Turning Back the Pages

30 Years Ago - February 4, 1983 Gilpin County has again made national news - in the Wall Street Journal , no less - but this time it isn’t a gold mine, or an opera, or Lou Bunch Day, or the tourists that have caused the attention. It’s Gilpin’s own residents. According to the article in the January 25, 1983 edition, Gilpin County has the third highest incidence of alcohol-related deaths in the nation. The information was taken from a study done by researchers at the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Researchers looked at death certificates and averaged the information over a three-year period. The age group involved was limited to 15-74 year-olds and place of residence was used vs. the location where an individual died. Gilpin RE-1 School Board’s Four-Day School Week committee visited Strasburg and Westcliff in January and found that both schools showed improved attendance for both students and teachers, and both schools showed an annual savings of over $10,000. The longer school days cut the time working parents were forced to have their kids at a sitter and older students were available for sitting services on the day the school was not in session. Certain school clubs used the day for field trips. School Board Chairman Jim Peyrouse stressed that the main purpose of the proposal is to save money - mainly from having less transportation costs since busing would be for one less day a week. The committee recommended handing out a questionnaire about the four-day week at the upcoming Science Fair. Fire totally destroyed the home of Bob and Virginia Callister and their children, Tuesday, leaving only a charred foundation in its wake. Despite the fact that the response time for the nearby Colorado Sierra Volunteer Fire Department was only 11 minutes, the firemen were unable to save the house. It was completely engulfed in flames when they arrived. About ten people from Colorado Sierra, three people from Central City and three from High Country fire departments helped out. They had several problems with the fire. Colorado Sierra fire chief, Steve Hogan, said they were able to get an outside propane tank covered with snow and water, but there were two large oxygen cylinder tanks in Mrs. Callister’s workroom, which she used to blow glass, that exploded. The explosions were not dramatic, Hogan said. Also, about two dozen shotgun and .22 rifle shells went off in one corner of the house while the firemen were cleaning up. No one was hurt. Gilpin County Search and Rescue, High Country Fire Department and the Flight-for-Life helicopter were all called out Sunday, January 23, to remove an injured cross country skier from Jenny Lind Gulch. The victim, a Denver man, had fallen about 30 feet down off the trail into the woods and had broken his thigh bone. The injury occurred about three and a half miles in from Tolland, over a 1,000 foot rise in elevation. A friend had made his way to Rollinsville and called for help. Bill Ward, vice commander of Search and Rescue and training officer, Peter Downie, started up the trail on skis pulling a covered fiberglass toboggan, but were later pulled by a snowmobile driven by Roger Durham, the chief of High Country FPD. About 12 people on skis assisted in bringing the man down the trail to Tolland and the waiting ambulance. From Rollinsville, he was transported by helicopter to St. Anthony’s Central Hospital in Denver. Gilpin RE-1 School District’s funds come from several sources, including on the local level, $510,265 from property taxes, $30,615 from specific ownership taxes and $65,000 from sources such as interest on investments. $522,811 comes in from state sources. Federal money is channeled through the state. The largest expenditure in the 1983 budget is $639,172 for salaries. An additional $146,523 will be spent on benefits. The starting salary for teachers with a degree, but no experience, is $12,800 per year. The superintendent’s salary is $29,920 per year and the principal’s salary is $25,316. Statewide, the average superintendent salary is $32,000 per year and $23,000 is the average annual salary for principals. The Fifth Annual Lace House Ball was held last Saturday, January 29, in the Grand Ballroom of the Fairmont Hotel of Denver. About 150 couples attended the period event held to make money for the ongoing restoration and upkeep of the Lace House in Black Hawk. About 20 of the people were from Gilpin. It is estimated that they raised $7,000-$10,000 from the combined ticket sales and auction. Betty Sienko has sold out the Gilded Garter to Bob Brusco and Jay Katz of the Glory Hole. Even though the weather has not been severe, the constant cold and almost daily light snow has made driving conditions extremely hazardous. Work continues on the Golden Rose, Bank Building and Teller House, the first receiving insulation, while at the latter, a plusher style of chair was being considered for the Little Kingdom Lounge. Alterations are occurring at Chicago’s Restaurant, including refurbishment and a change of name to reflect its operation by Gene Carelli. Lori and Kevin Wright, of Black Hawk, are the proud parents of a baby girl, Lindsey Rebecca, born January 28, 1983. Fr. Reginald Rodman has left St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Central City. Bishop William Frey has appointed Fr. Cyril Coverley as supply priest for the present time. Ad: Volunteers Needed: Contact GILPIN MILITIA - “in vino veritas.” 