Advertisement in the Eagle Valley Enterprise, January 1898

Until the end of the nineteenth century, newspapers employed multiple artists.  Sketch artists would be sent to an event to rapidly make sketches of whatever was going on.  Returning to the paper, the artists’ sketches would be filled out and turned into a finished drawing on a boxwood plate, made up of many little blocks of boxwood, screwed together.

After the drawing on the plate was finished, the blocks would be disassembled and assigned to several artists to engrave.  Each artist would only have a few pieces of the final drawing to complete, making the engraving go much faster.  When each smaller block was completely engraved, all the blocks would be reassembled to form the final drawing…a wood engraving.  This was then included on the page block for inking and printing.

Eagle Valley Enterprise, July 17, 1908

By 1890, this process was slowly turned over to metal plate engraving.  This was still time-consuming and required staff artists to complete.  After World War I, processes for photo engraving were discovered.  This was welcomed by the journalistic community in that photographs were seen to be much more objective than the previous artwork.  Less “artistic license” could be taken when describing, say, a demonstration or a newsworthy event.

Eagle Valley Enterprise, March 1920

At this point, the need for artists on the staff of newspapers was reduced.  Many of them turned to political cartoon drawing, where commentary and opinion were essential and objectivity was not the point.  The political cartoon has continued to grow and develop since that time.

Eagle Valley Enterprise, January 21, 1938

Today’s digital world has changed journalism beyond recognition and expanded art to include technology, as well.  It’s reassuring to go back a hundred years and appreciate what the human hand can do without a great deal of assistance from software and hardware.

Eagle Valley Enterprise May 18, 1923

Here’s an excerpt:

A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 3,900 times in 2011. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 3 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

In the Eagle Valley Enterprise, December 29, 1911, we find life in Eagle progressing at a different pace, perhaps, but certainly similar to life in 2011.

Broadway in Eagle 1918. The building on the right was built by the First National Bank of Eagle County. The two story half of the building was occupied by general merchandise stores (F. Hugus and Co.; later, the Lewis store); the one story side was the bank.

“Don’t forget the apron social at Hotel Montgomery this Friday night. Come and bring your grandmother and aunt.”

“WANTED: Four nice looking, well dressed, young men, single preferred, to escort four handsome young ladies to the New Year’s ball. Apply at this office. All interviews must be strictly confidential.”

“Lee Buchholz and Ernest Nogal are having a cellar dug just north of the pool hall, preparatory to building a meat market, 25×50 feet in size. Verily Eagle is bound to be a city.”

Ad in Eagle Valley Enterprise, Dec. 29, 1911

“The city hall was removed this week from Broadway to Second street. The lower floor will still be retained by the fire department while the second story will be furnished off into offices for the city officials.”

And, of course, shopping opportunities were everywhere:  “A blaze of unparalleled value in ladies’ wool and cotton-fleeced underwear.”  The Rocky Mt. Stores Co.

“Look out for the future. We will sell goods at astonishingly low prices after January 1^st, must raise money to pay our bills. Come in and see the sacrifice we are willing to make for cash. Got to do it; our bills must be paid.  If we can’t get what is due us, we must sacrifice.”  T. A. Howes

Best wishes for a healthy, happy 2012.  Did I mention labeling photos?

Broadway, Dec. 14, 2011

John Martinez in Red Cliff

The sign was turned over to the Red Cliff Museum but without any context or provenance.  Neither Diana Cisneros nor Angela Beck, both of Red Cliff, was familiar with the name of the Company so it was time to do a little research.

One of the best places to find information about Colorado businesses is at the Colorado State Archives.    I started the search on the Archives’ website: http://www.colorado.gov/dpa/doit/archives/

I found the “Colorado Historical Records Index” and noted that it included the “Incorporation Index (1861—1914).”  Wonderful!  On the first attempt, searching under “Ten Mile Mercantile,” the index brought up three entries, all Incorporation Records from September 17, 1896.  Following the instructions, I emailed my request for copies of these documents to get a price estimate for the research and copies.

The emailed response from the Archives noted a $30.00 fee per name to search for corporate information, with three pages of copy work included, additional pages assessed $1.25 per page.  I submitted my payment on September 20 and on October 9, I received the incorporation papers for the Ten Mile Mercantile Co. … without driving to Denver to pick them up.

Articles of Incorporation Sept. 17, 1897

As the papers state, the company formed in order to carry on a general merchandise business and was funded by capital stock of $16,000, to be divided into sixteen thousand shares of one dollar for each share.  It was to exist for twenty years and was to be under the control of a Board of Directors (Asa G. Swem, John W. Colcord and H. C. Van Schaack) during the first year.

