History of the Arkansas Valley, Colorado, Part 56

Author: O.L. Baskin & Co
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago : O.L. Baskin & Co.
Number of Pages: 1080

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That inevitable first act in the settlement of a new county-the location of town sites- had been faithfully attended to, and, among the many embryo cities which, under their fe- cundating efforts attained to the dignity of a name, was El Paso, which, theoretically, cov- ered the genial plain now graced by the queenly presence of Colorado Springs.

The contagion scattered by these enterpris- ing men was simply wonderful, and something like $2,000 worth of lots in El Paso were sold before their position had been decently platted on paper, or a street had been definitely sur- veyed.

This was the beginning, if beginning it may be called, of the settlement of El Paso County. The eminent fitness of this neighborhood for

a town site had early attracted the attention of others of our adventurers, and during the win- ter of 1858-59, a company was organized and measures were taken to make available the splendid advantages which the locality prof- fered.

The leading names engaged in this enter- prise were L. J. Winchester, T. H. Warren, Lewis N. Tappan, W. P. McClure, M. S. Beach, R. E. Whitsit and S. W. Waggoner.

The latter was the first Probate Judge who held that office by the suffrages of the people of Denver, or, rather, of Auraria, which, in in 1859, constituted the center and principal strength of that settlement .. He afterward en- tered the service as Captain of Company K, of the Second Colorado, and was ambuscaded and slaughtered near Independence, Mo., on the 4th of July, 1864. A braver man or a truer friend never shed his blood in the cause of his country.

A tract of land, two miles in length by one mile in width, extending from the Gypsum Bluffs, west of Camp Creek, to the neighbor- hood of Monument Creek, was selected, and November 1, 1859, a beautifully lithographed map blazoned to the world that a new town had, by so much, enlarged the area of civiliza- tion, and that its name was Colorado City. The town was surveyed by H. M. Fosdick, now of Pueblo County, and building was begun with such zeal and energy that, in the spring of 1860, there were some three hundred houses of primitive architectural style, and about a thou- sand inhabitants, mostly transitory, as earnest that the town was, indeed, an entity.

During the season of 1859, there was a quasi settlement on Monument Creek, some two miles above the present site of Colorado Springs, and near the ranche now occupied by Judge Williams, consisting of a log cabin, some wag- ons and teuts, and the usual pharaphernalia of pioneers, where dreams of town-building were. for a while, indulged, but by spring, 1860, all this, save the cabin, had drifted to Colorado City.

In the mean time, claims for farming pur- poses were "located " with such celerity that by the fall of 1860 no valuable tract of land was left available within several miles of Colo- rado City. Every spring, and fertile margin of a stream became the nucleus of a prospective home, and the more esthetic turned their at-

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HISTORY OF EL PASO COUNTY.

tention to the glens, cañons, and grotesque nooks, which so picturesquely emphasize our environments, drove their stakes and dreamed of palatial residences and the luxuries which awaited them when the mines should respond to their expectations.

The "Soda Springs " constituted, at an early epoch of our history, an essential element of the data on which was predicated the prosper- ity of the settlement, and the " claim stakes " by which they were sequestered, were among the first to be driven. The alliterative names, Whooten, Winchester, Wyatt and Warren ap- pear of record as sponsers of this monumental act, with that of R. E. Whitsett, afterward su- peradded.

Some time in the fall of 1859, as the settle- ment was virtually beyond the pale of law, and lands could be held by no legitimate tenure, under the promptings of the law-making and law-abiding genus of Americans, a meeting was called, and, from its deliberations there resulted the organization known and chronicled as the El Paso Claim Club.

The powers, duties and territorial limits of the club were defined, officers, including a Presi- dent and Secretary, designated, and provisions made for the selection, under its ægis, of jurors for the trial and adjustment of the difficulties arising between adverse claimants, and for the establishment of the office of District Recorder. This was the incipient organization of govern- ment. On the records of this club are found, as primitive claimholders, such names as A. D. Richardson, Col. Samuel Tappan, D. A. and C. B. Chever, William Larimer, S. W. Waggoner and many others equally well known as promin- ent men in the settlement of Colorado.

