Maps, Manufacturing and Museums, Oh My!

In my mind, researching your family and their stories means more than just understanding individual life. It also means understanding the general history, economics, diversity and other unique features of a community. And that is why I believe every serious Colorado researcher needs to own a copy of the Historical Atlas of Colorado, by Thomas J. Noel, Paul F. Mahoney and Richard E. Stevens (University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Oklahoma. 1994). It should be a part of your genealogical library.

The text covers everything from boundaries through land grants and territorial purchases, to specialized museums and tourist attractions, and has proven invaluable more than once in my personal and professional research.

For those looking for their “lost” ancestor who came to Colorado as part of the 1859 gold rush, this is a must have resource. The map and descriptions of “Lost Mines and Buried Treasures” will give many a new lease on “dead ends” from newspaper clippings and other records. They also continue to ignite your curiosity, referring to the “Cement Creek Caves,” where “…stolen loot was found in 1883.” From the map, these are not too far west of my current home, and it’s a tempting summer adventure in the making!

The “Transportation” section includes commentary on mountain passes, fur traders, major stagecoach lines and pioneer railroads. Some of these routes have not been modernized today, and the only way to truly experience them is the same way that our ancestors did: on foot or on donkey. Imagine climbing over 14,000 foot mountains with provisions, a change of clothes or two, and hopefully a pick or shovel. In winter.

Planning a research trip to Colorado? Use the “Denver Metro Museums and Historic Accommodations” section to make it as memorable as possible, and learn as much as possible.

If you have any interest at all in the history and development of the State of Colorado, you should put this text on your list. If nothing else, inter-library loan this so you can see the amazing collection of maps within its pages.

Oh, yes. One last thing. 

This post is officially number 200 for my blog! Most of that occurred in 2012, and I thank all of you for reading, commenting, making suggestions and following along on my genealogical journey this year. Have a very wonderful holiday and may we all have an incredible 2013, filled with kind acts, laughter and love. 

Summit Settlers: Mary (Cluskey) Ruth

Mary Cluskey is a true Summit County settler. Born in Breckenridge on 24 Nov 1902, she lived in the area her entire life. You can find a summary of her life, written by Alphild Wilkinson, in the book Women As Tall As Our Mountains, originally published in 1976 (most of the information in this post will come from this source, please contact me for further information). At that time, Mary was still an active widow, going back and forth between Frisco, Colorado and her son's home in Texas.

What struck me most about her story was her involvement in the mining camps during the 1920's and 1930's. You hear so much of the men that lived and worked these mountains, but very little of the women. I will offer only a quick summary here.

Born to Christopher and Mary Cluesky, both natives of Ireland. Christopher spent his early year's in the county as a dairy farmer on French Street in Breckenridge. As Mary progressed through her school years, she and her siblings went back and forth between ranch land and town. In 1913, the family went back to Ireland, but due to the quickly approaching War, they returned only a year later. Her father returned first, in May, as a potential soldier he was given preference on passage. Mary, her mother, sister's and brother's finally returned via London in August, but upon reaching New York, the ship sank and they lost all of their possessions.

The family was finally able to gather together again in Colorado on ranch property acquired by Christopher at Slate Creek. Once again, they moved back and forth to accommodate the children's need to attend school. At the age of 15, Mary went with her father to work at the Tiger mine. She was employed in the commissary, waiting tables; additionally, she sorted ore. The rest of the family moved to Tiger in 1918, during the flu epidemic. One member of the family was responsible for driving victims back to Breckenridge, and at times would have to carry four bodies a day.

Two years later, Mary, her mother and sisters, and one son were back at the ranch at Slate Creek, but her father and one brother, Tom, stayed on at Tiger. Tom worked at the sawmill. Just three years older, Mary was back at a mining site, this time the Pennsylvania for the summer, cooking three meals a day for 20-80 men. 1922 Again found Mary cooking, but this time at the Summit House in Montezuma, a hotel, and stayed there through September. At that time, she and her mother went to the top of Boreas Pass cooking for the men putting in the bucket tram for the 730 mine - that was living at 11,492 feet!  The men lived in one boxcar, the cafeteria was in a second, and Mary and Mary lived together in a third.

Eventually, our subject married Wilbur "Bill" Ruth, a veteran of World War I, who worked for the Bureau of Land Reclamation building the highway from Dillon to the summit of Fremont Pass (now on the way to Leadville, where Climax Mine sits). During the '40's they moved to Uneva Lake, in Ten Mile Canyon, to be caretakers for another family, and by 1935 had purchased a home in Frisco. During WWII, she was given a special assignment as Postmistress of Frisco, which meant that she travelled to town every day from Uneva Lake and ran the Post Office from her home.

She finally retired in 1974, having worked since 1955 for the town and the sanitation district. Bill passed in 1953, and Mary in 1990, having lived a long, hard life. They are both now resting in the Dillon Cemetery. She is remembered as a lady with a great sense of humor, courage, faith and "a lot of gumption."

I believe that to be absolutely true. To have lived as she did would have required the strength of more than a few ox.