What was interesting to note was the company’s location:  Kokomo, Colorado.  In Maxine Benson’s 1001 Colorado Place Names, p. 114, we learn:  “Kokomo (Summit County)   Established by town promoter-miner Amos Smith and others north of Leadville in 1879, Kokomo was probably named for Smith’s Indiana home town. Next door, the prospecting Recen brothers—Andrew, Henry, and Daniel—platted their town of Recen.  After fire swept through Kokomo in 1881, the burned-out residents soon rebuilt in Recen, bringing with them the post office name of Kokomo [established on May 5, 1879]. Much to the dismay of the Recens, the town became known as Kokomo-Recen or just Kokomo, even though it was actually on the site of Recen.  Today the controversy is moot, for the entire area is now covered with tailings from the Molybdenum mine at Climax. [Post Office May 5, 1879—October 8, 1965]”

We don’t know how the sign ended up in Eagle County where it was found by Mr. Martinez.   Thanks to the Colorado State Archives, we do know that the company was dissolved in 1913 for failure to pay franchise taxes and file annual reports for two consecutive years.  The sign is currently displayed at the Eagle Library and will return to the Red Cliff Museum in the spring.

Ten Mile Mercantile Co. sign

Lou passed away in October.  She is missed and I am grateful she took the time to share her family’s stories, our local history, in the following photographs.

Lou Clark Layman with County Fair projects: registered bull, Cran-Clay Roland, and registered heifer, Bar-Gay Anne. The Clark ranch house is in the background.

Barbara Clark in 1931, approximately 25 years of age. The photo was one submitted with applications for teaching positions. Barbara taught elementary grades in Wolcott, Red Cliff and Gilman until her retirement in 1970 or 1971.

Gaylord A. Clark in 1931, approximately 27 years of age. The photo was submitted with applications for teaching positions. Mr. Clark taught elementary school in Burns (Derby Mesa School) and Minturn, in addition to being a rancher and mine worker at various points in time.

Gaylord Clark was hired as teacher from 1933-1935 at the Derby Mesa Schoolhouse (at right in photo below).  Daughter, Lou (Mary Lou) Clark (Layman), was born to Barbara and Gaylord in the teacherage (at left) on September 12, 1933, joining sister, Barbara Jean

“The schoolhouse…contained a stove (teachers in those days were expected to carry in wood or coal, fill the stove and light it as needed on cold days, carry out the ashes, sweep the floors, and dust the furniture).  There also was a desk for the teacher, enough “student” desks for the Community’s children in grades one through eight, and bookcases, tables, a piano, and other equipment needed for “keeping school.”  There probably was also a hand-held bell the teacher could ring to announce that recess was over; classes were to begin again.  And of course there were the requisite two small buildings out back marked “boys” and “girls.”–Lou Clark Layman

Derby Mesa Schoolhouse and Teacherage 1933

At school age, Lou attended the Edwards School and Barbara Clark taught at Wolcott.  The family resided on the Bar-Gay Ranch, originally the Hawley place.  Gaylord and Barbara Clark bought the house and outbuildings; the land was a school section which they leased for 99 years.

Eighth graders lined up at Edwards School, Spring of 1946. From L to R: Duke Reynolds, Lou Clark, Wanda Terry, and Johnny Reynolds

Adjacent to the ranch was Wilmor Lake.  “The lake–bigger than the one that remains since Interstate Highway 70 was placed on the north side of the Eagle River–was wonderful to swim in.  It was clean, and it was cold, but not icy.  A clean spring fed it, the spring from which we also hauled home drinking water in milk cans.”

“Highway signs added sometime in the 1980s or 1990s designate it as ‘Wilmore’ Lake, but in the 1940s the name came from a ‘railroad house’–a small building near the railroad track that probably was used to store equipment that the railroad needed.  The small building was marked ‘Wilmor’–no letter ‘e.’  That is the name given it by the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad (D&RGWRR); I don’t know the origin.  I saw ‘Wilmor’ not once, but repeatedly in the next few years as I road my horse past and as I learned to drive on the back dirt road that led to Red Canyon.  So to me, and to anyone else who was there in 1946, spelling the name ‘Wilmore’ is just plain wrong.”–The Clarks of Eagle County, p.6.

