Turning Back the Pages

30 Years Ago - August 26, 1983 The Seventh Annual Central City Jazz Festival provided a feast for music lovers last weekend. The three-day celebration of jazz featured bands from all over the country, as well as ragtime piano players. The festivities began Friday with a parade of musicians down city streets. There were 2,860 badges sold for the festival. People crowded the music locations, city streets and parking lots. “Certain parents got gripes and can’t get them taken care of up at the school.” That was the reason, according to Mel Sanders, president of the Nederland Junior-Senior High School Booster Club, for a meeting between parents, Mike Washburn, the brand-new superintendent of the Boulder Valley School District and Betty Bramhill, Nederland’s representative to the Boulder Valley school board. The meeting was held at the Colorado Sierra Fire Station. What once was a shallow pond near the Boodle Mill became a large mud flat after a dam broke in a heavy rain storm August 18. The water raced out of the pond, and down the flume along Eureka Street in Central City, damaging a sewer pipe and eroding the street in front of Dorothy Rae Wright’s home. The Register-Call press is an EBCP and at least 45 years old. EBCP stands for Electric Boat Company, of all things. Apparently, the company didn’t make many presses and stopped making them years ago, concentrating on boats and submarines. During the middle of the press run Thursday night, the printing press broke. Our new press man, John George, who has only been here about a month, has already been named Superman. John had gotten the inside of the paper printed before it happened. Then he spent hours tearing the press apart looking for the problem. Eventually he found a metal part that had snapped in two. Though we offered four kinds of tape, rubber bands, wire and the inevitable bubble gum, nothing but taking the part to a machine shop would do. In the meantime, we had half a paper. Ernie Wright, of course, came through for us Friday morning. He printed the outside of the paper at Mountain Graphics in Idaho Springs. Publisher Bill Russell says this is the first time ever that the Register-Call has not been printed in Central City. The High Country Fire Auxiliary is sponsoring a Bingo game Saturday night at Station #2, north of the Nifty Nook. Ron Cole won the All-Around Miner award at the Mucking and Drilling Contests in Idaho Springs. The contests were sponsored by the Clear Creek County Mining Association. It is one of six contests across the state which are elimination rounds leading to the state contests next month. Central City has been making an effort to get its streets fixed before winter, but the work seems to be taking a sort of one-step-forward, two-steps-backward twist, with the daily thundershowers, a dam break, gas line breaks, and a truck which broke through the flume. Two Gilpinites are again the head officers of the Clear Creek County Metal Mining Association. William C. Russell was re-elected president and Van Cullar was re-elected first vice president. Walter James Buff, also known as James Brady and John Doe, was sentenced to eight years in the state penitentiary by Judge Winston W. Wolvington in District Court. Buff pleaded guilty to vandalizing the Teller House last September and causing an estimated $24,000 in damages. Ellsworth B. Dreher, 85, of Denver, died August 15, 1983. He was born in Russell Gulch on April 12, 1898. There are no immediate survivors. Although it’s not officially open yet, the new addition to Columbine Campground is beautiful. The 25 new campsites offer campers an opportunity to enjoy nature’s best, with stately pine, quivering aspen, wildflowers, mushrooms and neighborly chipmunks. Colorado State Patrol Trooper Bonita Adams of Central City initiated the first of many successful steps to becoming a trooper nearly two years ago. This month she completed the 18-week CSP school in Golden and is currently involved in eight weeks of field training. In October, Adams will join Trooper Jody Witt in patrolling Gilpin County. Randy Thomas Vick, a former Gilpin County resident, died suddenly of a heart attack on August 9, 1983. He was 28 years old. As part of the Golden Rose retail space, an art gallery will be opening in the near future in the space adjacent to the lobby on Lawrence Street. The gallery will show the works of local and regional artists. AD: BLACK HAWK FLOUR MILL – Corn meal, whole wheat flour, rye flour, whole wheat cereal and whole wheat pancake flour. Large and small quantities-low prices. CUSTOM GRINDING. Handmade Gifts. SEWING AND MENDING. 