(PDF) THE COLORADO MAGAZINE...Mother re-married when I was but three yea1·s old and the aura of my step-father's kindness colors many of my childhood's me11101·ies. l\fy feet, in black - DOKUMEN.TIPS (2024)

THE COLORADO MAGAZINE

Vol. XX

Published bi-monthly by The State Historical Society of Colorado

Denver, Colorado, May, 1943

Memoirs of Marian Russell MRS. HAL RUSSELL*

No. 3

It is my desire that these memoirs may preserve to posterity my recollections of an unforgettable period in American history, when sturdy pioneers blazed trails across a lost and lovely land­the land that the Santa Fe Trail "·ound through so long, long ago. Across the buffalo grass the old 'l'rail fimYed like a mighty, slow­moving river.

The way that I haYe travelefl stretches Yery far behind me. Almost forgotten are the brambles and sharp stones that once were there. It is, they say, in the little incidents of life, not in the great results, that the interest of existence lies. For that reason, ·will you bear with me if, at times, I stray from the main issue to linger \Yistfully over some cherished personal remembrance. Dear to me is the memory of dust that swirled away behind a lumbering herd of buffalo; of curlews dipping in a moist meadow; or, perhaps, of cows that ambled slowly to a milking place.

I am the third and last child of William and Eliza St. Clair Sloan. I am of Scottish descent, named after Lady 1\Iarian \Val­lace, whose tragic story touched my mother's heart. I was born in Peoria, Illinois, on January 26, 1845. The first child of my parents' union died in infancy. The next, my brother, William, lived to manhood and shared with me many of the incidents of which I write.

M:y father, an army surgeon in the l\Iexican \Var, was killed at the battle of Monterey. Ile passed from my life at such an early age that I have no remembrance of him. An old daguerreotype

*This manuscript is the joint production of l\Iarian Russell and her daughter­in-law, Mrs. Hal Russell of Weston, Colorado. SeYeral years before Marian Rus­Rell' s death, which occurred at the age of 91, she began relating the story of h e r life to Mrs. Ila! Russell, who wrote and submitted each page to her mother-in-law for criticism and reYi~ion. Marian Rusi;ell first traYeled the Santa Fe Trail at the age of seYen, but made the trip in a covered wagon seYeral times. She lived at Santa Fe, Albuquerque, Fort Union, Fort Bascom, Camp Nichols and in the Stonewall Valley west of Trinidad, Colorado. She was an army officer's bride at Camp Nichols, built by Kit Car,;on to guard the Santa Fe caravans. Blessed with unu~mal po"\ver~ of observation and a retentive n1emory, Marian Russell remembered details that few who wrote contemporaneously about the Santa Fe trade haYe given. ThiR is reflected in the color and intimacy of her memoirs. Her husband, the second settler in the Stonewall Valley, gave that beautiful locality its name. With him, Marian Russell went through the dramatic contest between the Maxwell Land Grant Company and the settlers, in which Captain Ru,;sell lost his life. Mr. E. C. McMechen prepared the manuscript for the iirinter and supplied the editorial notes.-Ed.

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shows him in a gaily-flowered waist coat, with long, straight hair and serious eyes like brother -Will's.

I became so familiar with my mother's face as it was in later years that I recall her earlier image only " ·ith an effort. She was a courageous \\-oman, both educated and cultured. One hundred years ago educational advantages were difficult to obtain, yet mother managed to give both -Will and me educations far beyond the average .

When I think of those ea1·ly days I always seem to see her standing by a fli('kering campfire in a flounced gingham dress and a great sunbonnet. Behind her looms the bulk of a coYered wagon. Thus my mother comes to me across the years, a small, sturdy little figure erect in the morning sun.

From the shadowy background of infanvy l'.Ome pictures of amazing clearness. ~\('ross a rnom of irnma·nilate <'leanliness I send my toddling feet. There is white Chinese matting on the floor, and a stand table across a corner "·hose top I (·annot reach. Guests are in this room: a gentlemau \\·ho pa1·ts his l'.Oattails care­fully before sitting down. and a lowly lacly whose silken skirts hillo\\' softly as she ,raJks.

This is my tirst remembrance of our home in Ht. Louis, ~t:is­

sonri. In the back ~·ard lies a i·attlesnake. I haw been told that it is dead because someone has hit it repeatedly with a stick. Yet, out of that dead snake's mouth emerges a great, gTN'n toad that goes hopping away across the sun-baked yard.

I think that this memory of the snake and the toad has always inc-lined me to believe a little in ghosts and goblins. ·when one is three the "·orld is a vast. strange place. '!'he veg·etable garden is a "·ild, unexplored jungle 11·here heasts may loiter among the eurrants and the eabhages.

The garret is a place \\-e explore only 11·hen we are moved to seek deliberately the bright face of danger. We elimb the narrow stairs slowly, stopping often to count the steps behind us. ·we peer through the keyhole, seeing nothing but eerie darkness. \Y c push the door ajar at last and stand, sniffi11g the thy musty air until we become accustomed to the shado"·s moving there--such great flopping shado,rn. They are like the "·ings of some enor­mous bat. Our heart beats high in our throat as we adnmce slowly inside and stand still, letting the silence and loneliness fill us. Over our head are great c·ob-webby rafters and, far across the room, is a litter of bundles and hoxes. \\Te retreat and close the little door behind us. It requires all our courage not to run down the steep steps to safety. vnrnt is this strange thing in the human heart that causes us to court the unkno wn and the dangerous?

MEMOIRS OF MARIAN RUSSELL 83

The long city street stretches away across an unknown world. It beckons me and I follow. Soon the street becomes dreadful and unfamiliar, and an almighty and devastating sorrow descends upon me. I climb white "·ooden steps to an open door, and a woman's sweet Yoice bids me enter. I eat bread and milk from a yellow bo"·l. A small gray kitten c:omrs and rubs against me.

There were no radio patrol cars in St. l;ouis in the year 1848, and so an old neg1·0 went along the street ringing a bell and call-

MRS. MARIAK RUSSELL Taken in 1891, Roon after the Stonewall tragedy,

ing: ''Little "-hite chile lost. Have you seen three-year-old Marian Sloan?" So I was found and carried home asleep to mother, my head on a warm, black neck.

The light pours down upon me. The air is close and heavy from the breathing of a great audience. I lean my head against mother, sleepily, \\·hen suddenly the curtain goes up and, with a clatter and rattle, little 'l'om Thumb drives out upon the stage. He has two Shetland ponies hitched to a small top-buggy and is dressed in red velvet and gold tassels. Then a man stands on the stage and tells us that Queen Victoria has given the ponies and the little buggy to tiny Tom Thumb.

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I do wish you could have seen mother's hooped skirts and snowy pantalettes. Her hoops were never over-large, but the pantalettes were glistening white and stiff with starch. They were embroidered and ruffled, and anchored above her knees with elastic.

Sometimes I had to be reminded to say my prayers but ·wm never did.

He kneels by his bed across the room from mother's and mine, his hair rumpled, and his thin brown neck rising above the collar of his outing flannel nightshirt. I laugh to see the brown soles of his feet thrust behind him, but mother's glance is a reproof. His piping voice begins the child's prayer, "Now I lay me." At the end he hesitates, then adds:

''Please God, I want someday to see your face.'' I turn shocked e~·es to mothe1·. Rhe <lrnps my long, hro1Yn

braid and crosses the floor to kneel by ·will 's side. Their two shadows flicker on the wa 11.

In time I became accustomed to the queer codicil and it \YaS

months before ·wm startled me again by beginning to pray in a small, defiant voice," Our Father " ·ho art in Ilea Yen," his childish voice dying away on "the power and the glory." Surely this was heresy, but mother only went to kneel by him again, and this time it was her sweet voice that added: "Please God, let us someday see your face.''

So they come, those childhood pietures, like life's J oose he a ch; with no straight string running through.

Mother re-married when I was but three yea1·s old and the aura of my step-father's kindness colors many of my childhood's me11101·ies. l\fy feet, in black sandals, are stretched before me 011

the Chinese matting as I sit holding step-father's new boot in Ill;\.

hand. Somewhere I haye s&n a picture of a mouse running out of a hole in an old hoot. \\Tith mother's forbidden scissors I cut a hole in that new boot. l\fother was outraged, but step-father laughed as he picked me up and held my face against his own.

In 1849, step-father :Mahoney was appointed custodian of Fort Snelling and Prairie du Chien, military outposts on the upper Mississippi. Garrisons of soldiers were stationed there to repel Indian invasion. \Ve went on a crazy little stern-\\·heeler that churned up the muddy " ·ater, leaYing a trail of foamy ivory in our wake.

On the western side of the great :vellow river the silver prairies spread as far as the eye could see. 'fhere were herds of buffalo grazing. On the eastern bank were huge trees and long tendrils of vines hung down into the water .\ 11 the little towns seemed

MEMOIRS OF MARIAN RUSSELL 85

perched on that eastern bank, "·bile the weste1·11 side was left to the buffalo.

We anchored beneath the high bank upon "·hich \ms Port Snelling, and I remember the tall round to\\·er in the center of the parade ground. A sentry, "·hose duty \ms to scan the country­side for bands of roving Indians, was standing there.

Across the river from Fort Snelling was an Indian encamp­ment. One could not help noticing how mnch cleaner the Sioux \\'ere than the Chippell"as. Even from afar the Sioux' brightly colored blankets contrasted oddly with the Chippe"·as' bedraggled clothing.

Once the Sioux came scampering to the fort for protection, with the screaming Chippewas hard upon their heels. All became bustle and confusion. A detachment of soldiers "lrns marched out between the warring factions, and tannon were rolled to the gates. There was much grumhling and muttering and, finally, a bit of pipe smoking. At last the offiee1·s came back laughing into the fort.

Many distinguished officers have been in charge at Fort Snell­ing. Zachary Taylor had been in command there during 1828 and 1829. He had four beautiful daughters, one of whom was my mother's clearest friend. She later married Jefferson Davis.

Dred Scott also had lived at Fort Snelling. He was a slaYe belonging to Dr. Emerson, an army surgeon. Dr. Bmerson also 01rnec1 a mulatto girl with a skin like yellow satin. Drecl had married this prett~- negress at Fort Snelli11 g in 1836 and, when later, Dr. Emerson was transferred to St. Louis he sold Dred and his wife. It "lras then that Dred brought snit for his freedom . The ease was carried to the Sup1•eme Court and resulted in the historic Dred Scott Decision.

Besides the trips between Fort Snelling and Prairie du Chien there \Yere long rides across the prairies in mule-drawn lumber wagons. On one such trip we passed through the Yillage of the l<'rench voyageurs. Tall houses edged streets so narrow that they seemed hardly wide enough for our \Yagons. \Yomen with bright. black eyes called to us from open cloonrnys. The voyageurs were famous hunters and boatmen. Often we saw them coming down the riYer in keel boats. each with four tiny sails and a little cabin amidships.

One such voyageur was Old Antony, a gnome-like fellow with a face like a withered apple. Never did he come to the fort that he failed to find V{ill and me waiting at the gate. :Many were the tales he told of murderous French priests and a folk he called the Druids. These Druids had the Indian stories beat.

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"\\Te made many trips up and down the Mississippi while ·we lived at Fort Snelling. On one occasion we passed a tall, red cliff called the Maiden's Leap. l\Iother told us the Indian legend of Winona, the Indian girl who had thrown herself from the precipice because her lover had proved unfaithful. I saw in imagination that slendei· girl hurtling clown into the muddy water, and I leaned far oYer to see 'drnther I could see Winona on the river's muddy bottom. I did so hope that her lover was Sioux and not a dirty Chippewa.

