Turning Back the Pages

30 Years Ago - June 24, 1983 Several hundred people attended the grand re-opening last Sunday of the completely restored, historic Golden Rose Hotel in Central City. The building was originally constructed in 1874. John Feinberg and Harold Pyle, the Cornerstone Partners who purchased the property last fall and initiated the Victorian restoration, greeted visitors throughout the afternoon. Joan and Jay Katz of mid-county are proud to announce the birth of their son, Ryan Russell, born on June 16, 1983. When tourists arrive in Central City, their most common complaint is “This town is too commercialized.” The search for a 3-year-old Boulder County boy ended tragically when his body was discovered in a pond not far from his Aspen Meadows Subdivision home. High Country Fire Protection District had about 20 firefighters on the scene. They were assisted in the search by the Nederland and Sugarloaf Fire Departments and Gilpin County and Alpine Search and Rescue units. The annual Lou Bunch Day was celebrated in Central City with the traditional bed races and the Madams and Miners Ball. Lenny Barber was chosen as the Dandy Dan, and Soni Thompson was chosen as the Madam of the Year. This year’s Sporting House Girl was Suzanne Rule of Idaho Springs. Central City, Black Hawk, and Georgetown are unique: they are the only towns in Colorado that are governed by territorial charters which were adopted when Colorado was still part of the Colorado Territory. All three towns went to the Legislature this past session to have their charters changed to allow home rule powers. The Legislature granted the powers to all three towns and Governor Lamm has signed the bill. The Sheriff received a report that three to five white males between the ages of 17 and 19, armed with baseball bats, had jumped out from behind trees and forced a 13-year-old Colorado Sierra boy to take a pill. The boy was taken to Lutheran Medical Center, where he consented to take a blood alcohol test which registered 1.57. A reading of 1.0 or more is considered legally “under the influence.” The boy didn’t seem to be seriously injured, but had red spots on his body. An anonymous phone call launched a futile search last week for a man believed to be the victim of a gunshot wound. A man called the Gilpin County Sheriff’s Office and said, “I wonder if you could help me. My friend was target practicing up by the Glory Hole Mine this afternoon. He’s sure he shot someone but didn’t check to see how bad they were hurt. He was afraid to call, so I’m calling for him.” Sheriff Rosetta Anderle said the incident had to be investigated even though there was the possibility it might have been a hoax. The area around the Glory Hole Mine was searched until dark Wednesday night and again on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. A helicopter from Channel 7 TV of Denver helped on Saturday. No evidence of the shooting was found and the search was called off on Sunday. Yukon Jim Scull, a Register-Call columnist for 17 years, died early Monday morning, June 20, at Westland Manor Nursing Home in Lakewood. He was 69 years old. He was christened Bernard F. Scull, but adopted the name Yukon Jim when he became a columnist. Deputy David Martinez was called to a residence in the Bald Mountain area to remove a goat that had refused to leave the front porch. Martinez led the goat away and turned him loose. 60 Years Ago - June 19, 1953 It was good to spot some familiar faces among the arrivals of the casts for the Central City Opera Festival. Hugh Thompson, Virginia MacWatters, and Irene Kahn were among them. The Public Service Company has completed erecting poles and stringing lines across the old ball park, at the foot of the huge pile of tailings from the Chain O’Mines mill, which is to be used as a parking place for the many thousands of cars which traverse the highways to Central City, and on arriving here, find no place to park their buggies. In Denver, citizens filed a petition asking the city government to replace the spittoons in the west side courthouse, since removal was unconstitutional. The Gilpin County Arts Association announces its sixth annual exhibition of the work of Gilpin County artists, which will be held in the Association’s Gallery above the City Hall, in Central City. Since this interesting exhibit has become one of the feature summer attractions, the Association has decided to make its facilities available to artists from our neighboring counties, as well as to visiting artists who may be working in this mountain region during the summer months. George Nelson, of the U.S. Navy, at Pearl Harbor, and Wallace Nelson, of the Naval Training School at Seattle, are home on furlough visiting families and friends. Ox carts, donkeys, Model T’s, Stanley Steamers, cars with fluid drive; all have been used as a means of transportation to Russell Gulch, but last Monday three young men came in or down to Russell by helicopter. They landed on Air Line Flat after looking over the ball ground and Missouri Flats. They spent some time here and gathered considerable information about the use of the helicopter in high altitudes. They used a new type of walkie-talkie with a plane overhead. Recapitulation of the bills audited and ordered paid by Gilpin County Commissioners on June 1: County Fund, $3,075.97; Contingent Fund, $1.66; Poor Fund, $97.56; P. W. A. Fund, $293.26; Road and Bridge Fund, $3,809.94. The Teller House is open; the Chain Hotel is open; the Opera House will open, and already thousands of tourists are flocking to this Mecca, which is the next thing to Heaven; buying souvenirs from the various stores, reading the plaques on the buildings, taking tours of the Teller and Opera Houses, buying popcorn from the Springers, and asking fool questions. 