Turning Back the Pages

30 Years Ago - September 8, 1983 Gilpin County voters will go to the polls Tuesday and cast their ballots either for or against a one percent county sales and use tax. A group of irate Apex Valley residents protested to the Gilpin County commissioners Tuesday about the way a neighbor is using his property. The man is in the process of building his home and has parked a trailer there. Commissioners explained that the county allows trailers during construction and that everything done on the site has been legal. Bill and Dixie Lovingier’s road is just that – their road. Informally known as the “Dam Road,” it is used as an access to the Byron Hacker’s and part of Gilpin Gardens subdivisions. The Lovingier’s presented proof that the road is private. The road is just north of the Gilpin County Library and west of 119. The problem with keeping it open is one of liability. No one is willing to accept it. Bill Lovingier said he is willing to keep the road open if the county will maintain it, but Commissioners do not want to accept the liability. Insurance adjuster, tour guide, salesman, retailer, hotel manager, bartender. When it comes to jobs, Chocolate Dan Monroe has had a few. But the one that consumes his interest and his time is probably the most rewarding and least lucrative. Monroe is an historian specializing in Central City. Gilpin County commissioners held a public hearing on a proposed “road material resource area” in Lump Gulch, however the idea was dropped for the time being due to what Commissioner Jerry Ward described as a “small snag.” The gravel is on U.S. Forest Service land. Fran Etzkorn was appointed as Gilpin County’s new civil defense director. The first public hearing on the county’s revenue sharing budget for next year was held. A total of $40,000 is expected. At this point, the commissioners are proposing to spend $7,525 for the library, $3,750 for the Council on Aging, and $22,000 for capital outlay. The remainder would go into the general fund. The Central City Elks and Elks Ladies sponsored a day of gold panning for about a dozen disabled veterans from the V.A. Hospital in Denver. The men quickly caught on to the process and lined the creek next to Norm Blake’s Polar Star Mill in Black Hawk, searching for the precious metal. Despite the Korean jumbo jet crisis, U.S. Congressman Tim Wirth was in Central City last Friday to talk with constituents. Business was brisk this past weekend and looked more like times of old. Traffic was heavy in the streets. The band “Wild River” was packing people in at the Gilded Garter and the usual crowd was participating in the Jerry Lewis Telethon at the Toll Gate. The Toll Gate raised over $13,000 for muscular dystrophy. Black Hawk City Clerk Mon Dawkins said a hose broke at the water plant, spraying water all over the pump house and almost draining the treated water reservoir. Water pressure went down all over the city. Don Blender, the city’s water plant operator, and Alan Genter, city street commissioner and water assistant, were alerted and had the problem fixed within minutes after arriving at the reservoir. The raw water reservoir was not affected. Dawkins said the city was never without water and there was never a fire hazard. Howard Cosell. Now there are two words that can really stir a lot of football talk! He started out Monday night by referring to a Redskins player as a “monkey.” 60 Years Ago - September 4, 1953 Fred Thomas says he’s reasonably sure the Festival is over, since he drove up to the business section in the evening, and found a place to park – on Main Street. PFC Donald Munsell was among the prisoners of war released recently from Korea. His family lived near Bear Mountain when he was inducted in the Army in November 1951. They later moved to New Mexico. AD: Central City is Fun - If you take the time to tour the mining area and visit the many interesting shops and museums. (Central City Sightseeing Unlimited, Teller House) Miss Kathryn Eccker will again teach in the Littleton High School and which opened Sept. 2 nd . Dr. Wm. M. Muchow and associates of Chicago, were here over Sunday preparatory to starting operation on the Chain O’Mines group. The huge tailings dump will be the first work of the company wherein the pile would be consumed at the rate of 200 tons daily in one year. A shipment to the Colorado School of Mines for a petrographic and spectrographic analysis, as to its content values in commercial metals and to show the condition of the mass brought most encouraging results. The new mill will be ready in a short time to treat 