Cabins were built along the Fontaine Qui Bouille by R. B. Willis, H. S. Clark, John Bley, Hubbard Talcott and William Campbell, and the first earnest, practical farming in the county must be accredited to the three last named, and to the year 1860.

It was early perceived by our pioneers that it was vital to their success that they should have unobstructed communication with the mines, and, with a view to this, the labor and capital of each individual, so far as practicable was availed of. The Ute Pass was assailed with a vigor which should have achieved great results, and which in fact did render it so far practicable for wagons that it became not only

heresy, but the most outrageous presumption for any one the most remotely to intimate that the Ute Pass road was not only the best, and for that matter, absolutely the only avenue to the mines. And indeed, when we consider that these hardy men expended the labor of months, without shelter, and often without other food than venison and beans and sometimes on venison alone, and without pay other than that which hope accredited them in the future, their jealous solicitude for the character of the work which their hands had wrought must, necessa- rily, challenge our charity.

Immense stores of such goods as miners re- quire were transported to the embryo city, and the establishments of Tappan & Co., Lobb & Crenshaw, Dunn & Baily, " .Jim " Sabine and others became as noted as are now some of the most prominent wholesale houses in Den- ver.

The organization of the Pike's Peak region, as Jefferson Territory, met very little encourage- ment in this locality, and the code of laws passed by its soi disant Legislature was gener- ally ignored. Misdemeanors, under a predom- inating sense of justice, were met as such, and courts were extemporized to dispose of them. A Mexican, convicted for the asportation of a horse belonging to another party, was hung from the limb of a pine tree, in what is now known as Hangman's Canon and the Devil's Gate, early in the summer of 1860, and thus constituted the beginning of the annals of capital punishment in El Paso County. Other offenses were tried, from time to time, with a just regard to the rights of all, though, in several instances the offender escaped through lack of zeal in the prosecution. In cases where one ruffian simply wreaked his innate fiendish- ness on a fellow ruffian, the event was recog- nized as of public service, but, in respect to the general sense of decency, the offender was usually banished from the settlement. Such cases, however, were less frequeut here than in most other frontier settlements. One such oc- curred in the spring of 1861, and another in 1862 ; the former signalizing the prowess of " Jim " Loughlin as against " Pat " Devlin, and the latter that of Shaffer as against " Wash " Rice. It is but fair to add that, in Loughlin's case, the trial resulted in his acquittal on the ground that Devlin was a desperate fellow and had " threatened his life."

I. B. Johnson

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HISTORY OF EL PASO COUNTY.

The Territory of Colorado having been duly organized by Congress, February 26, 1861, and Col. William Gilpin, who, more than any other living man, had been identified with the Great Plains and the mountains adjacent, appointed Governor. Measures were at once taken to establish a government. The census of the Territory was ordered, and Commissioners were appointed for the several counties. M. S. Beach, Henry S. Clark and A. D. Sprague were appoint- ed in El Paso County, and met in their official capacity for the first time, November 16, 1861, and began the discharge of their duties accord- ing to the tenor of the following legend from the county records of that date: -

COLORADO CITY, C. T., Saturday, November 16, 1861.

The Board of County Commissioners appointed by Gov. Gilpin for El Paso County, consisting of M. S. Beach, Henry S. Clark and A. D. Sprague, met this day at the store of Tappan & Co., in Colorado City, the county seat of El Paso County, and pro- ceeded to establish election precincts, and appoint Judges of Election, as follows, in accordance with the law made and provided.

And thus El Paso County became an organ- ized verity under the seal of law. It de- volved upon the forthcoming Legislature to locate the Territorial capital, and to secure beyond a peradventure, its location at Colorado City. Measures were at once taken to elect to that body a majority who were known to be friendly to the purpose, and who could be depended upon. It was customary every spring with a major part of the population, to go to the mountains for the purpose of inining, and on - this occasion every such person became an emissary in a common cause, and labored in season and out of season, by word and deed, successfully to shape and guide the contest. Every legislative candidate was interviewed and pledged, and every mining camp so leavened that the election of the pledged candidate should be rendered sure. El Paso, Pueblo and Fre- mont Counties constituted one electoral district, from which were sent Col. John M. Francisco to the Council, and R. B. Willis and George M. Chilcott to the House of Representatives. Willis, who was a citizen of El Paso County, . proved to be one of the most efficient workers in the Legislature. Adroit to plan, and prompt and vigorous to act, he so managed his material, favorable and indifferent, to the interest of Col- orado City, that when the question was brought

to issue, the partisans of Denver were paralyzed with astonishment to find that the matter was already virtually disposed of. "Are you sure of your vote ? " inquired Amos Steck. " Beyond question," responded Willis, and the struggle was ended. Colorado City was declared the Capital of the Territory of Colorado.

