton was chosen mayor; S. M. Breath, recorder; W. C. Simpson, marshal; W. A. H. Loveland treas .; R. Barton, J. M. Johnson, R. T. Davis, D. G. Dargiss, O. B. Harvey, A. B. Smith, W. J. Smith, J. Kirby council- men. In August a weekly mail was established. A period of slow progress, and in 1883 Golden was made the capital of Colorado, but the legislature did not meet there until 1866-7. In 1867 the county voted $100,000 in bonds in aid of the Colorado Central and Pacific railroad to Cheyenne and to Denver. Golden had now two flouring-mills, a brewery, and a paper-mill, and was making fire-brick. In 1868 ground was broken for the first Colorado rail- road, and the following year the road-bed was made ready for the rails 10 miles, from Golden to the eastern boundary of the county. On the 26th of Sept., 1870, the first locomotive reached Golden. In April a narrow guage railroad, the first west of the Mississippi, had been begun, which was fin- ished to Black Hawk late in 1872. In March 1873 a narrow guage to Floyd Hill was in running order, and in April the Golden and Julesburg branch of the Colorado Central was completed to Longmont. Still later in the year the Golden and South Platte railway was graded 18 miles to Plum creek. Then came the panic of 1874-6, when railroad building was interrupted. In 1877 the narrow guage to Georgetown was completed, and the line from Black Hawk to Central in the spring of 1878. The Colorado Central also, when completed, belonged to the system of railroads which contributed to the prosperity of Golden, 34 trains leaving and arriving daily. They car- ried away coal, stone, hay, grain, and flour, and brought ore, coal, coke, lumber; grain, and groceries. Golden built three flouring-mills, five smelt- ing and reduction works, two breweries, a paper-mill, six coal shafts, three fire brick, pressed brick, and drain-pipe factories, three perpetual lime-kilns, and two quaries, with a variety of minor industries. The smelters turned out from $1,200,000 to $1,500,000 annually. It has seven churches, good schools, and an intelligent press. The state school of mines was placed at Golden. It was established by act of legislature in 1870, making an appro- priation for that purpose. It was reestablished by another act in 1874; and in 1877 still further placed on a permanent footing. It now occupies a fine brick edifice, and is an ornament to the town. It is supported, like all the other state institutions, by a dircct tax of so many mills on the dollar. A. signal-office has been maintained in connection with it. Here are taught analytical and applied chemistry. mineralogy, metallurgy, assaying, civil and mining engineering, geology, and mathematics. The state industrial school is also located at Golden by an act of the legislature of 1881, the old school of mines building being used for a beginning; but by an act of 1883 an appro- priation of $15,000 was made for new buildings. The whole appropriation for industrial school purposes in that year amounted to $60,000, to be ap- plied to its maintenance, machinery, and material for industries, and a library. The lesser towns and settlements of Jefferson are Ahlstrom's, Anchor Station, Archer's, Arvada, Bartlett's Lake, Bear Creek, Beaver Brook, Beeson Mill, Bellville, Big Hill, Brownville, Buffalo, Buffalo Creek, Buffalo Tank, Chimney Gulch, Church's, Clear Creek, Copperdale, Cottonwood Falls, Creswell, Crossons, Crosson's Camp, Deansbury, Deer Creek, Deer Creek Mines, Dome Rock, Eagle Brook Park, Elk Creek, Emperor Rancho, Emperor Springs, Enterprise, Ford Lake, Forks Creek, Forks of Clear Creek, Gallagher Camp, Gilman, Glen Plym Rancho, Grotto, Guy Creek, Hildebrande, Hines Rancho, Huntsman, Hutchinson, Jefferson, Jefferson Park, Johnson's Crossing, Jones Siding, Last Resort, Leahow Island, Lee Siding, Little Station, Littleton, Memphis Camp, Morrison, Mount Carbon,

622

COUNTIES OF COLORADO.

called it Carbonate county, with the county seat at Leadville, while the southern portion retained its for- mer name. At the same session, however, the name of Lake was restored to the silver region, and that of Chaffee given to the remainder.19

Olio, Oxeville, Park Siding, Pine Grove, Platte Cañon, Platte River, Rals- ton, Ralston Creek, Shingle Mill, Smith Hill, South Platte, Spruce Park, Steven's Gulch, Stewart's Rancho, Thompson's Mill, Troutdale, Turkey Creek, Turtle Pond, Ute Trail, Vermillion, Webber's Saw-mill, Welters Wood Camp, Willowville, Wilson's Saw-mills.