2,000 tons daily. When this tailing dump is removed there will be available a fine space for the parking of thousands of cars for tourists and visitors. Naturally the Chain O’Mines operation will continue to mine the millions of tons of ore from the Glory Hole at three to eight thousand tons per day. The new incline tunnel will enter the Glory Hole crater at the 700-foot level. A moving belt is to be installed, capable of moving over 12,000 tons daily, and from this level, drifts will be run into Quartz hill in all directions for leasers to work and bring the ore to this belt for payment. Dr. Muchow expects to employ over one hundred men in exploration, development and mining. Work has already started on the pipe line leading from Black Hawk, and new pumps are to be installed at the pumping station on Clear creek in Black Hawk. “I long for those never-to-be-forgotten yesterdays, when three months out of every year could be devoted to diligently doing nothing. Summer had a magic sound then; it was synonymous with the lazy ripple of a stream, the twittering of a host of birds; it was never too hot, just delightfully warm. The rain was different too; not cold and wet, but a criterion of rainbows to come, and puddles to launch little boats on-and one never tired of inhaling the clean, rain-washed air, after the storm had passed. School days-the longest hours, but the shortest years of one’s limited sojourn here on this rapidly revolving planet.” (Fred Thomas) 90 Years Ago - September 7, 1923 In Apex, the first ice of the season was seen Monday morning. Three out of eight prisoners confined in the Jefferson County Jail, made their escape last Friday night, fifteen minutes after Sheriff Kerr had left the jail corridor. The other five men refused to leave when they had the opportunity, and they informed the sheriff of the jailbreak as soon as possible. The three men who escaped were charged with robbery. They had loosened one of the bricks in the jail wall and with an opening started, they apparently had little trouble in knocking out enough bricks to make a large hole. All the potato growers in Russell Gulch report good crops this year. On account of the number of men that will be working at both portals of the Moffat Tunnel this winter, applications have been made with the post office department to have post offices established at both portals and the matter is being investigated and plans are being considered. August month closed as Apex’s coldest summer month. Thus far, Apex has had only two months this year without snow. Many a woman marries a man only to learn that she didn’t marry one. Mrs. W. Joyce and Mrs. Hampton, who were staying at the Mrs. G. Richards house in Russell Gulch, were run out by a swarm of bees that had taken possession. Anita Stewart in “Her Mad Bargain,” in six reels will be the picture at the opera house on Saturday. Three shifts are at work at the Becky Sharpe Mine, Russell District, hoisting water. Blake brothers hauled out on Wednesday an Imperial-Rand air compressor to the Perigo Mines, which will be used in furnishing power for driving air drills. Earlier in the week they took out a compressor to the Pine Comb Mine at Wide Awake, which is being operated by the Central States Mining Company. Twenty-five cars passed through Apex Sunday and about as many on Monday. The weather was beautiful and the trip through Apex to Tolland is a wonderful one for tourists. The last rose of the summer is gone and the aspen trees are turning yellow. 120 Years Ago - September 8, 1893 A few days ago the Holland Lode in Russell District, formerly known as the Washington, a discovery made in 1860, a shaft sunk in the fall of ’61 was cleaned out, and found to be 44 feet in depth. A number of tools left in the shaft by the original miners were uncovered, they having been compelled to close down on account of the large amount of water contended with and the excessive charges for hauling and crushing of the ore, although the ore yielded 5 ½ ounces gold per cord at the Chaffee Mill in Lake Gulch. Among other tools were a striking hammer, a double churn-drill, tamping-bar and needle, pole and drifting picks, all in a comparatively good condition after having been under water for 31 years. They have been placed on exhibition at the office of Pacific Express Co. in this city. The tools were manufactured at the shop of Leitzman & Switz, who in that early day were located in Leavenworth Gulch. The tools are relics of the old days and quite different to the tools now in use. Panic Prices: A very convenient eight-room brick home for sale cheap