 

Lou Clark and Bob Waldvogle swimming at Wilmore

Lou graduated from Eagle County High School in 1950 and pursued her love of writing.  She leaves us with a feel for what Edwards, Colorado, was like in 1951 in this photo of Highway 6 & 24 in Eagle County.  Wilmor[e] Lake would be off to the right.  The Clark Ranch (Bar-Gay Ranch) is on the left at midfield.  Bellyache Mountain is in the background.  The Ranch house was roughly where St. Clare of Assisi Church is today.

Now part of Edwards, Colorado

The search to shorten that route and find one less difficult to manage during winter conditions began with Charley Vail.  He had proposed a cutoff that passed through a saddle 1,000 feet lower than Shrine Pass, following Gore Creek down to Minturn.  In 1936, it was called a pipe dream.

Top of Vail Pass looking east toward Summit County with Squaw Peak in the background.

By 1960, however, the Colorado Highway Commission had approved an interstate routed through the Eagle River valley.  The route would go through Dillon, Dowd and Vail Pass and include a tunnel along straight Creek near Dillon.  The next few years saw the plan developed and explained to the public in many meetings and presentations.

One of the last decisions to be made was whether to route traffic over Vail Pass or to construct a twin-tunnel, 4-lane highway through Red Buffalo Pass, basically going through a segment of the Gore Range-Eagle’s Nest primitive area.  Agriculture Secretary Orville Freeman had placed over 2 million acres of land into Wilderness Areas during his tenure, “…so you can be sure that I will be alert and concerned lest Wilderness lands be unnecessarily invaded.” [Eagle Valley Enterprise, Jan. 11, 1968 p.1]

Gore Creek valley

The decision came to route traffic over Vail Pass, much to the credit of Secretary Freeman and fulfilling the vision of Charley Vail.  As I-70 across Colorado was being built, that segment over Vail Pass was funded at $5,208.425 for a mile and one- tenth in April 1975.  Resident engineer appointed to oversee the completion was Jim Nimon of Eagle, one of the major supporters of the Eagle County Historical Society.

Stabilizing hillsides during construction.

“Much of the structural work is to protect Vail’s water supply, which originates in Black Gore Creek in a narrow valley where elaborate precautions must be taken to prevent the intrusion of fill material into the stream.  This will be done by means of reinforced earth construction.”  [Eagle Valley Enterprise April 3, 1975 p.2]

Reinforced earth construction.

Concrete supports.

Elevating the road bed.

During construction, the drive over Vail Pass was not improved by detours at Gore Creek where the grade was 10 percent and the very short construction season left detours in place for months at a time.   It was a happy day when I-70 over Vail was complete.  The complaints in 1978, after a winter of driving the new Interstate, relate primarily to drivers going too fast for conditions.  At least that part hasn’t changed.

Main Vail exit.

Near the bottom on the west side of Vail Pass, going into Vail.

Photos from the 1970s with permission from the Colorado Department of Transportation.

Eagle High School Seniors at Redstone on April 29, 1925 for Sneak Day

Happily, we have a copy of the 1925 EHS yearbook so we know names for these interesting people.  Eldon Wilson in the open jacket, light shirt at center became a driving force behind the Eagle County Airport.

Broadway in Eagle

Community Christmas decorations included this tree right in the middle of Broadway.  This photo was taken on December 31, 1941 according to the developer’s stamp.

Transportation

Ingenuity was at work in this arrangement.

Outstanding Spuds

Well-known for lettuce, Eagle County was also a great potato producer.  While no claim was made as to grower for this grouping, the Mayer ranch produced potatoes as did ranches from Gypsum to Avon.

Eagle Dairy truck

We don’t know who the young woman might be, but she does look wholesome.

This photo was processed November 26 but we don't know what year. 1940's?

Sometimes clothing and makes of automobiles are good clues to dating photos.  With more research, we might be able to get close to the right decade.

Feeding the chickens

The caption on the back says “Uncle Gust.”  Given the general nastiness of some chickens, both children seem to have the job in hand.

Water tank at the train depot

The train depot in Eagle was a major loading point for produce (those potatoes, again) going to market.  We have few photos of the actual workings of the depot so it was great to find this one.

Livery stable, Eagle

We have several photos of the Buchholz livery stable in its better days.  This one shows the stable in poor condition, demolition being imminent.

I did it!

This photo was processed on July 17, 1940.  It definitely represents a great way to spend the summer for this boy in a beautiful part of Colorado.  We don’t know who he is but what a great picture.

Gentle reminder:  please label and date your photos!

Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church circa 1940

The building itself has seen many changes since its construction in 1889.

The front entry was changed to a side entry, adding some additional storage room.  Paneling now covers the interior walls, remodeling changed the sacristy and the pews were replaced by chairs from a hotel at Beaver Creek.  Even the original Stations of the Cross were replaced.