60 Years Ago - February 6, 1953 Editing a newspaper is a pleasing business - if you can stand it. Looks like Ike intends to fight fire with fire, by withdrawing the 7 th Fleet from the Formosa Strait. Funny world. Prices sky-high and we gripe, we moan, but we pay. Prices decline slightly, like meat prices at the moment, and we begin to worry. Is this the recession the experts have predicted? During Editor Rae Laird’s absence from duties here, the Register-Call still went to press under the guiding hand of George McClure, who has less than two years’ experience in make-up and cylinder feeding. Extended in this column is a vote of thanks for his ingenuity and ability. He has those many essentials that he has graduated now from a “Printer’s Devil” to a real full-fledged printer. From beginning to end, President Eisenhower’s inaugural address expressed strong and courageous views and was a stirring message and an historic one. Its tone and content clearly showed that the U.S. is ready to take her rightful place in world affairs. You can’t eat taxes. But you must pay more for taxes than you do for food and clothing combined! We have reached the point where the tax burden is the largest single item of expense to millions of American families. It is generally believed that the danger point to a nation’s strength and vigor is reached when taxes accounting for 25 percent of the national income goes for taxes. Dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning from auto exhausts, home space heaters, or defective chimney connections are back again with winter. A Day’s Work - ever since I graduated from the 4 th grade in school, I have noticed that each year I have had to work harder and got less than the year before. Now I have found out the cause of this hard- work- for- less, as follows: Population of the U.S. ……………………. 150,000,000 People 65 years or older……………….….. 52,000,000 Balance left to work…………………………..98,000,000 People 21 years or younger……………….54,000,000 People working for the government.…21,000,000 Balance left to work............................23,000,000 People in armed forces…………………....10,000,000 Balance left to work………………………....13,000,000 People in state and city government…12,800,000 Balance left to work……………………………….200,000 People in hospitals, asylums, etc……………..26,000 Balance left to work…………………………………74,000 Bums and others refusing to work……………62,000 Balance left to work………………………………...12,000 Persons in jail……………………………………….….11,908 Balance left to work………………………………….……..2 Two? Just two. You and I - and you’d better get a wiggle on - I’m tired of doing all the work alone. 90 Years Ago - February 2, 1923 Rubye De Remer in “Pilgrims of the Night,” in six reels will be the picture at the opera house on Saturday evening. Matrimony is presumed to pay good dividends, but often it doesn’t even cough up the interest. If German marks keep on going down they will soon make an awful hole in the ground - or perhaps strike oil. Mining appears to be picking up all over the country, due to increase in prices of copper, lead and zinc, and it looks as though the turning point has been reached for better times. Get busy and provide yourself with a good income for 1923. The income tax collector wants it, and you should not disappoint him. The county road from Apex to Elk Park has been shoveled out, and now teams can go through to American City. This is the first time the road has been open since November 4, 1922. Died: In Central City, January 29, 1923, William Dickerson, aged 61 years. Carload shipments of ore were made this week by leasers on the Druid Mine to the smelter at Leadville, loaded on the cars at Central City, a car from the Jupiter-St. Clair Mine, loaded at Black Hawk, for shipment to the same place, a car from the Wain Mine to the concentrator at Idaho Springs, and a carload from the Rara Avis property, also loaded at Black Hawk, for the smelter at Leadville. Several members of the Thomas family, residing in Chase Gulch, are down with pneumonia. In the two games of basketball, played last Saturday evening at the school gymnasium, between the local team and a team from Idaho Springs and the corresponding teams of the Gilpin County and the Idaho Springs high schools, both games were won by the Gilpin County teams. Four inches of snow fell last Friday in Apex and the high wind of Saturday drifted the road so that it had be shoveled out. On Monday and Tuesday, the mail came through by auto. 120 Years Ago-February 3, 1893 Silver = 83 7/8; Lead = $3.80 A few days ago the water in the main shaft of the Buell Mine was lowered to a point below the 400 foot level and the debris at that level is now being removed. January is invariably considered the dullest month of the year not only with the business men but also with the mill men. A trip through the stamp mills made this week convinced the reporter that the mining industry is far from being on the wane. The mills running all seemed to be pretty well supplied with ore, the only complaint met with being that of scarcity of water. Last week, Mr. A. G. Elliott reached the 110 foot levels in the Harkaway Mine. The east level which is in 80 feet was badly caved in places, and it will require considerable