for cash: known as the Belford house. Enquire at Day’s Drug Store. McFarlane Bros. of this city and Denver, last week sent a force of men up into Canada to erect a gold stamp mill, after the pattern of our Gilpin County mills. Mr. Forbes Rickard, of this city, has established an assay office and ore purchasing agency in Nevadaville. Born: In Russell Gulch, September 1, 1893, to the wife of Thomas K. Hughes, a son. The haying season is progressing well over the county. While some land is yielding nicely, the crop generally is considerably short of an average. Ore Prices Per Ounce: Silver = $73-5/8; Lead = $3.62 The first annual ball of the Young Men’s Catholic Lyceum of Gilpin County, which was given at Turner Hall late Monday evening was attended by fifty couples, who had as pleasant an evening’s enjoyment as has taken place in Central for the past year. Mr. Frank A. Olgilvie, while hunting last week, found the remains of a man just below the dump of Tunnel No. 4 of the Utah and Pacific Railway Company. In looking over the tunnel dump, he espied a saddle and saddle blankets some 100 feet below. Continuing his investigations he came across the skull of a man, and nearby found a blue silk necktie and a pocket handkerchief of the same color. Also a portion of the lower part of the body, the feet being encased in a fine pair of tongued no. 5 boots, sewed soles and quilted legs. Nearby were found portions of his clothing, which were of coarse material and brown in color. The hat which he wore was gray felt, size 6 ½. There was no pocketbook, knife or firearms or anything else by which the remains could be identified. The man had evidently laid down, using the blankets and saddle for a pillow, and probably perished in a prevailing storm. The only person missed from that section is that of the school teacher of the Caribou Public School, who some four months ago left that place for the purpose of making the ascent of Arapahoe Peak, west of Caribou. The spot where the remains were found is about four miles directly southwest of the new mining camp of Eldorado on the Middle Boulder. Mr. Frank Magor who recently made a location of a vein that crosses Eureka Gulch a short distance above Mr. R. B. William’s residence, has damned the gulch water so as to admit of a pit being sunk on the new location below bed rock. He has a man at work in sinking and will take out a quantity of top dirt, quartz and iron which will be sent to the custom mill. If it will run anyways in proportion to the manner in which it prospects, Frank has a good claim to tie to. By the closing down of the American Smelter at Leadville 400 men will be thrown out of employment. The Bonanza tunnel since work was resumed in the breast of it, has been driven considerably over 100 feet, but has not yet encountered another vein. Mr. Becker, the manager, is using his best endeavors to get the shaft in the east tunnel level sunk to a depth of 80 feet, in order to drift each way and open up a block of stoping ground. Among the odd patents of recent invention is one for a harness covered with phosphoric paint, which makes it luminous at night. Mr. E. F. Lamb of Denver intends to test crude petroleum as fuel at Cripple Creek. He is convinced that under the conditions which prevail at that point, being without railroad facilities within thirty miles of Florence, the crude oil would possess many advantages over coal. A barrel of oil cost $1.50 and from experiments Mr. Lamb has made, he is satisfied that three barrels of oil will produce heat enough to reduce five tons of ore. Among other improvements recently made at the brewing premises of Martin Mack is the erection of a water reservoir, 20x20 feet in the clear and 12 feet in depth. This will be supplied from a spring of living water, and is situate considerably higher than the brewery building. It can be made available, not only for brewing purposes but for fire purposes as well. It is a great improvement and one that was much needed. Considerable interest is being manifested in the foot-race between Richard Daley and Harry Morrell, which is to come off on Yankee Hill next Sunday at 1:30 o’clock p.m. Should the weather prove favorable it will be witnessed by all the miners in that vicinity, as well as by many from Idaho Springs and Central. The drive out there is a nice one, and the scenery itself worth the trip. The man who is too penurious to support his home paper, no matter what his calling may be, is too short of good material to deserve success in any measure.

Patrick Henry Sweeney

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