Once we camped at the Falls of St. Anthony and step-father caught a string of cat-fish as yellowish-black as the river in which they liYecl. Here we saw caribou coming down to the river's edge to drink, and one old buffalo who swam out to a little island and lay clumsily clown to rest.

'l'here also was the time when mother and I went down to St. Paul to do some shopping. St. Paul had no paved streets in '49 an~l we waded from one store to another, mother holding up the skirt of her long purple dress as she walked.

As I write I again experience the thrill of leaving Fort Snell­ing. Orders had come from Vlashington that both Fort Snelling and Prairie du Chien were to be abandoned. All day long the troops had been leaving. In our quarters, trunks, bags and boxes stood open as mother sorted, packed and eliminated. This article or that she would place in trunk or bag, while some uffwanted thing she ''"ould toss upon a refuse heap in a corner. Here was a game of leave and take that my soul yearned to play. Into the kitchen I marched and unhesitatingly threw my beloved rag doll into a tub of water that had been left standing on the floor. She eddied around a bit, gazing at me with soulful, shoebutton eyes. Filled with sorrow and compunction, I backed slowly from the room, watching spell-bound the little painted face on the 'rnter.

I stood then with step-father on the steps of the fort, watching as he fitted the great key in the lock. That key must have been fully a foot long and folded in the middle like a giant jack-knifE'. I felt the cool, sweet wind on my face and knew that behind that locked door a little painted face eddied round in a tub of water. Thus, Fort Snelling and the first chapter of my life closed together.

Of my step-father-"·ho was killed by Indians on a scoutino· expedition-I haYe nothing but a sad and hazy memory. I kno'~ that mother, \Vill and I waited t"·o long ~'ears in Kansas City for (hanclfather Rloan to come for us, but he newr clid. Grandfather and his two sons had gone to California -;eYeral years previously, and many " ·ere the golden tales they ha<l "ritten. Once they had told that our great-aunt, 1\'Iary Ri<·P . had ".u;hed out three ,thou-

MEMOIRS OF MARIAN RUSSELL 87

sand dollars worth of gold with her own hands near Sutter's Fort. Now, grandfather had written that he was coming for us and that we too might wash out much gold. That was the year of the cholera epidemic. Grandfather and both his sons died of it and were buried in California. The news reached us slowly, because sometimes wagon trains bearing ne"·s from California were two yearn in crossing the Great Plains.

During this period of waiting I attended a Catholic primary school of the Sacred Heart in Kansas City. It pleased me mightily to learn that the small black curlicues I had puzzled over in books really meant something. I learned to write my name in large, wavering letters on a slate that was bound in bright red wool. I wore white ruffled pinafores and had a clean ·white handkerchief each morning.

After school closed in the spring of 1852, mother decided to go to California anyway. IV e left Kansas City and moved to Fort Leavenworth, where immigrant trains assembled for the West. I can still remember how that little city of tents and covered wag­ons grew by leaps and bounds on the prairie west of Fort Leaven­worth.

Mother's clearest friend and most ardent admirer was Cap­tain F. X. Aubry,1 a wagon master running between Leavenworth and Santa Fe. We hoped to engage passage in his wagon train. Indians "·ere bad along the trail and Captain Aubry was waiting for another train to join him. 'l'he more wagons, the greater safety from Indians. At last a big Government train pulled in from some place farther east and the t\\'O trains made ready for instant de­parture. As passeng·ers on the Go,·ernment train we11e three young men. Two were army officers, "·hile the third was a graduate doctor from West Point. These men offered mother free transpor­tation for herself and her children, as far as Santa Fe in return for preparation of their meals enroute. She gladly agreed, because the cost of transportation from I1eavenworth to Santa Fe in 1852 was $250.00, and half that for children. So mother realh· saYed $500.00 by cooking for the young men. .

During the enforced ·wait at Fort LeaYenworth, \Vill and I had grown to loYe Captain Aubry. He was our Yery good friend.

1F_rancis Xavier Aubry, explorer and Santa Fe trader, as well as the greatest long-distance horsebaek rider of his time, was born in Maskinonge Quebec De­cember 4, 1824, and was killed in Santa Fe, New Mexico. August 18. ' 1854. Aubry waR a man of phenomenal activit~·. ·who found outlet for his energies as a trader to Santa Fe. San Antonio, El Paso, Chihuahua, and San Francisco. In 1 854 . he pxplored the route along the 35th parallel, seeking at his own expense a railroad route to the Pacific. Aubr;· also laid out the Aubry Trail, a short cut on the S~nta Fe Trail , which ran from present Boise City, Oklahoma. to the Arkansas River near the boundary line between present Kearny and Hamilton counties Kansas. This trail traversed present Baca County, Colorado. Named after hi~ were: a Missouri River steamboat; Aubry Cliffs and Aubry Valley, Arizona; Fort A~bry, Kansas. and towns in Missouri, Oklahoma a11d Arizona. See Ralph P. Bieber, in Soutl1west Historical Series, YJI, 38-62.

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·we took our childish 'Yoes to him for solace visitell him in his great covered wagon and were treated as wek~me guests. He told us that Indians were thick as hops along the trail, and that we must promise him neYer to stray far from the camp. Gradually we came to know that everyone was torn between joy at rnakil1g the gTeat overland trip and terror of the Indians.

'!.'he dreaded cholera was raging in Fort Learnnworth that August clay when our white-hooded wagons drifted out upon the trail. Tar barrels burned in the city streets; clouds of black smoke rolled heavenward. Someho\I· we dicln 't wan1 to look behind us. The city of tents dissolved like snow beneath the sun. Captain Aubry broke camp first, his huge wagon swaying, his great voice calling upon others to follow. 'Vagon after wagon rolled onward and not until the last wagon belonging to the Aubry train was 11·ell upon the prairie did the first Government "-agon lead out. Our leader drove four mouse-colored mules that scampered out like frisky dogs. ·vire felt safe from Indian attack now because the two trains numbered more than 500 'rngons. )[any " ·agons in both trains were loaded with supplies for Santa Fe and Fort Union and were, as I remember, all mule dra\l·n. Teamsters and driYers were paid about $25.00 per month, plus rations. The freight rate from Independence to Santa Fe was $10.00 per hundred pounds.

This first trip was made over what is known as the Cimarron Cut-off, which left the Arkansas River at Fort Dodge, Kansas, and traversed a waste of land for about sixty miles before reaching the Cimarron River in what is now Oklahoma. Long caravans loaded with valuable merchandise moved slowly over this great artery of travel. They were constantl~r harassed by Indians. threatened hy storms, and always suffered for "·ant of "·ater.

I remember clearly the beauty of the brown earth, and the deer and antelope bounding away at the approach of our cowred wagons. ,~Yild turkey stalked among cottomrnods along the hanks of little creeks. Voices of the homeless sang over campfires. 'We were a great caravan drifting across a strange, "·ild land and, becam;e I was among the very youngest, I may be the onl~- one of all that band left to tell of the old, old trail that like a rainho"· led to unknown ends.

\Ve were a bit over two months reaching Fort L"nion, an event­ful two months. l\Iinute impressions flash hefore me, the sun­bonneted women and the woolen-trousered men that made up that cavalcade ... the little mother in her flounced gingham dress .. . Brother ·will walking manfully in long strides by our driver .. . the seven-year-old child in brand new coat with a silken fringed rollar, sitting primly by mother's si<le, her eyes eager and her braids of long brm1·n hair, bomwing . 1 he 1rn gons, five hunclrt>(l

1\lEMOlRS OF MARIAN RUSSELL 89

of them, ·rolling and swaying along the old 1 mil. Thus did the heart and soul of a great nation strain to reach its western frontier.

Then there were the Great Plains, the beautiful plains that are gone forever. A vast open country it was, with not an upturned sod, lying under the blue sky like a mighty silver sea.

Our trail led us among herds of buffalo so numerous that at times we were half afraid. Running north an<l south across the silver sea were the buffalo trails, narro"· little paths worn deep into the earth, never more than eight inches across, and always they ran north and south. Scattered OYer the prairies were the "buffalo wallows," small basins where unclean water had col­lected. They were made, so we were told, by two old buffalo bulls fighting.

Sometimes frightening thunder storms eame suddenly. '!'hey would sweep over us and go as abruptly as they had rome. First, the silvery prairies would darken and there would fall upon us a drenching sheet of water. Often the drivers would wheel the 'rngon backs to the roming storm. The men who had been walking would seek shelter inside the taut white cam·as Clfftains. ·with a mighty crash of thunder the storm \l·oulcl b1·eak and the mules would stand with hunched backs while rivulets of water ran from their mouse-colored sides. The pelting rain would send a fine white mist through the tightened canvas and small pearl beads " ·ould glow in mother's hair. So we sat through 11·ind, water. thundrr and lightning; then, as swiftly as it had ('.Orne, it would swiftly go. Vv e emerged from the wagons to see the golden sun shining through scattered clouds ,,·hile our storm went limping off like a tattered vagabond across the distant hills. Looking back, it serms to me that we had a thunder storm almost every day.

There was the 'Yonder of the skies. Perhaps anything that lifts our eyes to the skies gives birth to lowly thoughts. To take away a roof entirely and have over one's head only the blue sky with its changing cloud shapes is joy unutterable.

There, too, was the desert mirage, a "·ill-o-ihe-wisp that taunted and tempted us. Sometimes it would look like a party of mounted Indians. Once we saw what resembled a blue lake, itR "·aves lapping against \l·hite sand. ..At another time, a tall old rastle seemed set among great trees. The mirage danced only through the hot daylight hours and disappeared at sunset.

There were the rainbows. If I had seen other rainhows I have no remembrance of them. 'l.'hese that stretched so bright and gay across a blue sky and beneath which the old Santa Fe Trail wound its western " ·ay are the rainbows I love to remember. One night the great caravans had made camp when a great rainbow flashed through the sun-lit rain. I rallecl to mother. who stood on

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our wagon tongue searching for something inside. She turned and, seeing the splendor, sat down in speechless delight. Will, who was busy building our little cooking fire, said: "There is always a pot of gold at the rainbow's end.''

"Mother, is it really true~" I asked. Sitting perched at the wagon's mouth, her loYely eyes on the gTeat red arch, she an­swered. ''They say so, child.''

"'l'he end of the rainbo11· is only a little way before us. \Ye need only climb to the top of the little green hill ahead of us '' I said delightedly. '

"It does not rest on the green hill, dear. It is very, very far awa~r. I think it rests in California at a place called Sutter's F'ort and we shall find it there,'' she said. For vears I really thou"'ht the end of the rainbow was indeed in Califo;·nia. . <-

There were other things that lifted our eyes to the skies; the gray day when we saw the wild geese flying south was one. Myriads of honking birds streamed onrhead. The very sky was full of beating wings. Even today I seem lo sec them sailing down the vast corridors of the clouds.

Our "·agon driYer was Pierre, a swarthy Frenchman, who reminded me so much of old Antony that I "·as disappointed to learn that not one story could he tell. In fact, his education must have been sadly neglected, for of not one g·host or goblin did he have personal knowledge. Pierre almost always walked; yet at times he sat s'Yinging booted feet out over the dashboard, peril­ously close to the brown mules' shining hips. Sometimes he sang or talked to the mules in French, or conversed with mother in broken English. His limp black hat turned straight up in front. His blue shirt was clotted thickly with tiny white stars. His dark eyes "·ere hawk eyes and his nose a great heak. The tobacco he used smelled to high heaven, yet we knew our Pierre was a simple, kindly man.