But the fact, achieved by so much effort, brought no advantage to the locality. No pub- lic office was removed here, and no official sig- nalized his recognition of the Capital by actual residence ; and when the time approached for the next meeting of the Legislature, no official provision was made for its accommodation. The entire Executive was of the enemy. Gov. Evans had superseded Gov. Gilpin, and had also become identified with the interests of Denver, and, in addition to the official neglect already mentioned, when, in the early summer of 1862, the Legislature assembled at the Cap- ital, it was to encounter a sinister intimation that there were doubts with the Executive as to its legality. The official character of this dubi- osity seemed to be confirmed by the fact that neither Governor nor Secretary were present, and no act of theirs could, by any rational proc- ess, be construed to controvert it. A majority of the Legislature were friendly to the Capital, but in that early period, a majority were also impecunious, some, even, finding it difficult to meet the expenses of the way-farer, to say nothing of continued subsistence as a legisla- tor, and to raise a doubt by which the pros- pective legislative per diem was jeopardized, was the argument-ad hominem-to man's stomach, and, in its potency, vastly more effi- cient than all the complicated agencies by which the Capital had been secured.

Although it was generally understood that all legal doubts would be dispelled, as soon as an adjournment was made to Denver, to the credit of the majority, the struggle against the adjournment was maintained for several days, and then only lost through the defection of two of the majority, whose weakness, the circum- stances, personal and circumjacent, were amply sufficient to condone.

The Legislature adjourned to Denver, and no further attempt was made to meet again in Colorado City, though it remained the Capitol nominally for several years afterward.

But Colorado City had already exhibited symptoms of atrophy. The great thorough-

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HISTORY OF EL PASO COUNTY.

fares to the country, the Arkansas and South Platte roads, afforded in 1860 and 1861, about equal currents of travel, and Colorado City and Denver were respectively sustained by these currents. But as the war for the Union pro- gressed, the bands of guerrillas, which raided Missouri .and Kansas, rendered the Arkansas Valley so unsafe, that in 1862, it was virtually abandoned, and the whole line of traval was diverted to the South Platte ; and thus the por- ridge which had been the pabulum of Colorado City was dished-up for the fattening of Denver. Sonthern Colorado was thenceforth ignored, and every hotel-keeper and bar-tender became an active partisan for the retention of the ad- vantages thus fortuitously gained. All new arrivals were authoritatively informed that there was nothing south of the " divide " worth their seeking, and persuaded to remain in Denver, or to go to the mountains, which were supposed to be limited to the neigborhood of Central City.

And thus was the ambitions young town most fatally throttled.

During the summer of 1862, in addition to the ordinary hardships, incident to new settle- ments, that of famine became imminent.

The Indians of the plains had been more or less troublesome from the first, but during the spring of that year their attentions had been so assiduous as virtually to blockade the plains. Only large trains could venture the trip, and these seldom withont a strong escort, which was only occasionally available. Flour appre- ciated until it was sold, in some instances, at $100 per sack, and other necessaries proportion- ately. Some subsisted on boiled corn and such wild meat as was available, and some on veni- son alone. The rifle then became a most useful implement and was assiduously applied.

An inefficient corn-mill had been put in oper- ation, about thirty miles below Colorado City, and Jacob Gill made semi-occasional trips thereto, with oxen, for supplies ; and when he failed to return on time, as he often did, the people were left to their venison, if by good fortune that luxury remained to them. On one of these occasions the writer, with his two confreres, had prepared a breakfast by blend- ing a handful of corn meal with an equal quantity of boiled rice-the remnant of a for- mer meal-and reproducing the compound in the form of the miners " pan-cake," and as they

sat themselves before their humble fare, emi- nently thankful for half a meal, a famishing neighbor came in, his face eloquent with that peculiar expressiveness, which hunger alone can give, and silently regarded the meager sup- ply. The following colloquy ensued :

" Have you had breakfast, Hadley ?"