time and outlay of money to clean it of the debris and retimber it. The level opposite is in the 110 feet level and shows a strong body of mill dirt and ore that is said to have yielded 3 ounces gold per cord when worked by the Valley View Mining Company. The Corydon is turning out enough stamp mill ore daily to keep 25 stamps dropping. From Mr. Daniel Procunier, one of the oldest and most continuous residents of Hawkeye District, who was in from Wide Awake on Saturday, we learn that he has interested a number of Denver gentlemen with him in the Procunier Lode, which in an early day was known as the Wide Awake Lode, and relocated by him several years ago. Mr. Sisty and a pool of men have a lease and bond on the Dew Drop and Mountain Chief mines on Tip Top Mountain. Development work on both properties will henceforth go forward more rapidly than ever. Next to a funeral the saddest sight is to see an Italian eating macaroni, and ill-bred women eating grapes at a table d’hote. The people of Clear Creek County have taken action on the proposed forest reserve, and have circulated petitions protesting against the establishment of such a reserve as proposed by Mr. Edgar T. Ensign. Senator Henry C. Bolsinger came up from Denver Saturday evening and spent Sunday with his family in Nevadaville, returning in time to take his seat in the senate on Monday. A Washington press dispatch under date of January 28, says: The small Colorado colony in Washington has been temporarily increased by the presence in the city of Mr. Hal Sayr, a prominent Denver mining man. Mr. Sayr’s wife is in very bad health. She has been under the care of Dr. Hammond at his sanitarium for some weeks and it is that draws Mr. Sayr to the capital. The doctor has notified Mr. Sayre that his wife must be removed to a different climate and so he has made all arrangements to spend the remainder of the winter in Cuba. Just when he will sail has not been determined. Old time cut-and-dried parlor proposals are out of date. An Eurkea Street maid tells how she received and accepted a proposal a short time ago while whirling around in the maze of a “two-step” waltz at a social dance. Now is the time to begin cleaning up the alleys. Spring will soon be here and the city should be placed in proper condition. Much sickness during the coming summer can in this way be averted. It is cheaper than doctor’s bills. “Necessity is the mother of invention.” This truism is most aptly illustrated as you watch the old bachelor run a nail through his lace fringe on the upper border of his every-day overalls to hold up his lonely suspender. The residence of Mr. John Chapman, near Casey Avenue, just below the Truan dwelling was quarantined last Sunday morning by order of the health office of the city, against scarlet fever. The standing price for trimming Van Dyke beards has been fixed by the barbers at 25 cents. Steve Cronin, having served out his sentence passed upon him by Judge Becker for assault, that of fifteen days in the county jail, was let out last Sunday. Sunday night he made himself quite obnoxious to the female inmates of one of the temples of illicit love on Pine Street. He was again arrested by Marshal Kelleher on Monday and fined $10 and costs. Not having any money, he was committed to the city cooler for 17 days. Born: In Central City, February 1, 1893, to the wife of John Kruse, a son. Born: In Russell Gulch, January 30, 1893, to the wife of John Clemmons, a daughter. Born: In Nevadaville, January 31, 1893, to the wife of James Taylor, a daughter. Born In Central City, January 18, 1893, to the wife of John Hoskin, a daughter. Deacon John Ballard has sent a challenge to city clerk Robert Haight of Central City, to skate a five-mile race at the rink on Gregory Street. The grammar and high school departments of the school have organized into two divisions for rhetorical exercises. The tourist rate to Colorado common points will be $25 during the World’s Fair. Thirty-two head of beef cattle - two cars - arrived in Black Hawk this morning, consigned to William Harvey and Henry Dennis of this city. The beeves were in good condition. There was a perfect jam at the ice skating rink last Saturday evening, 85 skaters being engaged in skating at one time. The anchor ice is raising old Ned along North Clear Creek. On Monday men were at work in cutting a water-way in the ice just above the Polar Star Stamp Mill. The overflow of water at that point promised to inundate the track of the railroad and tramway companies. It is preposterous to look for sentiment in people who regard buckwheat cakes a breakfast. 135 Years Ago - January 26, 1893 We learn that this morning about 9:30 o’clock, the Humestown House at Idaho Springs, which changed hands yesterday, caught fire in the third story and was soon entirely destroyed. The fire also spread to Gaw’s Brewery and the dwellings adjoining, which were quickly consumed. There was no insurance as far as we could learn on any of the property. Electric candles are the sensation in Paris. They emit no heat or smoke whatsoever, while in brilliancy they hold the same ration to gas and oil lamps as sun to moonlight, and the cost only one-fifteenth as much as gas. It is hailed as one of the greatest discoveries of the century.

Patrick Henry Sweeney

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