Our 'vagon was packed with boxes and hales of freig·ht. Only the high spring seat was left for :Jfother, Will and me. Back ~f the. seat and on top of the freight was our bedding and camp eqmpment. The food and cooking utensils were stored in a great box at the rear of the 1rngon a bit like the chnek boxes of later­day cow camps. Two blaekened iron kettles and a "·ater pail huno· from the running gears underneath. :\Iother usually sat Yer~ erect on the spring sea1, her small fa\·r ro"~ in the gray depth o.f her sun-bonnet. She burned in the prail'iP -;un . Often she knitted as the wagon humped along. \Vhen 1 tin'il of -;it ting by hrr. or of running to keep up with \\'ill and l'i1•1Tr . I " ·ould c-rawl haek among the bundles and hlankets. wlwn• J "ould pla~· with my doll 01· fall asleep.

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As I write, scenes of the old trail come flooding back to me. Places where the earth ''"as like a Persian rug, the curly gray­green of the buffalo grass mingling with the lavender, yello"· and red fio,Yers of early autumn. vVe all sought the scanty shade of the wagons when we ate our noon-day meal. The sweaty mules rolled over and oYer in the grass, delighted to be free from the heavy wagons. The tired drivers lay ''"ith their hats covering their faces as they slept. Babies were born as our wagons lum­bered westward. Death sometimes came and then graves were made over which clanking wheels "·ould pass to obliterate traces. Graves must not be discovered by Indians.

At night our wagons were spread out in a great circle. Ropes were stretched behreen them. Inside the enclosure thus formed the mules "·ere turned loose to graze. Soon tents were pitched and cooking fires were blazing. The two trains camped about a quarter of a mile apart and thus our camp "·as marked by two great circles on the plains. :;,\!any slept in tents, as the wagons were loaded and crowded. I believe the drivers always slept under the wagons. Each night our little dark tent raised protect­ing wings over us where mother had spread our bed upon the matted grass. Sometimes in the dark night I would hear the coyote's eerie cry and would shiYer and creep close to mother. The spell the prairies cast upon my child soul is on my heart tonight.

Between the t"·o night circles ''"as ahYays a lovely bit of no­man's-land where children from both caravans met to play and to gather wild flowers. I remember a species of "·hite poppy that bloomed only at night. To me these poppies "·ere a fascination, great white blossoms opening only "·hen the evening shadows fell. One evening I lingered long in little 110-man's-land :filling m~- arms with the white flowers. Above me glo,Yecl the lights of Captain Aubry's train, "·hile helow on the slope lay the huddled circle of the Government train. As the candles were lighted I sa"· the conical tents a blaze like Chinese lanterns. The night wind brought the sound of Yoices and of laughter. Then mother came and called to me, an anxious note in her YOice. I should like to stand again between the great camp circles on the hill, my arms full of white flo\\'ers. Could I but see again the moon mist over all that silYery land. Could I but hear ag-ain :\!other's sweet lost Yoice calling me.

Often we gathered around the fires while the men told stories of strange new lands. tales of 'gold and of Indians. The women sat, their long skirts drawn up owr a sleeping- child in their laps. Behind us loomed the dark hulks of the covered wagons; overhead brooded the midnight sky.

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When bed-time came the women and children dispersed qui­etly; the men rose and began to stretch their arms. Two of them were chosen each night to stand guard "·hile the others slept. These two men, rifles in hand, circled and re-circled the big corral. .c\t midnight tlrn others took their places. EYery precaution was maintained that we should not be surprised by the Indians.

Captain Aubry and mother had kno"·n each other for many years, although I do not know when their friendship first began. Lle always called her "Eliza," speaking the name slo"·ly as if he loved saying it. Mother did not like to be called "Lizzie" and sometimes the Captain would call her that and then mother would turn upon him fiercely. 'l'he laughter would leap and sparkle in Captain Aubry's eyes, and watching him I a1'rnys laughed too.

One windy night Captain .. '..ubry came to help drive our tent stakes deeper into the ground. Sparks were beginning to fly from our tiny cooking fire that mother endeavored to keep ever so small. She stood stamping at the sparks as they lighted in the grass, sun­bonnet laid aside, the w-ind blowing tendrils of her hair across her face, that soft black hair in a heavy Psyche anchored with four bone hair-pins low on her neck. Her little feet were in heavy brogans, her dress was long and dark. \Vil] lay close by the littl~ fire, fast asleep. He always 1rnlked more than he should and at night was too tired to play. When Captain ~\ubry finished his task he came and took me on his lap. Sitting there in the shelter of his arms, I felt the great windy night closing down upon us; was conscious of the night wind and the Yast turbulent prairie stretching away into infinity. The world seemed to me so big ancl black and terrible. I shivered in the Captain's arms. thinking that only here where the fire light flickered on mother's face was ·warmth and comfort and home.

'fhere 1rns another time when \Vill cried with the earache and Captain Aubry hlew smoke in his ear until the pain died a1vay and \Vill slept. Once on that trip Captain Auh1·y made a ,,·ill<rn· "·histle for \Vill-a 1Yhistle that music-loYing \\;ill was soon coax­ing into strange sounds and merry tunes. Slender little \Yill, his trousers han~ring from narrow hips; his eyes glowing, while from that crude little whistle came the Round of wind rushing over prairie grass, mocking bird8 twittering in fear of a roming storm. All the music of the pipes of Pan poured forth from one poor "-illow whistle.

Rested from our night sleep under the stars, the camp 1rns astir at daybreak. Men began rolling out from their blankets, out of tents and from under "·ago1rn, an<l ns tl1t>y rolled they wiped the dregs of sleep from their eves. 'l'hev ':rn 111' 11 lustilv in the col cl morning air. Soon the bi·!'~kfast tir1:s ~' f'l'f' lrnrning .. ancl the men

MEMOIRS OF MARIAN RUSSELL 93

were roping and harnessing the mules. Through partially closed tent-flaps the women could be seen slipping their dresses on over their heads. Children cried at being forced out from under the warm covers. I found it hard to button all the buttons that ran up and clown the back of my little dress with fingers that were blue with cold. Dressed and out in the sunshine, 1rn were always happy again for there, stretched out before ns, lay a brand new 11"01·lc1 under a turquoise sky. Sun-bonnets bobbed merrily oYer the eook­ing fires and on the crisp air floated a sme11 of coffee.

Packing "·as done S\1·iftly. :\Iules ,,·ere hitched to the 1rngons, a swift glance given to see that nothing was left behind, and we were off for another day on the westward trail. Drivers were call­ing, "Get up there. Come along boys." So111e"·bere along the line a whip snapped, the heavy wagons groaned and the great wheels began a steady creaking.

Our two trains had together a herd of ahont two hundred loose horses. This herd always brought up the rear of the caravan. Among these horses was a big white stallion belonging to Captain Sturgis. This loYely animal always led the herd. The horses we1·e held at night outside the circle of wagons and night herd was rid.­den over them. After we had hcen a few weeks on the trail \\·e reached a place called Pawnee Rock. the scene of a bloody Indian massacre a few years before. Extra precaution \\·as taken that night and a double sentry placed over the horse herd. In the night 'rn were rudely awakened by the sound of Indian war \\·hoops close at hand. The mules in the enclosure screamed and our tent swayed as if coming down on our heads. ~:\11 became bedlam, the mules were running like mad among the tents and from somewhere outside came the shrill 1rnighing of the Sturgis stallion.

\\Then morning broke our herd of horses 1rns gone. 'l'he Jn­dians had stampeded them and driYen them off. Captain Aubry would not go to Fort rnion "·ithout our assignment of horses, so the outriders 11·ere sent hack to T.JeaYenwo1·th to purchase more and the two wagon trains went into camp at Pa1rnee Rock. \Ye waited there two weeks for the anival of the horse herd and were Yisited almost ever~' day by rnYing bands of lndians. Howewr. 11·e were a large train and they sePmecl afraid to open hostilities.

.\fter leaving Pawnee Rork the fear of the Indians was with us constantly. ·when we reac·hcd 'P'ort Mackey on the Arkansas Hiver we breathed a breath of relief to be nuder the protection of soldiers for one night at least. The eamp at Fo1-t Mackey li11ge1·s pleasantl~r in my mind, for it was here that ·will and I visited Captain Aubn· in his wagon in the head train. 1\fother had gh·en us a small piece of money to spend as we liked at Fort Mackey and. with thoughts of reel and "·hite candy dancing in onr minds.

94 COLORADO MAGAZil\"E

we a \\·oke while it was yet dark and started up the road to the fort, only to find the commissary closed. rp the road a short distance lay the Aubry train. ·we found the Captain attired in gray flannel shirt, high-topped boots and a big black hat. No one else seemed to be stirring and "·e three had a good visit. 'fhe Captain seemed uneasy about the Indians. He warned us we must never again leave the protection of the wagons, not eYen to play in no-man's­land. \Ve bad seen many Indians along the trail, sulky, blanketed figures "·ith a sullen look in their beady eyes. \Ye promised to be ,·e1·y good and not wander any more.

\Ve had saved up many questions to ask our friend. v\Thy the buffalo trails ran always north and south, never east and west '? vVhy the mirage looked one day like an Indian, the next like a Jake? He explained that the buffalo knew by instinct that the shortest way to running water was north or south, as all streams flowed east away from the Rocky Mountains. The mirng-e , he explained, was always caused by something, perhaps a cactus, an old bone or even a tall bunch of grass, and so the mirages were as varied as the objects causing them. He told us also that the muddy \rnter in the buffalo wallows had often saved human life. One dying of thirst does not stop to strain out gnats and camels.

~\.t Fort Mackey the teamsters all seemed to do a bit of trad­ing. One old Indian, his ugly face painted with Yermilion, stood admiring himself in a small hand mirror. Some articles of real value the Indians 1rnuld dispose of cheaply, 1rhile others of rela­tively small worth they refused to part with at all. I saw Captain Aubry trade something for a headdress of eagle feathers. It was so long that, as he stood holding it in his hands, the feathers trailed on the ground.

~Iany times while on the Cimarron Cut-off we were forced to build our cooking fires " ·ith buffalo chips. Once 1rn traveled two whole days without water and, thirsty child that I was, I felt sorrier for the straining mules than for myself. Captain Aubry taught us how to keep coffee from boiling oYer on the camp fire. He would cross two little sticks oYer the top of the coffee pot. You will see my children today using Captain .\uhry's method of c·nrnp cookin!!'.

Leaving the beautiful grasslands to the north. " ·e st rue k in a southerly direction across the Great ~\meri<·an Desert. vVe found less and less forage for the horses arnl mules as we progressed southw·ard. There were many rattlesnakr-.,, and a Yariety of ractus l'esembling trees. \Ye left behind thr wild asters, scarlet honey­sucldes and fien· Tndian pinks. Ht'n' th ' saffron sand d1·ifted endlessly.

COLORADO MAIL TAKES WINGS 95

ln filling the long. full skirt of my little dress with buffalo · <:hips for mother's eYening fire I was Yery careful. Standing back, I would kick at the hal'cl, brown chips with sturdy shoes. When waxen-yellowish centipedes and the scorpions ran from beneath I did not molest them needlessly. It 1rns on this trip that I first encountered the great hairy spiders called tamntulas. If one pounded on the ground close by their holes, and called: ''Come out! Come out! Come tell me what it is all about," they would, indeed, come out and go walking away on stilt-like legs. Little je\\·elrd lizards darted across our path, or stopped to pant awhile in the shadow of scanty bushes.

~\fter \Ye had traYeled for what seemed to me an eternity across the dry, hot land. we awoke one morning to find the air filled with a cool, misty rain. .Although this rain fell all day long, it was a merry, thankful band that followed the old trail over hill and dale. In the afternoon 11·e found ourseh·es winding in and out among some ch·arfed cedar trees on a fiat mesa. There we saw a dozen Indian lodges from the tops of which blue smoke issued. Indian children slithered through the 1Yet drizzle, am011g the lodges and the stunted trees.