" No sir, nor supper last night, nor dinner yesterday."

"Sit up then at once; " and the half fare tor three was attenuated for the supply of four, but with so much the greater satisfaction that the store might well have been regarded as double.

When the Legislature was in session at Col- orado City, some of its members-as members sometimes do-unfavorably criticised the fare which was supplied them at the hotel. A fellow member rejoined, that "to him it seemed vastly superior to boiled corn."

These incidents serve well to illustrate the prevailing scarcity at that time. But the con- solation remains, that there occurred no case of actual starvation. Indeed, some of our best citizens now, remember to have suffered quite as much from lack of means with which to buy when supplies were plenty, as from the general scarcity of provisions which prevailed then or at other times.

During the summer of 1863, surveys were made of Townships 16 and 17 of 'Range 65, Township 15 of Range 66, and part of Town- ship 14 of Range 67, and the farmer began thenceforward to consider that he was connect- ed with civilization by "metes and bounds." Farms were adjusted to Government lines, and improvements were made with the assurance that the meum et tuum of real property was no longer a matter of question. The high price of produce tempted the disappointed miner to. seek in the soil of the valleys what he had failed to find in the rocks of the mountains, and farming began to become an important feature in the industry of the country. Wheat, corn and oats were worth 10 cents per pound, and garden vegetables whatever the gardener demanded. Butter sold at $1 to $1.50 per pound, and eggs at a similar price per dozen, beef being the only commodity available at a moderate consideration. It would seem that, with such prices, the farmer should have been very prosperous ; but the drawback was, that groceries and clothing were proportionately

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HISTORY OF EL PASO COUNTY.

high, and only he who farmed largely could expect success, and few were situated to farm largely. He who raised enough with which to buy his groceries and clothing, did well ; but he who was so fortunately situated as to exceed this, with great rapidity " put money in his purse." With a majority, however, to be able to meet the year squarely and comfortably was a sufficient achievement.

During the spring and summer of 1863, the community was startled, and, to a great extent, paralyzed by a succession of murders, beginning with Bruce, of Hardscrabble, and taking in succession an old gentleman of Turkey Creek, John Addleman, of Addleman's Gulch, and several others at Red Hill and elsewhere in the South Park, until a list of twenty or thirty made up the bloody record. For some time no clue could be gained to the perpetrators of this dastardly business, and it was supposed to be the work of some guerrilla band of secessionists which were operating to distract the attention of the people to facilitate a more definite and effective blow for political ends, until it was discovered that the culprits were three Mex- icans-two brothers, the Espinosas, and a boy, who seemed to be a mere follower. A party, under the lead of Capt. John McCannon, of California Gulch, struck their trail near the Red Hill, and after a tortuous pursuit of several days, came upon the Mexican camp in the upper canon of Oil Creek, southwest of Pike's Peak, and succeeded in shooting one of the Espinosas. The other, with the boy, escaped, but was finally killed by Tom Tohin, in the mountains adjacent to the Veta Pass. A pass-book, or diary, was found on his person, which served to explain the whole dreadful affair. It contained a record of the killed and the date of killing, prayers to the Virgin, a letter to Gov. Evans reciting bis heroism, his grievances, and claiming a pardon by virtue of the magnitude of his achievements. From this it appeared that he had in some man- ner been slighted by an official in Conejos County, aud had availed himself of this mild method to repair his injury.

In that time every man within a radius of fifty miles was a neighbor, and the effect of these events was simply appalling. The visita- tion of death, in the garb of murder, first here, then there, and then in two places at once, was as if the hand of the destroyer was abroad and wreaking a promiscuous vengeance on all man-

kind. The sense of dread insecurity which pervaded the community, until the encounter with the Espinosas enlightened the situation, can be realized only through an experience which none could wish repeated.