320 Gregory Street. If there is ever to be a great literary work entitled “The Rise and Fall of the NFL,” the period of the early ‘80’s will surely be considered on the downhill side. It looks like the two biggest issues heading into the ’83 season are the defection of players to the new USFL over money, and the widespread use of drugs in the sport. Whatever happened to the game? 60 Years Ago - August 21, 1953 Things are going on at a terrible pace! The demand for tickets to “The Time of the Cuckoo” has been so great that two matinees were added on Thursday afternoon, and two hours after the tickets went on sale, the “Sold Out” sign was hung up. This breaks another record for Central City. Double Solitaire is the pastime backstage now, when the players are off stage. Billy Hamilton’s scrap books have grown so that it will be necessary to have a museum to hold them. They are most interesting, with autographs of the many great stars who have played here, and enough blarney to delight the Irish heart for whom they were written. The Stevens home in Russell was opened last Sunday. The President, in his budget message, said that the increase in the social security levy, which under the present law will go into effect on the first of the next year, should be postponed. The increase would raise the rate on both employers and employees from one-and-one-half to two per cent. On Wednesday, August 26, six historic Central City houses will be open to the public from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. This tour is part of a fund-raising program of the Gilpin County Arts Association. The homes included in the tour are: the Hilton house on High Street and, all on Eureka Street, the John Best house, “Eureka 13,” Farr house, Center house, and Demeter house. Ten thousand Damns! This youthful editor, when putting a pig of metal in the melting pot of the linotype machine, had the misfortune of having a spot of hot metal erupt, lodging on his glasses between the range of vision and the bifocals, completely breaking the lens, and creating a condition that it is impossible to read the characters of this the type; so if the numerous mistakes in the paper this week are found, blame it on the linotype pot. 90 Years Ago - August 24, 1923 The Mammoth Mining & Development Company has installed a new air compressor and gasoline engine. Mr. Fred Fricke of Tolland had the contract to haul the same from Tolland to the mine. The steel force on the Evergreen smelter, near Apex, have been idle for several days while waiting for more steel. The C & S railroad is either short on cars or motive power to ship the steel with more dispatch. “Skin Deep,” a Thomas H. Ince production will be the picture at the Opera House on Saturday. The berry crop is not near as good as was expected earlier in the season as it is the opinion of observers that the hail has done much damage to the plants. Words properly grouped raise the standard of intelligence. When improperly grouped, they raise hell. The Becky Sharpe Company started unwatering the mine in Russell District on Monday. Mr. George W. Pyle has opened up a ten-inch streak of lead and copper-iron ore in his claim in Mammoth Gulch. Joseph Berago was a business caller in Apex on Friday. He was pleased to see such a thriving district and an up-to-date mercantile business. Joseph, come again, we like praise where praise is due. J. Hancock, Russell Gulch, is tearing down the J. R. Hughes house and is using the material to repair his home. You never realize how high silk stockings are until you see a girl in a bathing suit. Twelve cents in American money will now buy a million German marks. With almost three months of rain, and only a few days of warm summer sun, the summer is passing rapidly and frosts and snow storms will soon make themselves known. This is the first year without a summer in a long stretch of years. Uncle Sam tomorrow will make his most audacious attempt at delivering transcontinental mail in record time. From New York, a plane will wing its way westward, bound for San Francisco. From San Francisco, a machine will speed eastward for New York. The aircraft will pass one another in the center of the continent if plans carry. For five days the country will have this aerial express mail service. After that test, Uncle Sam will decide whether daily transcontinental flights are to become mere routine and mail service from Atlantic to Pacific be made permanent. Contractor John Stroehle finished the two walls of the Black Hawk flume Tuesday, and workmen were busy Wednesday pointing the sides. He will not commence laying the bottom or putting in the 90 foot concrete bridge until he is sure the rainy season is over, as a flood at this time would cause a