There came an ewning when Captain ~\ubry approached our tent and told us that '"e '"ere now in New l\fexico territory.

"This is the place," he said, "where only the brave and the criminal come. It is called 'The Land without T1aw'.''

Colorado Mail Takes Wings EMERSON X. BARKER*

\¥hen the long-a1rnited transcontinental airmail service was announced in 1920, residents of the Centennial State learned they "·ere not to be upon the main line of communication bet\ men the East and \Yest. As in the clays of the "Pike's Peakers," when the important through mails 'vere carried onr the Central Route , the ne'v mail line \YaS routed north of Colorado. Tn fact, the air­plane 'ms charted over a route that approximatecl-\\·est of the :\iissouri River-that of the great overland mail and the pon~· express of sixty )"ears before.

Transcontinental airmail service was inaugurated September 7. 1920, over a route that began in New York, crossed the Missouri at Omaha, touched Cheyenne, Salt T~ake Cit~·, Elko and Reno. and ended at San Prancisco. 1

•l\ir. Barker, member of the State Historical Society and the Denver Stamp Cluh, has interested himself in the po~tal histon· of Colorado. ·-Ed.

1The Amei·ic<rn Airmail Catalogue (1940 edition), 86.

96 COLORADO MAGAZlr\E COLORADO MAIL TAKES WINGS 97

Civic-minded citizens of Colorado and business interests, ani­mated by the same spirit that had built a railroad to Cheyenne when the transcontinental railroad had passed them by, again determined that the state should keep abreast of progress. Their perseverance ·was re"·arded, for \Vashington officials announced, some years later, that Colorado 'rnuld he placed upon the airmail map. Contact again would be made with the main line at Cheyenne.

Cheyenne to Denver, to Colorado Springs, to Pueblo-linking the three leading cities of the state-this was to be Contract Air­mail Route No. 12.2

The announcement of the Postoffice Department was greeted " ·ith enthusiasm by the three fayored localities, and the press was eloquent. Pilots selected to open the ne"· airmail line were re­ferred to as ''modern Davy Croeketts, Kit Carsons and Buffalo Bills

of the air.' '3

On the last day of May, 1926, ''on the crest of a zipping tail-wind, a black-and-silver sky ship s11·ung over Denver . . . circled in a rapid sweep over Park Hill and skimmed to a perfect landing at the Don Hogan airdrome, Bast Twenty-sixth A venue and Oneida Street. The 'maiden flight' of Colorado's own airmail

fleet 'ms history. "It was just 8:30 o'clock (a. m.) when 'rntchers at the air-

drome sighted the speck on the northern horizon that at 8 :35 swung dmn1 as plane No. 14 of the Colorado Airways, Inc., fleet. "

4

Captain E. L. Curtis, '"ho had brought the first airmail from Cheyenne, stepped from his plane to accept the congratulations of Postmaster Frank L. Dodge, members of the Denver postoffice staff, and A. E. Peterson, official ·washington representative.

"Captain Curtis had made the ninety-seven-mile hop from Cheyenne in the record-breaking time of fifty-five minutes, after whisking his mail from the transcontinental plane from Omaha. The Omaha airplane dropped clown at the \Vyoming landing :field just three hours late, after bucking a stiff headwind oYer the

plains. ''5

The mail, howeYel', was paramount. One sack was thrown into a waiting postoffice truck to be rushed do"·ntown, to be dis­tributed to De1wer addresses. Other mailbags, hound for Colo­rado Springs and Pueblo, were f]Uickly transferred to plane No. 7, which bad been warming up for a quick start on the second lap of

the flight. It '"as an unlucky day for No. 7 and its pilot, Floyd Pace.

The motor warmup had been too long, clue to the late arrival of the

' Ibid .. page 14~ . 3D en ver P os t. '.\fa~ 31. 1 n6. 'Ibid. "Ibid.

98 COLORADO MAGAZINE

plane from Cheyenne. The motor wheezed and died, and could not be revived.

The southbound mail was hastily transferred to plane I\ o. JO and its pilot, Eddie Brooks, "·as on his way to Colorado Spring~ seconds before nine o'clock. The City of Sunshine was reached the mail was left, and Pilot J. H. Cordner was on his way t~ Pueblo.

Pilot Cordner reached Pueblo at 11 :05 a. m. ''Thousands attended the initial ceremonies at the airport. An auto parade, <'Omplete \Yith band, started from Mineral Palace Park to the field at 2 p. m. There was a brief stop at the postoffice, where the first shipment of airmail was loaded on government trucks.

''In com1ection with the inauguration ... of the airmail serv­ice, C. \\T. Pfaffenberger, postoffice inspector commended Frank S. Hoag and P. A. Gray, Pueblo Commerce' Club members for securing the service for Pueblo."6 '

\Vi th an eye on the schedule, 7 Pilot Cordner headed his plane northward for the return flight.

At Colorado Springs, Pilot Cordner was given an on ti on by fifteen thousand persons, ''doubtless the largest gatherino· cYer assembled in the Pike's Peak region. " 8

The mail plane had been preceded into the airpOl't by an eseort bearing l\Iajor Dayton, commander of the air force of the Colorado National Guard; Secretary of State Carl S. Milliken and aviation enthusiasts. Included in the throng were "leading Cham­ber of Commerce and other civic personages," but "formal speeches were forgotten as enthusiastic officials and exuberant aviators gripped hands and shouted in each other's ears. " 0

Li~tle time for ceremony " ·as allowed the airmail aviator, operatmg on schedule, and his plane left the g-round five minutes after it land~cl. l\Iail ~ags ~ad been loaded into the plane during· the ceremomes, and with Pilot Cordner ·on the flight to De1wer 'ms Postmaster E. E. Ewing.

The northbound plane landed at the Colorado capital at 6 :Ol ---the ;{'.;~~?..lo Star-Jo"rnal, May 31, 1926, quoted in a letter from BesRie Epps to

. 'Associated Press dispatch from ~rashington published in the Rocky 11Ioun-ta1u ]\ieu:s, May 31, J 926: '

OFFICIAL SCHEDULE L Southbound L~~~~ £~':{v~~n·e·::: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : · ..... . . . ............ 5 30 a. rn. Lea Ye Colorado Springs ........... :···· ·········::·::::¥ ~g ~: :;;: Arrive Pueblo ..................... :::::::::::: ....... 8 30a.m.

Xorthbound Leave, Pueblo.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 15 p in Leave Colorado Springs . . . . . . . · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · Leave Denver..... . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 05 p. 111. Arri\·e Cheyenne. . . . . . . . . . . . .6 00 p. 111 •

. . 7 15 p. Ill. :f/i/:J..ra<lo Springs r.a:el/e, .June 1, J 9~f..

TRADER W'ITH THE UTES; MURDER OF CHIEF SHAVANO 99

p. m., and a tremendous crowd \Yas on hand, variously estimated at ten to forty thousand. "It "·as an epoch-making landing and hardly a person in the gigantic crowd but realized they were see­ing a new page written in Colorado history.' " 0

Denver folks, however, were at the airfield to haYe fun with their history, and they were not disappointed. ''The crowd was entertained ... by a pageant of the evolution of the mail service, in which cowboy riders carried the mail just as did the pony express riders of old, transferring it to a stagecoach which in turn carried it across the prairie to the waiting plane.

"Unique air stunts in which Diavolo Steiner defied the po,Yer of gravity with feats of wing-walking and traper.e stunts followed; later he dropped from the plane in a parachute .... Members of four Indian tribes, the Denver & Rio Grande Western band and the G. A. R. fife and drum corps added further entertainment. " 11

Among the thousands were Governor :Morley, Mayor Staple­ton, };'rank Crane, president of the Denver Chamber of Commerce; J. E. Loiseau, chairman of the airmail committee of the Chamber, and many other civic leaders.

Before the fanfare had subsided, Pilots E. J_;. Curtis, who had flown the first lap from Cheyenne to Denver in the mon1ing', and Clarence Braukman took off on the last link to complete Colo­rado's first airmail chain. Two planes were required to handle the large volume of mail that had accumulated.

Pilots Curtis and Braukman were given a rousing welcome when they arrived in Cheyenne at 7 :20 p. m.

According to Postoffice Department records, revenue col­lected on the southbound planes amounted to $774, while that of the northboulld trips totaled $1,294. Colorado Airways collected 80 per cent, in accordance with the contract.12

A Trader with the U tes, and the Murder of Chief Shavano

As Told by AR'l'ffl'R C. 1\IorLTOX to JAl\JES R. HARVEY«<

I was born in Meredith, New Hampshire, ~.\pril 24, 1855. My father " ·as a physician and surgeon. I was an only child. When [ was sixteen, my mother died and this ended all family life for me. I went to boarding school, studied medicine and chafed at the monotonous and humdrum life T led. I was fore»er hearing tales of adventure in the far ·west-of Indians. huffalo hunting,

10Rocky Mom lfaia iY ews, June 1, 192 6. 11Ibid. " Ibid. •Mr. Moulton lives in Denve r t oday.-Ed.

100 COLORADO MAGAZINE

cowpun('hing and mmmg. My restlessness gre"·, until in 1816, at the age of hYenty-one, I decided to give up my study of medi­cine and join two young friends " ·ho \\"ere leaving for Colorado to purchase a ranch and try their luck in the sheep-raising industry.

We left Boston on July 5th and arriYed in Denver on the 12th. That summer and fall I spent on the sheep ranch helping my friends; I built fence, cooked, tended sheep, and helped with all the numberless tasks that confronted a pioneer rancher. 'l'hat winter I taught in the small log school house near the ranch. For the next six years I roamed a bout, finding no trouble in getting work. All I wanted was to have money enough ahead to get me to the next mining excitement, or new 1·ailroad town. I didn't discover any mines or make any real money, but J grew rich in experience.

In 1883, while I \Yas working in a general merchandise storP, l+. ·w. Gildenstien 's, a change occurred 1rhi('h \ms destined to affect my 11·hole future life; I \\·as offered a position as manager of a post tracler·s store at Fort 'l'hornburg, Utah. In a few days I \\·as enroute; 1 had to travel several hundred miles by train, then take stage for three days through an unsettled country. I took over the business early in April and soon adapted myself to the situation.

~\bout six months later I became storekeeper for :\fr. Hugus at the Ouray Agency. The ·white RiYer and Uncompahgre Utes had heen moYed from Colorado to "Ctah, and were located on the west side of Green River, near the mouth of duch*esne Rive1·.

It was not long before I had the business well in hand and was beginning to acquire enough Indian language so that , with the use of signs, I managed to get along with the trading. Things were usually very quiet until Saturday. On that day the Indians came in 1 o 1·eceive the rations regularly issued them by the Gov­ernment. and I had my hands full. There was but little actual cash in circulation, the medium of exchange being buckskin (In­dian tanned deerskin), fl.int hides, muskrat and heaver skins, and sometimes, when the:-' were ''hard up,'' personal beads or buck­skin ornaments, and Kavajo blankets which they got in trade from the Navajo Indians. 'l'wice a year T would ship to Ne"· York m~· accumulations of skins and furs, receiving t·ash for them. 'l'lw otlwr stuff could readily be disposed of nearpr home.

'l'he Indian bucks and squa 1n; <·<Hild no1 understand a total footing of amounts of mone)·. Eat'h al'ti<·l e offered for trade was settled for at onee. A squa\\·, 11·ith half a dozen tanned skim; oYer

TRADER WITH THE UTES: MURDER OF CHIEF SHAVANO 101

her arm, would throw one skin into the scales, get the money for it, and spend it immediately. Then another skin would go through the same process, and so on, until she had disposed of all; the same money being used for many transactions. Credit 11·as not giYen except in exceptional cases, and then for limited amounts.