Marauding and lawlessness became a com- mon feature this year, and numerous small bands prowled about the country as secession- ists, seizing horses, provisions and such other valuables as they might covet, and shadowing the community with the threat that the Confeder- ates would soon be here in force to seize and direct the Government. Lieut. Shoup was de- tached to look after these, and proved a most efficient officer. Quite a number were seized by him and brought to Colorado City or sent to Denver, and in April a party under the leader- ship of one " Hank Way " was encountered at the " Crow's Roost," and after a skirmish, in which two of them were shot-one fatally, was captured and brought in. Way became so far regenerated by this experience that he was as- signed to provost duty in Denver. In Novem- ber the gallant First Colorado Regiment re- turned from their successful campaign in New Mexico, and went into camp at Colorado City to await the arrival of horses. The acession of a thousand troops who had just been visited by the paymaster, and soon after, of the ex- pected horses, gave renewed life and activity to the entire county. The sudden demand for forage brought in requisition all the corn, oats, hay, straw and corn-stalks which could be scraped from the farms, and Sid Barnes, a dry joker, with a defective palate, swore, "By ! they carry it in on their backs." Lib- eral prices were paid, and generous forage-mas- ters accepted the meager loads which were offered, with charitable estimates, so that our people had no occasion to feel ungrateful for their intercourse with Uncle Sam through the army.

The summer had been excessively dry, and many crops had utterly failed through need of water, and this sudden demand for such pro- duce as was available, at prices so much en- hanced, was very opportune to the farmer, and gave a more hopeful aspect to the prospects of the ensuing year, insomuch that the town be- gan to assume a more permanent air of im- provement, new buildings were projected, and systematic efforts directed to the perfection of roads to render available such trade as seemed

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HISTORY OF EL PASO COUNTY.

naturally tributary to the place. In short, everything which the resources of the people would admit of was done to conquer the ad- verse circumstances which had intervened to blight their early anticipations.

The Indians of the plains, whose depreda- tions along the main thoroughfares to the East, had, notwithstanding military efforts to restrain them, gradually approached the settlements until, under protestations of friendship, some of their roving bands reached the towns, osten- sibly, to trade, but, really to gather such facts as should serve them in their deviltry. Bands also in their war paint were so unpleasantly frequent that it came generally to be accepted that an Indian war had become inevitable. The excitement was continually augmented by reports of large war-parties in our immediate neighborhood, and to confirm this a small party was seen trailing its course through the Garden of the Gods. The following morning an Indian trail was discovered on the summit of the bluff overlooking the town, showing conclusively that the enemy had been inspecting the situation during the night and that business of a serious nature was imminent. A party was at once organized and sent in pursuit of the nocturnal visitors, with Dr. Eggleston, whose experience in guerrilla warfare in Missouri seemed to qualify him, as leader. The trail was followed until the Indians were discovered just at dusk, entering a thicket on Monument Creek, presum- ably for the purpose of camping. To avoid discovery, advantage was taken of other thick- ets, and when within a hundred yards or so, the party, fifteen in number, dismounted and leaving two men to retain their horses, proceed- ed quickly but cautiously to the Indian camp and charged it with such promptness that not one of them escaped, and but one shot was fired. The Indians had seen the people apparently resting in security and had failed of their wonted precaution, thrown their arms on one side, posed themselves near their meager camp- fire, and were waiting their evening meal with- out suspicion that they were being pursued, and so stealthy had been the approach of the pursurers, their first cognizance of this fact was when they found themselves cut off from their arms and the white man's guns levelled at their breasts. There was no alternative but surrender.

The weapons having been secured, the horses

and the Indian ponies were brought in, all were mounted, the prisioners in the center and the captors flanking them and the cavalcade took its course for Colorado City. The dusk of the evening had deepened into darkness, and silence, only disturbed by the tramps of horses, per- vaded the plain, while some two miles were be- ing passed. "Ugh !" exclaimed the chief, and instantly every Indian leaped from his pony and, regardless of the horses' tread, struck out for the shelter of darkness. A general fusilade ensued, and it was said several were killed, but the only evidence of this was derived from a squaw's testimony some two years subsequent. No evidence remained on the ground, and to all appearance the entire party escaped.

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History of the Arkansas Valley, Colorado, Part 56

Author: O.L. Baskin & Co Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Chicago : O.L. Baskin & Co. Number of Pages: 1080

Author: O.L. Baskin & Co
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago : O.L. Baskin & Co.
Number of Pages: 1080