90 Years Ago - June 22, 1923 Ice was found on the pools in Russell Gulch on Sunday morning, signifying that it is a pleasure to live in Colorado. Last Saturday evening, Main Street was the center of attraction and interest in the many races held by the fire department for the young boys and girls of the county, and the young and old enjoyed the occasion to its fullest extent. Mr. McDonald has completed the telephone line from Apex to American City, and has installed the phones. After a lapse of twelve years, American City has telephone connection with the rest of the world. The Crown Point Mine in Russell is having difficulty in handling the water in the mine, and the lightning is playing havoc with the transformers. The girl of refinement may not attract as much attention as the flapper, but she commands more respect. All the frame buildings on the north side of Gregory Street, at Mountain City, opposite the brick block erected in the early days by James Angove, have been taken down to make room for the 25-ton Mace smelter which is to be established there by Mr. H. B. Wanner of Denver. A force of men are at work on the Perigo property, cleaning out and fixing up the portal of the tunnel, which indicates that extensive work will be carried on in the near future. W. H. Mellor of Russell Gulch, has received to date 1,500 baby chicks. The forms have been completed, and pouring concrete into them was commenced on Tuesday at the Evergreen Mine near Apex. One crew is re-timbering the collar of the shaft and the other is doing repair work on the buildings. Master Morgan Gray came out from Central on Tuesday, a la burro, to see the new works at the mine. Superintendent Charles Gage, of the Wain Mine, Black Hawk, shipped a carload of smelting ore to the smelters at Leadville on Wednesday afternoon. Last Sunday the steering rod on Mr. Bass’s car broke, and before he could stop the same, it went over the bank, but did not turn over, so all the occupants escaped by jumping. The accident happened about three-quarters of a mile below Apex. Paul Mattivi, who brought out a load of coal on Monday, pulled the car back on the road with his four horses, and took it to Black Hawk for repairs. Central City lodge No. 557, local order of Elks, fittingly celebrated “Flag Day” at their lodge room on Thursday evening of last week, with an interesting program relating the history of the flag, how it was originally designed and endorsed by Congress, and what it means to every American, wherever his habitation may be. The Moffat Tunnel will be built in the shortest possible length of time, every aid in construction methods and tunnel boring equipment developed by other big tunnel enterprises in various parts of the world being taken advantage of. Not only will work be prosecuted from the two portals of the transportation tunnel itself, but to facilitate construction a pilot tunnel will be driven parallel with its course and seventy-five feet away. The main tunnel is 16 feet wide and 24 feet high, while the pilot tunnel will be but 8 x 8, just large enough for a double track for the mine cars which will carry out the debris. Get on the Band Wagon. It’s full of Boosters for the home town. Never let an opportunity pass to boost the town in which you live. Read the ads in the home paper. Give the local merchants a chance. 120 Years Ago - June 23, 1893 The Supreme Court Monday morning refused the writ of habeas corpus asked for by Alfred Packer, the noted cannibal convict now serving an accumulative sentence of forty years in Canon City, for the murder in Hinsdale County in March 1874, of Israel Swan, Shannon Wilson Bell, Frank Miller, George Noon, and James Humphrey. The story of the crime is a familiar one. Packer, with his five companions, was snowbound in the mountains, and one night, in order to save himself, he killed the men as they slept. He feasted upon their flesh until he could make his escape. A Russell girl has had her boudoir walls covered with cheap lace, hung like wall paper. A very new fad. Born: At the Lewis Ranch, northeast of Black Hawk, June 21, 1893, to the wife of Leo E. Jones, a son. The funeral of the late William Haun took place from the undertaking parlor of Ed. L. Harris on Main Street, yesterday afternoon. Died: In Denver, June 21, 1893, Rebecca H., wife of Hon. Richard Harvey, of this city, aged 68 years. A subscriber propounds the following problem in matrimonial ethics for the consideration of the Register-Call : Mr. Editor - Do you think it is proper on the occasion of a widower’s second