'l'his tribe dressed about the same as every other tribe I've eYer come in contaet •l°ith: a regular white man's calico shirt of gaudy pattern, buckskin leggings of full length held up by a belt,

. \ltTBUFl C. M01-'LTO:\'

and moccasins. Harely was there any lwa<l eovering, the heaYy black hair being parted in the middle, and a narrow piece of reel. blue or yellow "Iudian eloth" (a fine heaY~' cloth similar to that used on billiard tables ) , worked into t11·0 braids that dropped nearly to the waist- the \Yhole rig topped off with a blanket. u:ually of NaYajo make .• \ Yery fe\Y 11·01·e regular outfits of white men's clothing, exeept that moccasins were invariably worn in­stead of shoes. .All had fancy rigs for special occasions, but I saw them only \Yhen they had their regular "Bear Dance" in the spring, an occasion that lasts continually fo1· three days and nights, and taxes all their enclm·ancr .. \lso it brings out all their finery in the \Yay of feathers. heads, lmekskii1 and red paint. They

102 COLORADO MAGAZINE

made the '' Storeman'' take an active part in one dance, and had me trot around in a circle, forward and back, until I was worn out. They just would not let me quit, eYidently getting a big ''kick'' out of my performance.

Saturday, which "·as ration day, was a continual turmoil for hours. The issuance of the beef ration was interesting and often exciting. 'fhe beef was issued ''on the hoof.'' SeYen head of fat steers were brought in from the range herd, and turned into the big corral. This corral 'ms formed by the Government stables on two sides, and poles on the other two, and was built steer proof. At a given time eYeryone gathered and completely covered the rails and the roofs of the buildings. One marksman had been selected by the Chief to do the killing. Ile started in Yery deliber­ately, taking careful aim and usually downing his ''critter'' 1Yith one or two shots; but sometimes he "·ould iniss a Yital part and there would be quite a bit of trouble. EYentually eYery animal 11·ould lie stretched out dead or dying. 'fhen-and not until then -every squaw in the tribe would jump from the fence, and with knife in one hand and hatchet in the other, yelling like fiends, run for the carcass they had selected. The first one there struck her hatchet into the head and began digging for the brains, for that was the main object of all the excitement. Brains were much prized for tanning purposes. After the ownership of the brains was settled by the leading squaw, the others scattered over the carcasses and began cutting. In less than half an hour there 11·as nothing left in the corral to show what had happened, and eYery one seemed to have gotten a satisfactory share without any fuss or argument.

The year 188-± passed without any unusual happenings. lt was pretty much of a routine, but there were so many of us ''white folks'' that life was far from unpleasant. \Ye were a congenial hunch. inclined to get the most out of om' isolated situation.

~\s the spring of 1885 approached, I began to hear talk of the annual distribution of ''head money.'' T knew nothing about it and had to haYe the entire story told me. It seemed that when the Government came to an agreement with this branch of the tribe, it was that they should sell to 1he Gonrnment their old reservation where there had been so rnneh trouble 11·ith the whites. and accept in payment a certain portion of the present reservation, which was already occupied by another branch of the tribe. 'l'he~-11·ere to have a definite section, away from the other branch, 11·here there would be no conflict of interests in regard to grazing or hunting, and haYe their 01n1 ~\gt>rH'.\ a111l administration officers. Also, they were to receiYe, or ratlt•·r be l'reditecl wi1h. a large

TRADER WITH THE UTES; MURDER OF CHIEF SHAVANO 103

amount of money, obtained by the Government from the sale of the old resenation to 1Yhite settlers, and by legislative appropria­tion if necessary. Interest on this money was to be paid annually, and the principal either iiwested, or used as was considered wisest by the Indian Department at \Vashington for the benefit of the Indians in promoting their achancement in civilization. This in­terest amounted to about seventeen thousand dollars and was paid in cash in April of each year. Bach head of a family received a certain amount, with an additional sum for each child. The Chiefs, or headmen, according to their rank, received more than a common buck. \Vhen the money was available, the Agent was notified that it was to his credit, usually in a Denver bank. To move such an amount over hundreds of miles, part of the distance, by stage, through a country that had a wild reputation, was a big risk, but it had to be clone. The ~\gent ahrnys took someone "·ith him in making the trip, both being equipped with ample arms to resist any attack. Indians did not understand checks and did not like paper money, consequently the money shipment was as much in silver as the two men could possibly handle. No trouble had been encountered up to that time.

The tribe 'ms notified 1rhen the money would arrive and dis­tribution begin; there 11·asn 't even an infant missing on the ap­pointed day. The Indians were all registered. One by one the bucks would enter the office, be identified and checked, then re­ceive their money. Much to my surprise, the Agent asked me to accompany him on this year's trip for the head money and I was delighted at the chance of a change. I had no trouble in finding a suitable man to run the store during a two-weeks absence. The trip was uneventful. IV e got the money safely hack to the reser­vation and began to get ready for the big times coming.

'fhe next two weeks were certain to be full of excitement. Tlie Agent had made full preparations so there might be no hitch or delay. It was no light task and must be clone so there would be no disputes or arguments afterward. The Agency officials handled the money and clerical work. The regular interpreter, Captain Billy, acted for the GoYernment, and Ueliandro, or ..ti.lexander. 11·ho spoke excellent English, for the tribe, in identifying and explaining, so each person would go out fully satisfied that he had received his just dues. 1\nticipating a busy time, I had engaged two of the employes to help in the store. As the Indians receivea their money they 11·ould at once start for the store. There were many things they had "spot1rd" and they had only been waiting for this occasion to bn:v them. 'l'hey were afraid someone would get ahead of them, arnl 011·11 the eoYetell arti<·le.

104 COLORADO MAGAZINE

l•'or ten clays the bustle and excitement lasted. 'l'he store was cr owded inside and out . Sitting on the ground all about were groups of bucks playing Sp anish Monte-winning or losing, but the expressions on their faces never changed. Indians are invet­erate gamblers at this particular game. They will lose everything they have and never blink an eyelash, or win with equal equanim­ity. I presume all the money issued changed O>Yners more than on<:e within a few days. Probably two-thirds found its way into

SHAVANO

the store money drawer, but the balante was on its way to a varied career. There would be no more big money for another year. The1·e was no bank within several hundred miles, and it was a problem ho"· to safeguard and ship m~· large accumulation of cash to my employer; but by sending small amounts at a time hy mail, concealed in light merchandise packrts, I managed to do it without any losses.

The year 1886 was on us before wr rcalize<l it, and it brought many changes. Holders of political jobs were getting ready to pack their grips. :;\fajor Lawson, frorn Grorg-ia, accompanied by his two appointees, arTiYed at the ,\gr1H') to relirve "Jfajol' Ganlner

TRADER WITH THE UTES; MURDER OF CHIEF SHAVANO 105

as Agent, and Buckner and Moyl, respectively, as clerk and book­keeper. The transfer was accomplished without any fuss, as Major Gardner always had his affairs right up to date. We parted with the old officials with great regret, but soon found that the new men were fine fellows and they quickly fitted into the little social routine. :;\Iajor Lawson >ms a slight, sickly-looking man; in fact, I beliHe he had "T. B.," but he accepted things as they were, never whimpering, and did his best tq learn all the angles of his new work. Some job for him, as he had never seen an Indian before, and had not the slightest idea of his duties as Agent; but after meeting him I had no fear of his making a failure.

One Saturday in February the store was, as usual on that day, packed with squaws and a few of the bucks, when suddenly came a BANG! BANG !-shots from the outside. No one knew what it meant, but pandemonium broke loose, and the whole bunch crowded towards the rear, away from the door. I was badly rattled and for some reason or other had the impulse to get out of doors quickly where I could run or hide, not realizing for the moment that if there was trouble outside, I would be safer inside behind the log walls. I kept trying to push the crowd toward the door, but made little headway, when BANG! I would be shoved back again. I tried again, "·hen another shot sounded, and hack we surged to the rear. I couldn't see the door, and dicln 't under­stand, until a squaw pointed through the crowd to"·ard the door. As I looked, another shot sounded and I saw the dust fly up from directly in front. Then I understood "·hy I couldn't make them go outside, and began to pull my wits together. There 11·ere more shots, then silence. The store began to clear and I finally got out. A crowd was gathered close by, everyone talking and gesticulat­ing. I pushed to the center and there on the ground, wounded but still alive, was Shavano, one of the head Chiefs and also "Medicine Man." No one attempted to raise him, but a 11 were listening to a speech by White Wolf, a big impressive-looking Indian, "·ho stood with a Colt's six-gun in h is hand. and evidently was making a big talk. I worked my way to his side and when he stopped talk­ing for a second, touched his arm and a8ked if they wanted the "Mericat" doctor for Shavano. Wlrnn he turned and looked at me, I 'ms indeed shaken at hi8 expression, but he nodded his head.

I started to hunt for the Agent and found him with a group of employees, standing on the crest of the hill, a short distance away. I told him that the Doctor was wanted. He replied that he had already sent for him but that he refused to come. I said, "Major f.,awson, you are Agent and the Doctor is under your orders, and he must come." Then he said, "This is all new to me, and I am afraid. I don't know what to do. You go to him and see if you

106 COLORADO MAGAZINE

can persuade him. 'rell him it is my order and maybe you can do more with him than I.'' I went to the Doctor's cabin and told him my errand. He refused to come. I reassured him and argued with him, but to no avail. Finally, I told him it was Agent's orders and would prove a serious matter for him if not obeyed. He studied a moment, then said, "I just won't go out into that mob, but if they will bring· Shavano here, I will work on him." I returned to Uajor•Lawson and reported. He said, "Well, what can we do now?" I said, "Let the boys get a stretcher from the Commissary and we will take Shavano to the Doctor." They "·ere all timid about going down among the wailing, shouting mob, but I reassured them, for I had gotten over my fears-and we ,,·ent for Shavano. V\T e had to do all the lifting and moving ourselves, not one of that bunch of redskins would lift a hand to help. "\Ve carried him up to the Doctor's cabin, the procession following along, and placed him carefully on a bed. Then we left to join the rest of the whites at :Major Lawson's office and learn what it 1rns all about and just what had happened. All I kne11-, up to that time, was that someone had shot Shavano. Everything that had happened was clearly visible from the office, but later, in talks with the Indians, I learned all that had happened.

Shavano, being a chief and also a ''medicine man,'' 1rns much called on to heal the sick, as the tribe in general had not much confidence in the "Mericat" Doctor at the Agency. The Indian. Pano, had taken his sick child to Shavano; but his incantation and herbs had no effect and the child died. \Vith anger and revenge in his heart, Pano· came to the Agency in search of Shavano and happened to come upon him just as he wa8 entering the store. Riding up behind him, he put his "six-gun" against his back and fired two bullets into his body. These were the shots that had sent us into a panic in the store; then 11·heeling his pony, he rode up the raise to the plaza, turned in his saddle, and fired back towards the store until his gun was empty. Charlie Shavano, son of the medicine man, was living in one of the cabins on the othel' Ride of the plaza, and, hearing· the shots and uproar, rushed to the door just as Pano topped the raise into the plaza. \Yhen Charlie Ra"· him he felt, someho11', that he was the cause of Rome trouble. Rais­ing his "Sharps" to his shoulder, he fired twiee-these "·ere the last two shots 11·e had heard before we got out of the store-then rushed to join the crowd that was gnthering. One of Charlie's bullets had gone clear through Pano, entering at the right shoul­der, piercing the heart and killing hin1 instantly. Thus Charlie. unwitting]~', avenged his father.