Current interior of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, Red Cliff

Holy water font or stoup and statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Thurible and incense boat, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church

Down below on Eagle Street, the Congregational Church (Red Cliff Community Church) has retained more of its original interior.  The church community was in existence by 1881 and the building followed in 1889.

Red Cliff Community Church

It was a Presbyterian Church and is now owned privately.  Finding clergy to serve the dwindling congregation has been difficult and, at the moment, no regular services are held there.  The foundation has shifted and there are concerns about the building’s long term viability without attention to the structure.

The interior, with the addition of carpeting and paint, has a calm austerity and focus.

Interior, Red Cliff Community Church

The hanging light fixtures were originally in the Eagle County Courthouse.  When the courthouse was modernized, the old ones were installed in the church.

Of particular interest are the piano and organ, which are both in working contion.  The Lagonda Piano, New Castle, Indiana, is an upright grand- or cabinet grand piano [the length of the wires qualify it to be a baby grand].

Lagonda Piano, Red Cliff Community Church

The Story & Clark organ, Chicago, Illinois, came over Mosquito Pass  by wagon and then on to Red Cliff.  It has carrying handles on both sides.  The steel reeds are permanently tuned, with foot pumps working the bellows that force air through the reeds.  The stops have paper labels and there are crescendo levers underneath.

Story & Clark organ, Red Cliff Community Church

In 1890, the population of Red Cliff was 383; by 1940, that had grown to 715, most people working at Gilman for New Jersey Zinc.  Churches, businesses and schools thrived. With mines closing and the lumber industry slowing, the town has gradually become a bedroom community for people working elsewhere in the area so that the 2010 population figure is 308.  The impact on the churches in the community is just one visible effect of changing lifestyles and demographics.

Thanks to Bob Tresize for his encyclopedic knowledge of pianos and organs and to Angela Beck for having the keys to the buildings as we toured.

The Nogal Hotel circa 1895. It could accomodate up to 26 boarders.

During this process, Eagle County Historical Society member, Sandy Van Campen, took some great photographs of the building and some of the items found inside.  Thanks to Sandy for this documentation which is shared below.

Original linoleum in the hotel

Back of the linoleum, showing patent date

Aspen Democrat-Times October 25, 1924

Letting the sunshine in

Wallpaper and door

Wallpaper and towel

Capitol and Grand (Hwy 6)

Almost down

Going up for the last time

Claude DeGraw...done

Peterson Creek from the Champion Mine

The remains of the Peterson Creek gulch tram are visible in the Beck Family photo above as a line cleared of timber running from the top of the photo to midfield.  The shot was taken from the Champion Mine at Bell’s Camp, across the Eagle River.  Some remnants of mine structures are present in the foreground and left side.  Due to the camera angle, the terminus of the tram and the railroad pickup point are hidden from view.  It does document the terrain in the Eagle River Canyon which can certainly be described as “rough.”  To our knowledge, this was the only Peterson Creek tram photo in the Eagle County Historical Society’s collection.

Peterson Creek flows into the Eagle River in the Eagle River Canyon about .5 mi. from Red Cliff and 1 mi. from Belden.  Belden is the site below the Gilman Mine where trains stopped to load ore from the mines and where stamp mills were located at the turn of the century.

Belden as seen from Gilman. On the left are the loading tippel, steam room and dryer. Loading tippel is extended over the railroad cars to be filled with ore. A surface tram carrying ore ready for loading is visible behind the loading tippel.

Imagine my surprise when I was cataloging the photos for 1999 to find the photo below.  It had been mislabeled as Belden which is close by (mile post 296), but is actually the Peterson Creek tram and the Eagle Lumber Co. railroad shed (mile post 295) and siding.  The timbers were sent down  the surface tram running down the gulch in this photo and then loaded on train cars. There is another set of main line tracks across the Eagle River which flows at the bottom of the photo. The small building at the right is the tram house. Above that, there is a small structure that appears to be the house for a bucket tram, carrying ore across the river from the Champion Mine. The large building at center may have been housing for workers.

Peterson Creek tram and the Eagle Lumber Co. shed, Eagle River Canyon

The tenacity and ingenuity of lumber men to log this area was remarkable, contributing a great deal to both the lumber industry and   mine stope construction in the Battle Mountain region.  [My thanks to Ernie, Len, and Ed Dumph and to Bob Warren (Warren Brothers logging) for photo identification and great conversations.]

Wood framing used to support walls and overhead in the mine at Gilman, known as ”Mitchell Sets”