Andrew H. Spickerman, born in New York in 1820, came to Colorado in 1859, and settled on Turkey Creek in 1862, where he has continued to reside. Reuben C. Wells, born in Ill. in 1833, came to Colorado in 1859 from Moline, of which his father was one of the founders. He returned the same year to Ill., but finally settled at Golden in 1869, where he is engaged in making paper. David G. Dargin, born in Me in 1835, came to Colorado in 1859, set- tling at Golden City, and opening the second store, Loveland having opened the first. He afterward spent some time in other parts of the union, but re- turned in 1879 to Golden, where he improved his town property, and opened the Monster lode in Clear Creek co., where he secured several mines.

10 These changes were made in Feb. 1879. It is a small county, and noted only for its mines, of which I have already given an account. Its his- tory is summed up in the brief statement that it produced in gold, silver, and lead between 1860 and 1884, $79,934,647.69. Of this amount about $13,000, - 000 was in gold, and $55,000,000 in silver. Lake county is the largest lead producing district in the U. S. A variety of the less common minerals and metals is found in these mines, among which are zinc, antimony, bismutlı, tin, copper, and arsenic. The official reports for four years give $15,025, 153 for 1880, $12,738,902 for 1881, $16,531,853 for 1882, and $15,691,200 for 1883, with better prospects for 1884. There are 13 smelters at Leadville, and 231 steam-engines employed in the mines, with an aggregate horse-power of 5,454. Other business is proportionately active. The population of Lead- ville is 20,000. Adelaide and Malta have together 1,000 inhabitants, besides which there are the villages of Twin Lakes, Eilers, Alexander, Alicante, Soda Springs, and a number of small settlements. They are Bird's Eye, Buckskin, Clark Rancho, Crane Park, Crystal Lake, Danaville, Dayton, Evansville, Fifteen-mile House, Hayden, Henry, Howland, Keeldar, Oro, Ryan's, Union Station. Soda Springs, five miles from Leadville, is a popular health resort; and Twin lakes, on which a steamboat was placed in 1880, a famous pleasure resort.

Among the pioneers of Lake county are the following: George L. Hender- son, born in northern Ohio in 1836, came to Colorado in 1859, and resided at Central City and California Gulch. He was the first postmaster of Leadville, and claims to have suggested its name. His business is general merchan- dising.

Emmet Nuckolls, born in. Va in 1842, migrated to Nebraska City while a boy, and thence to Colorado in 1859, engaging in cattle-trading. He removed to Leadville on the discovery of silver, where he engaged in selling stock, wagons, hay, and grain. He was a member of the board of aldermen.

Rufus Shute, born in N. Y. in 1837, removed to Wis. at an early age, and thence to Colorado in 1859. He mined for a year, and returned east, and did not again visit this state until 1877, when he located at Leadville in the lum- ber trade. In 1879 lie sold out and went into stock-raising. He served as alderman one year.

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History of Nevada, Colorado, and Wyoming, 1540-1888, Part 64

Author: Bancroft, Hubert Howe, 1832-1918; Victor, Frances Fuller, Mrs., 1826-1902 Publication date: 1890 Publisher: San Francisco : The History company Number of Pages: 872

Author: Bancroft, Hubert Howe, 1832-1918; Victor, Frances Fuller, Mrs., 1826-1902
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: San Francisco : The History company
Number of Pages: 872