They took the riata from the sad<ll<' and, putting one encl around Pano's 11eC'k made his own pony drag him to the duch*esne

TRADER WIITH THE UTES; MURDER OF CHIEF SHAVANO 107

River, but a short distance away, threw the body into the river, then killed the pony and sent its body after his master. Indian justice !1

The excitement did not subside; the Indians 11·ere uneasy and 1rnre gathered in groups, discussing these events. The rest of us were in worse shape, for just at that time we had not heard the start of the ruckus and didn't know how •Ye might be brought into the picture. The next morning brought little relief. Many had gone to their houses, and the rest were quiet enough, but Shavano still lived, and the question was, would he live or die, and in either case, what next? Dr. Sawtelle told me the Indians wouldn't allow him to do anything for Shavano. They plastered mud rings around the wounds, and sang and "incanted," refusing to let the Doctor touch him; so he had given up his cabin to them and moved to the dispensary until the matter was settled. Vv e were constantly debating over the' matter, for we felt there was trouble brewing. About the second day, Antelope, a very friendly Indian, came into our council. He explained the situation, saying, ''This Injun trouble, no white man. ·white men keep out of 1Yay and no get hurt. Night come, better all go store, big log house, keep still, no light.'' vVell, we did just that; all of the single men came to the store for the night, and slept, or tried to, on extem­porized beds on counters and floors; all but Johnnie McAndrews, the herder who had come in with the beef steers. He said he would sleep in the stable, close to his horse, so he could get away in a hurry, if anything happened. On the third night \\·e heard the death howl and knew Shavano had died. It was the climax, and we rather feared the coming of daylight. Nothing happened. 'l'he Indians gathered, there was much talk and wailing. Shavano was taken away-where, I never was able to find out-and gradu­all:· our little community settled do\\·n to routine.

But various disquieting rumors came to us. There were two factions developing: friends and relatives of Pano against the Shavano family and friends; and, like white men's feuds, any­thing might happen. The onlookers were ;just as likely to get hurt as the active participants. So far, the Government had done nothing about the tradership at Agency Ouray, but knowing that it might happen, Mr. Hugus, my big boss, had instructed me. in case a new trade1' was appointed, to sell out to him if possible, as there 1Yas not room for two stores. Also, if I so wished, he would

'The Report of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs. 1886. page 2~7. gives the name of the Indian that shot ShaYano (Shavanaux) as "Arowod" and says that his body was pierced by at least a hundred Winchester and reYo!ver balls fired at him by Shavano's friends.

ShaYano Peak (14,179 feet elevation). about fifteen miles northwest of Salida, Colorado, was named for the Ute leader. Shavano (Blue Flower) ,;gned the TrPaties of 1863, 1868, and 1880.

108 COLORADO MAGAZINE

like me to remain in bis employ, and he had giYen me directions where to go and to whom to report.

In the latter part of May, 1886, the uncertainty \\'aS settled; and a new appointee appeared, 1Yith his credentials, and I made a very satisfactory sale to him, but had to remain until he could send for money. "Within two 1Yeeks I had a certified check to send Mr. Hugus, and was on my "-ay to a new location, feeling rather glad to get away.

The Indians must have settled matters among themselves, for I never heard of any further troubles at that Agency. I think thf' incidents of Sha Ya no 's killing, and attending circ*mstances, will ahYays he viYid in the memories of all of us who were present.

Place Nam es in Colorado (W, X, Y, Z) * Wages (14 population ) . Yuma County post office communit)·.

lies in an agricultural region. It was settled in 1917 by J\fid ·wages, a farmer, and named in his honor. 1

Wagon Wheel Gap (Wagon \Vheel Gap Springs) (35 popula­tion), l\1i11era l County. 'l'he primitive settlement here was a stage station, built in J874 on the route to Lake Cit~·. Tu 1872 the mineral springs were taken up by HennT Henson, Charles E. Goodwin. Albert :Mead and Joel IC ".\Iullen, who later pre-empted HO acres. It became a popular watering place in 1877. ancl the Hot Sprinl!R Hotel was built during that year. 2 As to the name of the gap. Judge Jones, a pioneer of the region, found a large wagon whrel here, supposed to have been left b~T the Bakrr prospecting party of 1861 (see also Baker's Park), on their wa:v ont of the mountains. Tt was thereafter spoken of as the gari whrre the wagon whrel was fonn(l, hrnce Wagon Wheel GaTJ. 3

1r a,lcl e 11 ( 668 population ), seat of Jack son County and an im-riortant ranching center, is the only town of consequence in :\forth Parle Isolated from the rest of the state during winter, the Yillage is a closel>· knit community liYing unto itself. 4 ~~ccording to George Pinkham. pioneer of Xorth Park (see also Pinkhampton ), the set­tlement "·as first known as Sagebrush. 5 The rirrsent name honors :;\fark A. Walden, one time postmaster at Rage Hen Springs (now a ghost town ) . some four miles southeast of Wa lclen. When the Tellrr

*Prepared h,· the Colorado v.•riter'' Program. "·ork Project" Administration. An aRterisk (*) indicates that the population figures are from the 1940 censu• Unless otherwise credited, all information haR hE>E>n sent to the Colorado Writers; f.,~~g~rciti:~i~~J''T-:;,~~~.'~lates are from the Colorado Yem· Book, 1v.1v-1n. "Gazet-

1na ta from .Jennie Oman and :Mrs. Grae!' O"Neal, \Vages, December ~5 . l 9 411 . 'Frank Hall, Hi..tory of tile ,<;tale of Colorado. l\'. 294-95. 3F,rneRt Tngersoll. Crest of the Co11ti11r11t, 169-iO. •Colorado . • 4 G11idr to the Higl1est ."llal (. ·~w York: HaRtings House. 1940).

~ 15. ' Jlowllain .f. Plai11 Farm 1Vrek1y (Fort <'olllt ~1 . October 13. H39.

· PLACE NAMES IN COLORADO (W, X. Y, Z) 109

City post office was discontinued (188~ or 1880 ), it was moved to the site of the present town of \Vaiden or to the Walden Ranch nearby.6 (See also Teller City.) Walden was incorporated Decem­ber 2, 1890, and became the county seat June 3, l 909.'

Walsenbnrg (5,855 population ) , seat of Tlnerfano County since 1872, began as a little l\Iexican settlement known as La Plaza de los Leones, for Don Miguel Antonio Leon, an early settler of the local­ity.8 Henry W. Jones built the first adobe house on the west side of what is now Main Street during the spring of 1866.9 On the sixth day of August, 1870, Freel \Valsen opened a general store. He was successful in this Yenture, and soon became the accepted leader of the community. ·when the Yilla!?e was incor1)orated June 16 1873 • c....· ' ' 1

it was named in his honor. 10 In October. 1887. the name was changed by postal authorities to Tourist City ;11 but inclignant citi­zens demanded the return of the old name. The Denver & Rio Grande Railroad came in 1876, and the consef{uent cleYelorirnent of the coal mines in the region resulted in gro,Yth of the city . 1 ~

Wapita, Summit County ghost Yillage, lay about four miles east of Breckenridge.13 \Fa7Jda i'l an Tndian word mraning "elk."14

Ward (118 population), Boulder Count,\· golc1 ancl silver camp, whose streets wind up and clown steep slopes between clusters of old buildings, was named for Calvin \V. Ward. " ·ho clisc>owrecl . earh· in 1860, the golc1-beari11g seam known as the \Varel lode.'' The i~ow­abandoned Dem·er. Boulder & Western Railroad (the Switzerland Trail of America), macle dail,\- runs to \Varel. the first of the camris opened in the iron-copper-sulphide belt.16 The srttlement "'<ls incor­porated June 9, 1896.

1Yason (Wasson ), :;\fi11eral County near-o·host camp founded by Martin V. B. Wason in 1891,17 aml incorp~ratecl a ye~r later.18 was the original seat of Mineral County upon its organization in 1893. rn When Creede " ·as made the legal county seat, \Yason thr<>at­ened to keep the county records b~· taking adYantage of certain legal technicalities. .As a result, darkness had bareh· come "·ben heavv transfer wagons rnarn1Pcl hy determined citizei;s were on the road

6"Derivation of XaJne_s in Routt :N'a.tional Fore~t." Bulletin by Henry C. Par. Fore2s~ R1a

9n41

ger, Routt National ForeRt; and :\Ir". Georg-e J. Bailey, " 'alden .. Janu-ary ;J, •

7Data from L. F. Cl!itchell, County Clerk of .Jackson Count,· \Vaiden No,·em-ber 17, 1939. · ' ·

'Colorado Jlaga~ine. X, ~8-38. •State Historical Society. Pamphlet 363, No. 8. 10Jerome C. Smiley. Semi-Centennial History of tile State of Colo1·ado. II. 194. 11Denver Times, October 26, 1887. "Colorado Magaoine, IX, 183. 13Flowers Map of Colorado, 1898. "Henry Gannett, 01·igin of Certain Place Names in the Uniteil States 314 '"History of Clear C1·eek and Boulder Valleys (0 L Baskin & Co' mpa.11y

1881), 428. . . ' 1:state Historical Society, Pamphlet 6~2 B, 11625. 1 •Rocky Mountain News. January 9, 1904 . 18C1·eede Candle. August 5, 1892. 111Hall, O!J. cit., IY. ~23.

110 COLORADO MAGAZINE

from Creede to Wason. They later returned loaded with the ledgers, journals and furniture of the county offices. By midnight Mineral County paraphernalia had changed homes, and Vv ason was no longer the county seat. 20 The town deteriorated "·ith the closing of the silver mines, and today it is only a siding on the Denver & Rio Grande \V estern Railroad,2 1 and of interest to tourists and fishermen.

Waterton (26 population), Jefferson County, is said to have been established in the early 1870s, when the South Park branch of the Colorado & Southern Railway was built. At one time there was a railroad station, water tank, and a small store here, as well as a number of dwellings. It was a shipping point for farm produce and fire clay, but since the abandonment of the South Park branch of the railroad to Leadville, the depot has been torn down. Half a mile to the east is the English Slow Sand Filter Plant of the Denwr Water Department, and in 1916 the settlement, originally called Platte Canon, '·ms renamed Waterton, for the intake and water works.22

TV at er r alley, Kiowa County uear-ghost settlement on the east side of Big Sandy Creek, in Water Valley, was named for the Yalley, which is twe.nty miles long and fifteen miles " ·ide. 23

1l' atkins ( 75 population ), Adams County agricultural settle­ment, formerly on the Kansas Pacific Railroad (now part of the rnion Pacific system), was platted l\farch 12, 1888. 24 Established in 1872 by the railroad, it was first called Box Elder. but "·as later re-named for L.A. "\Vatkins, a local rancher and merchant. 2

"

1l'attenberg (25 population ), W eld County .'.\fexican farming settlement, 'ms named for Henry "\Yattenberg, " ·hen a side track and sugar beet dump " ·as put in by the Denver, Laramie & \Vestern Railroad in 1909. It was platted in August of that year by Chris­tian \Vattenberg- and wife, owners of the townsite. 26

1ra1111ita (12 population), Yuma County, a rural center of a<:­tivity for a clry farming and cattle-raising area. was settled in 1921 by Sidne~- Atwood , merchant. and named for his daughter. \Yaunita. 21

1\"aunita Hot Radium Springs (1-l population), Gu11niso11 County, see Tomichi Hot Springs.

'"'Creecle Ca11llle, November 10, 1893. "'Data from C. M. Lightburn, Engif\eer, Denver & Rio Grande Western Rail­

road, Februar~· 26, l 941, to the State Historical So<:iet) ''Data from D. D. Gross, Chief Engineer, Board of Water Commissioners,

Denver, March 12, 1941, and Glen Morgan, Board of 'Vater Commissioners, De­cember 9, 1941.