large amount of damage. The flowers in the courthouse yard are at their very best at the present time, and it will repay anyone for the time spent to go and see them. 120 Years Ago - August 25, 1893 Our friend, Mr. G. A. Hutchinson of Guy Hill, east of Black Hawk, has the finest Rose seedling potatoes that we have seen in market this year. Some of them weigh over a pound. They are the kind that George prides himself in raising. Up to the last day of July this is the status of the national banks: In operation, 3,780; failed since Jan. 1, 110; reopened since failure, 14; in hands of receivers, 36; in hands of examiners with application to comptroller for resumption, 62. The Tascher-Kansas Mine Pool were compelled to close down this week through their boiler giving out. Not having a large sump, the water raised up and drove them out of their lower level where the bulk of their stamp mill ore is coming from. The average of the stamp mill ore treated at the Meade 40 stamp mill in Black Hawk from the Booster and other lodes in the vicinity of Pine Creek, gave 4 ounces gold per cord, a very good average for prospects. The claim-owners pay $15 per cord for transportation of the ore from the mines to the stamp mills in Black Hawk. Should these prospects prove as lasting as is now anticipated, no doubt a tramway will be built to them, or a stamp mill erected on North Clear Creek at the mouth of Pine Creek, which will greatly lessen the cost of transportation. A week ago last night some person attempted to effect an entrance to the residence of Mr. Michael Downs on Eureka Street, but on hearing someone get up and go to the door they made good their escape. On Tuesday night of this week an unsuccessful attempt was made to break into the residence of Mr. Elisha Stevens on East High Street by raising one of the windows in a room on the lower floor. In view of these facts, it would be well enough on the part of the people of the county to keep a sharp lookout for burglars. Just at present there are a number of men in this community whose countenances are not the best, and who do not seem to have any visible means of earning a living. Died: In Gilson Gulch, August 21, 1893, Phillipina M., wife of Charles Krouse, aged 30 years. Died: On Quartz Hill, August 22, 1893, Zidra, the infant son of Mr. and Mrs. John Zidra, aged 9 months and 4 days. Mr. A. Rachofsky, of the New York Store, this city, has taken a lease of Senator H. M. Teller’s brick building, on Main Street, formerly occupied by the Sauer, McShane Mercantile Company. The lower portion of the front is to be taken out, and an iron front, with large doors and French plate windows will be put in. The interior of both the lower and upper floors are to be remodeled and fitted up in the best manner possible. The upper portion of the front will be painted up in a handsome and attractive manner. The Sunday morning train from Silver Plume has been discontinued for the rest of the season. It had received but poor patronage since the panic began. The entertainment given August 22 nd by the Young People’s Dramatic Association of Nevadaville was a complete success. A very interesting and closely contested cricket match was played on King Flat ground last Sunday afternoon. Sides were chosen by Mr. Edmund Trembath and the captain of the Mountain Daisies, James Grenfell. Trembath’s side went to bat first, and by skillful playing and hard hitting, put together 75 runs in one hour and thirty minutes, which is considered good cricket. The city authorities have laid new sidewalks along Leavitt and Miner streets in the easterly portion of the city, for which citizens in general feel thankful. Contractor William Trebilcock this week replaced that portion of the flume at the junction of Eureka and Spring streets, which was carried away by the flood of the 26 th of last month. Quite a heavy rain storm set in on Monday afternoon, but did no damage beyond washing in the railroad track, at the “Y” at the mouth of Chase Gulch, and in one or two places this side, on the High line to this city. It caused a detention of an hour in the arrival of the train here that evening. The musicale given at the M.E. Church, Black Hawk, on Sunday evening, for the benefit of the Sunday School, was largely attended, and a neat sum of money was netted. The concentration works below the Black Hawk depot and alongside the creek have been torn down. Mr. Fred Kruse bought the building and has removed the lumber to Central. Berry pickers are numerous, and after a long tedious jaunt are rewarded for all hardships suffered, and return with pails well-filled.

Patrick Henry Sweeney

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