marriage, that the picture of his first wife should be in the best room where the wedding is to be held? The Register-Call thinks that it would not be proper, and that any jury of widowers would so declare. As a matter of taste it would be bad enough, but more than that, it involves a question of domestic happiness. Comrade Anton Seesall has erected a liberty pole on his dwelling lot on Lawrence Street. One would judge from the manner in which he has improved his residence that the old man will take a life partner to share with him his joys and sorrows. A sensible thing for him to do. This is a vacation and all the boys in town know it. The majority of them look like they had been through a harvester or a hog tight barbwire fence; in fact they wear out everything but soap. The first of the week there was a chunk or ore left at the Merchant Tailoring establishment of Mr. Charles Kaneen, taken out of the deep shaft on the German Mine, situated south of Central on Belleview Mountain and north of the Hot Pot Mine. It contains quite a number of pieces of gold from the size of a pin head to gold in wire form. Last week Messrs. Morrison, Stevens & Co. brought in from their Barbara Mine in the head of Miners Gulch, 2,300 pounds of quartz taken from an 8 foot prospect hole, which yielded 1 ounce in gold and 5.3 ounces silver per ton. A pretty good return for top quartz. All persons having exhibits for the supplementary display at the World’s Columbian Exposition, are earnestly desired to send them in at once, as it is important that everything should be in Chicago by July 1. The City of Black Hawk should pass an ordinance making it a criminal offense for any old bachelor who has been here for a long time and allowed the moss to grow on his back, to remain unmarried now that there are plenty of girls here. The water in North Clear Creek is rapidly receding and by the middle of next month many of the stamp mills now running exclusively by water will be compelled to raise steam again. Last Friday morning, Mrs. Thomas Petaluna, who resides in Mountain House District, while driving down Four-Mile Gulch, was thrown from the seat of the conveyance and broke her left arm near the wrist joint. Reaching Central she called on Dr. John Davidson who set the fracture, which is a very bad one. The small boy is now in the swim at Missouri Lake. Complaint is continually made at this office of late, of persons turning livestock loose in the city cemetery, the gateway to which is not kept under lock and key, as it should be. The city authorities should look into the matter and have the guilty parties apprehended and punished for their misdoing. Dr. Ashbaugh brought in with him a week ago Wednesday, several samples of ore from his Polaris Lode Mine in Gleason Gulch, west of this city. They were assayed and gave the following showing: Gold 3.3 ounces and 15.20 ounces silver, a value of $85.00 per ton; another piece of ore gave 6.4 ounces gold and 10.36 ounces silver, or a value of $129.60 per ton. The Running Lode Mining & Milling Company of this county last week paid a dividend of 1 cent a share on its stock. The Central City hook and ladder team selected for the Black Hawk firemen’s tournament on the 4 th of July next are doing splendid work in their practice. If the “hookies” don’t get away with the prize it will not be Chief Lamon’s fault. Lizzie Borden, whose trial during the past month at New Bedford, Mass., has attracted universal attention, was declared “not guilty” of the charge of murder by the jury, who found the verdict after an absence of only a few hours from the court room. Mr. Peter Stranger, one of the contractors who is engaged in sinking the main shaft on the James Henry Mine on Gunnell Hill, met with an accident last Saturday night which will lay him up for a couple of weeks. While working in the bottom of the shaft a scale fell from one of the walls above him and struck him on the knee joint of the right leg, inflicting a wound above and below the knee joint. The spring term of the Russell Gulch public schools closed last Thursday. While Captain Raeger was engaged last Tuesday in ground-sluicing a heavy bank of dirt in Nevada Gulch just above the upper bridge crossing, the bank gave way and he got caught under several tons of it. He received very serious internal injuries which will confine him to his room for some time to come. The hoopskirt nightmare has vanished. A Black Hawk baby was named Eulalie. After the christening, the parents got into a wrangle as to how to pronounce it. The neighbors were called upon to decide the question, and as yet the infant is practically without a name, and a large-sized row is brewing over the dispute. Col. Teters of the Yosemite Hydraulic Placer Mining Company will put up an electric plant on the claims of that company on South Boulder Creek in the northeasterly portion of Gilpin County. The company has quite a large force of miners at work opening up new ground on their placer property. Coolness among lovers doesn’t make the atmosphere of the boarding house of the Quartz Mill city any more bearable.

Patrick Henry Sweeney

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