""Denver R ep11u l iran. February 26, 1888. ''Hall, op. cit., III, 286. "'Data from Lucile H. Kurth, vVatkins, Dee1:mh1>r 13. 1940. ""Data from George Hodgson, Curator, l\lpeker Museum, Greeley, Colorado.

in 1939. ''"'Data from the Principal of School~ " 'rn ·. <'nlorado, March 8, 1941.

. PLACE NAMES IN COLORADO CW, X, Y, Z) 111

Waverly ( 40 population), Larimer County village, lies in an irrigated farming community. The village "·as laid out in 1903 by F. C. Grable, and the name was chosen by a clerk in the post office department for Sir Walter Scott's Waverly nov€ls. 28

1Veidman (3 population), Jefferson County, a station on the Denver 'l'ramway, was originally called Rock Crusher, because stone from ?·forth Table Mountain was hauled here and shipp€d by the tramway Company. The present name honors Henry "\Veidman.2

"

W cir, Sedgwick Count~'· As the terminus of the Union Pacific Railroad in 1867, this was a notorious outpost, a rendezvous of reckless outlaws; it was also the supply post for forts and settle­ments farther to the south and west. The village was known for a time as Julesburg (see also Jiilesbnrg), and was so incorporated in 1867. Today it is only a side track on the Union Pacific Railroad. called "\Veir for J. J. Weir, a pioneer of Sterling, whose family came here from Fremont, ~ebraska, in 1867.30

1Y eissport, El Paso County, see Palmer Lake. Wellington ( 465 population), Iiarimer County, in the heart of

the Boxelder farming district, is a supply and shipping point for th€ surrom1ding district. It was founded in 190231 and named b~· F. C. Grable of Larimer County for Traffic Manager \Vellington of the Colorado & Southern Railway. 3~ "\Vellington was incorpo­rated Xovember 10. 1905.

lrestcliffe (429 population), seat of Custer County. When the mines of rich and famous Silver Cliff began to peter out (see also Silver Cliff), a new town was built at the terminus of the De1wer & Rio Grande Railroad, about a mile away, and Siher Cliff became almost a ghost town. 33 Known at first as Clifton/' the new towu was re-named by Dr. \V. A. Bell for his birthplace, \Vestcliff-on-the­Sea, England. 35 Dr. Bell came into the Wet Mountain Valley with General Vv. J. Palmer in 1870, in search of a southern route for their Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, and fascinated by its beauty, took up a large tract of land. 36 "\Vestcliffe was incorporated November 21. ] 897.

W estcreek (\Vest Creek), Douglas County, was a thriYing gold camp, and the supply point for the surrounding mining camps in the 1890s. 37 During the \Vest Creek District boom, the result of an

"Data from D. L. Miller. Waverly, in 1939. ""Data from Mary E. Hoyt, Librarian, Colorado School of :\lines, Golden,

Colorado. August 25, 1941. 30Ernma Burke Conklin, Histor.11 of Logan Co1111l.u. :i6 1 57; and Denver Tinies,

Januar y 18, 1895. 31Ansel Watrous. History of Larime1· County. 210. • 2Data from H. D. Pratt, Wellington, Colorado, in 1935, to the State Histori-

cal Society. sacoloraclo Magazine. IX, 142. 34 Coloraclo State Business Directory,_ 1882, 299. 36Coloraclo, A Gilicle to tlie Highest ;:;tate. 355. 36Coloraclo Magazine, IX, 142. 31Colorado State Business Director.11. 1893, 683.

112 COLORADO MAGAZINE

overfio'' of ambitious prospectors from the Cripple Creek District, it was believed that the area was a continuation of the Cripple Creek gold belt. 'fhe little town was settled a bout 1~95 . 38 and named for the district, which in tnrn was named for \Vest Creek, a small tribu­tary of Horse Creek, flowing through the town.39 The official post office name of the settlement, however, was Pemberton, honoring the first owner of the site. This name " ·as nsecl in conjunction with \Vest Creek for a number of years.''0

11' estminster ( 534 population), Adams County. 'fhe land upon which the settlement was built was original]~· owned by a Mr. Har­ris, and when the community grew large enough to accommodate a store and post office. it was called Harris Park. In 1891 Stanford White of New York organized a Presbyterian college and named it \Vestminster (now the Pillar of Fire Institute ) . The settlement was incorporated as Westminster May 24, 1911.41

Ir est Portal, Grand Count~·. see ff inter· Park. l\·eston (.'510 population). Las .Animas County, is the center of

an extensive fa1·ming and lumbering district. It was settled in the 1880s by a family headed by Juan Sisneros, a rancher, and though scarcely more than a plaza, was given the name Los S'isneros. Late in the same decade the Rochx Mountain Timber Company used the settlement as a supply base, ~nd a number of buildings were erected. The village had no post office nntil about 1892, when Bert Weston. a blacksmith, ,,-as granted the office of postmaster; it then became known .as Weston. 4 2

ll'etmon (7.) population ). Custer Count~· yacation resort and stockraising and farming town. was the site of a stage coach station in pioneer days. 43 \Villiam Hayes homesteaded 160 acres here in 1880. He sold to Frances Wetmore. "·hose husband, \Villiam Wet­more, surveyed and named the townsite.44

Wheat Ridge ( 500 population), Jefferson County. The village was named by Henry Lee (State Senator 1885-1889) about 1882. because this "·as a famed wheat growing sedion. ~\bout 187:) the farmers began to giw up "-heat. They set out orchards and took np truck farming. Among the first settlers \Yere ~fartin N. Everett. member of the Colorado Con>ititutional C'mwention. Henry Lee, Din-icl Brothers and Abraham Slater. 4 5

lYheeler. Snmmit Count~· ~host town. la~- at the junction of \Yest Ten ::\Iile Creek ancl 'l'en :l\Iile ('reek. in the midst of a heavy

:isneni·er T;mcs. December 20, J 895. '•The Trail. XIII, Ko. 11, p. 9. ••aoloraclo State B11siness Director11. 1~93, ti83. unata from Mary la Fronico, \\rest1ninstf:'r. il' l!l-411 C?Data from Hugh Baker, Field Staff WritH Trinidad. Colorado, Februar~

10. 1939. "Coloraclo, A fJuicle to the Highest State, 433 . "Data from Fred >\'alters, PostmaRter, \\.' t•tmor", \larch 11, 1941. . ''·Data from \\'. "·· "'ilmore, Wheat Hldg• , t< the State H1storical Society.

PLACE NAMES IN COLORADO (W, X, Y, Z) 113

growth of timber. 4 6 John S. ·wheeler, a Colorado pioneer of 1859, moved here with bis family in the fall of 1879, and took up a large hay ranch. Until the following spring, when prospectors began to come into the valley, they '"ere the only residents.47 A post office was obtained b:--· :Jir. \Vheeler in April, 1880, and the settlement was named in bis honor. 4 8

T\'hiskey Hole, Park County, sec Tarryall. lrhiskey Springi;, Eagle County ghost town, was named for the

many whiskey bottles left at the water hole by trappers, hunters and stage coach passenger.>. It is a matter of record that many travelers insisted that they needed seYeral bottles of stimulant before pro­ceeding farther along the hazardous road.49 The village lay some bYenty-four miles north and eighteen miles west of Redcliff.50

ll'Mtaker (30 population), Larimer County village, was settled in 1925 when the Colorado & Southern Railway built a depot for the pur~ose of loading oil into tank cars. It was named for Ed. A. \Yhitaker, State Senator (1941 ).51

\\'71ite Clo1ld, Gunnison County ghost silver-mining camp, was the first camp on the old Ruby Road some eight miles from Crested· Butte, and near the base of the Ruby peaks (Ruby One and Ruby Two ). It lay in a basin surrounded by high mountains on the sum­mits of which clouds always rested, hence the name.5

"

lrliite Orosi;, Hinsdale County ghost gold camp, some twenty­three miles south of Lake City, in the Park Mining District. "·as one of the oldest camps in the San ,J nan. 53 It was first known as Burrows Park, but in September, 1882, the post office was re-named White Cross, 5

• for the large white cross-shaped quartz formation on Whitecross Mountain (13,500 feet altitude ). Durin~ 1876 and 1877 this was one of the busiest and most prosperous camps in the

' county. 5 5

li\"'hite Earth, Gunnison County, early name of Po"·derhorn. probably so called because it la:--· on White Earth Creek. (Ree also Powclerhorn.)

Whitehorn, Fremont Count~· ghost to"rn, was named for Fnited States Deputy Mineral Surveyor A. L. Wbitehorn.56 It lay about Rix miles east and eight miles north of Salicla. 57

••George A. Crofutt, Cro/11tt's Grip-Sack G1'i<le to Colorado, 154. "Denver Tribune. February 21, 1881. "Ibid., April 11, 1880; and l\f. D. McGrath, The Real Pionee?'s of Coloraclo,

III. 470. ••Coloraclo. A Gufrle to the Highest State, 288. ''°U. S. G. S. Topographical Map of Colorado, 1913. MData from Ed. A. Whitaker, State Senator, Fort CollinR, Colorado, March 5

and March 11, 1941. "•State Historical Society, MSS. XXIII-44b. WAnimas Forks Pioneer (AnimaR City), August 9, JS84. "'Denver T.-ibime, October 12. 1882. ""Lake City .Mining Register, October 20, 1882. rAJDen ·ver Ti1nes, November 4, 1901. "·7r. S. Post Route Map. 1924.

114 COLORADO MAGAZINE

White Pi11 c (3 population), Gunnison County, once booming silver camp and the principal center of 'l'omichi District, is today almost a ghost town. 'l'he first prospectors came oyer from Chaffee City in the fall of 1878; others followed, and in ] 881 a town com­pany was organized, the to"·n located, surveyed and soon incorpo­rated.58 The picturesque name \\"aS chosen for the dense growth of pines reaching clown to, and verging upon, the principal street, and eYen clustering about the doorways of the cabins."n

White Rock (25 population ), Boulder Connty, a community rather than a town, was first called \Vhite Rock l\Iill. In the late 1860s or early 1870s, Austin Smith, in company with John ·w. Smith, of Denyer, established the ·white Rock flour mill at White Rock Cliffs, six miles down Boulder Creek from the mountains. The \Vhite Rock Cliffs are a large aud interesting outcropping of wind­carved white sandstone. Go

Whitewater (125 population ), Mesa County ranehing villagc>, " ·as one of the earliest settlements in the count)-. The extensiYe cattle range was the magnet which drew pioneers to this district.

.l\Iesa County's fruit industry originated herr, when the first orchard was planterl in \Vhitewater. 'l'he name \Vhitewater, from ·white­\rater Creek, applies to the surrounding territory as well as to the town. 61 'l'he post office "·as established in Xovember. 1884.62

1riggins (275 population), ~forgan County, was named for ~Iajor OliYer P. Wiggins, commonl_,. caller1 "Olrl Rcont" Wiggins.63

A Canadian by birth, and at one time an emp loyee of the Hudson's Da~· Compan)·, l\Ir. ·Wiggins came to Colorado as early as 183-t He \\·as \Yith Fremont during one of his cross-country expeditions. and " ·as well known on the 0Yerlanc1 Stage Line during the 1860s. He finally settled in Colorado; became wealth)·. then lost eYerything.64

Th e town, first called Vallery, then Corona,n" hecame \Yiggins about 1894.66

l\'ild Horse. Cheyenne Count)·. rleriwd its name from a near-b)· <:reek. once a watering place for immense bands of wild horses. Lieu­tenant Pike reported sighting such a hand in rno6; when they saw Pike's party they came charging up. "making the earth tremble nrnler them like a charge of cavalry. " 117

W ilcy ( 41:1 population ), Prowers Count~- farming center and poultry-shipping 11oint. \Yas lrnilt during the earl)· 1900s, \\·hen re-

'•'Hall, op. cit .. l\'. 151; Colornllo .llayaoi11e, XTTl 11~-118. '·"State Historical Society, Pamphlet 350, Xo. fi1; , 00Data from Clarence L. Spears, Boulder. \'olonuln, Ft>hruao· ~8. J 941. ainata fron1 Edna Ta\vney, Field Staff \Vritt>r, Grand .Junction, Colorado, in

19 39. "'Denver Re1mblira11. NO\·ember 2Q, 188~ 63Eugene Parsons, A_ GuidP Book' to rnlonllln, 2411. ••Frank A. Root and \Yilliam E. CornH•lle\, Tl1P rn·e,.lallcl Stage to ('alif01·-

nia, 472. ll5Parsons, O/J. rit .. 240. i;eco lora<lo State Business DireC'to1·y. t"lf').;, 67~ 11i('o lorar1o . A Guide to the HiglteRf StafP. ... 74

PLACE NAMES IN COLORADO (W, X, Y, Z) 115

ports wen~ circulated that the Santa Fe Railway would build a line through this section of country. After considerable controversy, the new settlement was named in honor of Vv. M. \Viley, one of the promoters of the town.08 It was incorporated January 28, 1909.

Willard (105 population), Logan County, centers a farming and ranching district. In October, 1888, when the Burlington Rail­road was extended from Sterling to Cheyenne, the Lincoln Land and 'l'ownsite Company of Lincoln, Nebraska, platted and named the town. Within a few years, however, many of the settlers became discouraged, and \Villard was almost deserted. In 1910 it was re­platted by William A. House.69

1findsor (1,811 population ), \Veld County's second largest town. In 1863 a ranch was established by the Honorable B. H. Eaton (pioneer agriculturist, and Governor of Colorado, 1884-1886 ) on the site of present \Vindsor,70 and in 1880 the post office here " ·as called New Liberty.'' In January, 1884, the name was changed by postal authorities to Xew \Vindsor, 72 but the town was incorporated as \Vindsor, April 15, lS!JO. It was named in honor of the Reverend A. S. Windsor, of Fort Collins, a Methodist circuit minister. Wind­sor was a close friend of E. Hollister, founder of the town.73

Winnview (3 population), Arapahoe County post office village. During the spring of 1932 a young couple named \Vinn established a small general merchandise store here, and a year later the sur­rounding settlers petitioned for a post office. From the several names suggested, the postal authorities selected \Vinnview for the new office. 74

Winona, Larimer County ghost village. In 1876, rumors of the coming of the 1.7nion Pacific brought a number of merchants and farmers to the newl)·-platted town of St. Louis, officially known as \Vinona. During the summer and fall of that year it ·was a bustling place, man~' buildings "·ere erected, and tl1e foundations laid for many more, but the hopes of the little town were doomed. David Barnes secured the crossing of the railroad a mile west of Winona, and in the fall of 1877, when the road was completed, the town of Loveland came into existence. 75 The buildings of \Vinona, almost without exception, were moYecl there.7 6 See also Loveland.

Winter Park (100 population ), Grand Count)·. came into exist­ence in 1923. as a construction camp for the l\Iofl'at Tunnel. It " ·as

"'Data from Carol Sincox, \\' iley Consolidated Sehool. \\"iley. November 14. 1935, to the State Historical Society.

""Emma Burke Conklin, History of Logan Co1111ty. 173. 7•Hall , op. cit., I\', 348. 71 Frank Fossett, Colorado, JP.80, l 95. 12Denver Tribnnc. January 24, 1884. "'Data from Iola Branch , Librarian, \Yindsor. to the State Historical Society. "Data from the Principal of \\'inm·iew' School, in l 935, to the State Historical

Society. '"Fo1·t Collins Exvrcss. Industrial Edition, 1894. '"State Historical Society, Pamphlet 353, Xo. 17.

116 COLORADO MAGAZINE

called ·west Portal, for its location at the " ·est portal of the tunnel, 10

but on December 1, 1939, with the consent of postal authorities, the name was changed to ·winter Park. 'rhis was clone with the assist­ance of ~1ayor B. F. Stapleton of Denver, and many sports enthusi­asts, to publicize the establishment here of oue of the finest winter sports centers in the United States. A $4±,000 ski tO\Y has been con­structed, and during the season large numbers of enthusiasts make ·weekly trips to ·winter Park. 7 8

Wolcott (115 population ), Eagle County, was established in June, 1889, and was first known as Bussells. Tt was the terminus of the Steamboat Springs stage and mail routes, "' and the supply point for Routt and Grand counties. A post office was established in Octo­ber, 1889.80 'rhe village, centering a stock-raising district, was named for Senator Edward 0. Wolcott (1879-J883 ).81

·woodland Park (372 population ) , Teller County resort town , lies in a monntain farming and ranching district, and is a shipping point for railroad ties and mine timbers cut in the vicinity. It was variously known as Summit Park, 1\Ianitou Park (see also Jfanilou Park), and Woodland Park. 82 'l'he latter name was chosen by the Woodland Park Town and Improvement Company in 1890, for the vast stands of pine timber surronn<ling the settlement. 83 It was incorporated June 6, 1891.

lroodm en (±00 population), El Paso Couuty, quite properly derives its name from the Modern ·woodmen of .\.rnerica T1odge, whose propert~- it is. It was founde-tl about J 907 "·hen this spot in Cef1ar Valley at the foot of Cedar ::\fountain, about ten miles north­west of Colorado Springs. 'ms chosen as the site for a sanitorinm and. settlement. A tract of 1,600 acres of lan<l was purchased at a cost of $1:),000. and the building aml equipnwnt is said to have cost one-half million dollars. About J;)O of the population of \Voodmen receive treatment for the cure of tuberculosis. ~· Tt was incorporated June 6, 1891.

1l'oodrow (12 population), \Va>ihington County, is a rural post office and trading center for a large dry land farming and <'attle­growing area. It was settled b:'-· ,J. A. :JicGilYra~· in 191:3, the year Woodrow \Vilson became President of the 1 ·nited States, and the name " ·as suggested in his honor by .Tohn Epperson of Brush, Colorado. 85

"'Data from Floria M. Davis, Postmaster, \\'inter Park, January 11, 1940. "Through the Roclcies, Not Aromid Them (DP1n-Pr & Rio Grande Western

Hail road), 24. "'Denver Weekly Republican, November 28, 1889 "'Qneen Bee (Denver), October 16. 1~89 . 81Data from D. 0. Merrill, Postmaster, 'Yolcott, in 1 !1~9. B2Pike's Peak .Journal (Manitou). Novemtwr 11, 1!1411. "'Data from Harry Galbraith , l!~ield Starr "·riter, Colorado Springs, Colorad•>.

in 1939. "Data from the Postmaster. Woodmen , January :11, 1935. "Data fron1 Ira \\'einstein, \Yoodrow, February 21, 193:).

PLACE NAMES JN COLORADO (W, X , Y, Z) 117

Woodruff (25 population), Fremont County, was settled about 1890 by Allen Woodruff, and named for him. The village lies in a stock-raising and hay-ranching area. 8

G

1V oody Creek (102 population ), Pitkin County, is a shipping point for cattle and produce. It began in the summer of 1890, when a discoYery of rich gold and silver ores was made in the vicinity.87

The settlement was probably named for nearby \Voody Creek. A post office was established about 1925.' 8

ll• ootton (20 population ), Las Animas County, stands on the site of the old \Vootton Toll Gate, "·here in 1865, Richens L. (Uncle Dick) ·w ootton bnilt a road over Raton Pass and collected tolls, often at the point of a gun. As frontier scout, trader, freighter and herder, \Vootton 'ms a prominent figure of the Rocky l\fountain fr on tier. 89

Wray (2.061 population ) , seat of Yuma Count~-. is surrounded b~· 011e of the best farming sections in the stak. It was laid out in HIH6 by the See Bar See 1..Ja11d and Cattle ('ompan~· and the Lincoln Land Company, and was named for .John \Vray. foreman for I. P. Olive, one of the earliest ranchers in the county. Tn 190~ tlie conuty seat was mO\·ed from Ynrna to \Vra~·."° anc1 the tmn1 'ms inr:orpo­ra ted J nne 22, 1906.

rale (50 population), Kit Carson Comit)·. [n lHM!l a post offir:e "·as established here in the home of \Villiam IIenn· Yale>.'11 Sara D. Yale- serYecl as postmaster for a numbf'r of ~-ears . "~

1· am pa (-±26 population). Routt County. A stot:k-1·aising and fanning center in Ege-ria Park, is surrounded by rich bottom lands, extensiyely irrigated. A post office called Yampa " ·as established hel'e in 1883,"3 but 'ms later moved to the IIanghey Ranth and then to the present town of Craig."4 The to,rn, fonndec1 about J88-t-. in tJ1e yer:· shade of the giant Flattops, 'ms at first called Egrria; this " ·as changed, a few :•ears later, to Yampa ,"° an Indian wonl of the Fte-Shoshonean dialect, that applies to a plant often eaten by the Indians,96 Yampa was incorporated Februar:- 25. 1907.

J·a.11kee, Clear Creek County. almost a ghost town tocla~·. was settled and named clnring the CiYil War b~- a number of ::\orth­erne-rs.97

ran11011y (6 population). Eagle County, former!~· a railroad

"'Data from Dr. Thonrns A. Davis, 'Voodruff. December 20. 1940. "Denver Times. October 30, 1890. "Data from Gf'orge A. McMurdo and :Myron Quam, 'Woody Cref'k, Xovember

12, 1935. st>H. L. Conard, " Uncle Dick" Wootton (Chicago, 1890). 1K1Colorarlo 1l1agaiine, IX. 183. "'State Historical Society, Pamphlet 350, Ko. 14. "'Colorado State B11siness Directorv. 1891,-190.i. nanenver Tribnne, February 23, 1883. "'Steamboat Pilot (Steamboat Springs), February 21, 1923. "'Routt Connty Yem·book-Directory. 19.15. 28. 00A. F. Chamberlain in the Handbook of American Indians, II, 987. O?Data from the Pike National Forest Place Name List, Regional Office, Den­

ver, Colorado, January 7, 1941.

118 COLORADO MAGAZINE

siding, was named for Ute Chief Yarmonite or Yarmony. 98 An abandoned section house now marks the site.99

Tellow Jacket (7 population), Montezuma County, is a general store and post office in a cattle and sheep section. When the post office was organized in 1914, it was given the name Yellow Jacket for a nearby canon, the walls of which are plastered with numberless yellow jacket nests. 100

Yoder (137 population), El Paso County post office village, was named in honor of Ira M. Yoder, a German homesteader, who was active in obtaining a post office for his community in 1907. Mr. Yoder served as the first postmaster.101

Tuma (l,606 population), Yuma County, is in the heart of a dry farming district where wheat, rye and oats are the principal crops. Farmers settled in this region in the middle 1880s, bnt eYen before this there had been a railroad station and water tank on the site. Fred Weld and Ida P. Aldrich, through marriage, joinec1 their two quarter sections of land on opposite sides of the railroad, and established the townsite. 102 The town began ~larch -!, 1886. "·ith a population of b"1"e11ty people, and a town company was formed on April 5, 1887, with Charles E. McPherson as mayor. 103 • Yuma. tlw name of an Indian tribe, means" sons of the riYer. " 10

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