Photo Credit for both photos:
www.findagrave.com, Kelly G, Sep 2008

Wilbur: Memorial #29576085
Mary: Memorial #29576096

Summit Settler's: Windhaus Family

During the summer of 2007, a co-worker of mine had the pleasure of speaking to Eugene Windhaus, who recounted his memories of his early life in Breckenridge, Colorado, in the late 1930's. This co-worker is a smart man, and he made notes. Those were shared with me earlier this summer.

Wellington Mill, 1910-1930. This would have been fairly
close to where the Windhaus family lived in the 1930's.
Photo courtesy of Western History/Genealogy Dept., Denver Public Library. 

The youngest of at least six children, Eugene, or "Gene", was born in Kansas in 1934. His parents, August "Gus", and Katherina, both natives of Germany, were married sometime around 1915, based on the ages of both Katherina and their first child, Johanna. By 1939, they were in Breckenridge, and Gus was the foreman at the Jumbo Mine. This was a prominent area of mining activity, and some of the best producers were found nearby, in the French Gulch area of Breckenridge.

During that time, the family lived about 200 yards from the entrance to the mine in a small shack. During the winter's, they lived in a rented house behind what is now the Hearthstone Restaurant. When living at the mine, water was over 200 yards away. Electric power was unavailable, and they used a Coleman stove and candles. For heat, a coal stove that could also burn wood was used.

In 1940, stockholders arrived at the Jumbo to build a new stamp mill. Gene remembers men being hired to clear trees near the mine, and he witnessed a 65 year old man chop down an 8" diameter tree in four swings of the ax on either side. The mill never actually opened, due to needs of the military at the start of World War II.

After the close of the mine, Gus went to work at the Country Boy Mine as the timber foreman. He "soon lost two of his fingers and split a third during the winter when his frozen glove got caught in the saw's blade and drug his hand in."

Gene remembers fishing from the remains of Blue #1 dredge boat after it sank , and smoking freshly made cigarettes from the broken windows in the cabin that is now the Welcome Center on Main Street. He was able to identify Lady Mae, well known Madame of the Blue Goose Bordello, Bertha Biggins - sister of Theda Dodge who lived on High Street and ran the local grocery - and Nina Felch, the common law wife of the town drunk, Dob Mitchell.

The family can be found in the 1940 US Federal Census, residing in Breckenridge. After that, they're trail goes cold, partly due to the fact that recent records are not available to the general public. It appears likely that at least one of them, Hubert, ended up in Oregon, and is buried there.

Tonopah Dredge, 28 Jul 1918, Breckenridge.
Photo courtesy of Western History/Genealogy Dept., Denver Public Library.

Citations can be made available by contacting the author. 

Breckenridge Settlers: The Adams Family

I've written about the Adams Family before. I've been intrigued by the residents buried in the Valley Brook Cemetery for some time, and I recently discovered a new resource, and a genealogical gem. Women As Tall As Our Mountains: Mini-Biographies of Summit County Women, a project of P.E.O., Chapter FU, originally published in 1976 (my copy is copyright 2003). There are several authors involved in the project, and they interviewed numerous women, all residents of Summit County, and the stories are amazing to read. (Copies can be purchased through the Breckenridge Heritage Alliance.)

From the story of Clara Adams Tillett, who was little Josie's sister, we have learned that Phillip Adams, came from Germany, and helped survey the route for the railroad from Denver to Leadville over Boreas Pass outside of Breckenridge. After the completion of that project, he mined.

According to the text, the family lived in the red house on the west side of the Blue River near the smelter, and that house was still standing at the first publication in 1976. The site is unfamiliar to me, but I have decided to try to find out where that was, to see if there is anything still there. Should be an interesting little side trip of discovery in my own town.

Also included is the cause of death for both Phillip and Theresa Adams, Josie and Clara's parents. Since the year of death is the same, 1927, there was some question there.

"Clara's parents both died in 1927. Her mother, Theresa, died February 9 of pneumonia and her father lived until October 16 and died of a heart attack. They are both buried at Valley Brook Cemetery."

Finding this new resource has provided a personal and in depth look at day to day life in Summit County, during the "early years." If you are researching in this area, I highly recommend you try to find a copy. And no, you can't borrow mine. I'm not done with it yet.

Summit History: William W. Boyd, Breckenridge Blacksmith

The life of Mr. Boyd was well documented in the Breckenridge, Colorado area in the late 1800’s. Today, you can still see a collection of his work on display at the Welcome Center Museum on Main St.

William “Billy” Boyd, born in May of 1865 in Butler County, Pennsylvania, ended up in Colorado by 1887, operating a blacksmith and farrier business on the corner of Main Street and Carter Avenue. In March of 1904, he sold his business and tools to his assistant, Arlington Fincher. During the years he spent in Summit County, he married Irene Clancy of Dillon, resided in the Lower Blue River Valley, served as fire chief of the Breckenridge Independent Fire Hose Department in 1899 and was Mayor for the Town of Breckenridge from 1902-1903. He also had his hands in mining, as a partner with the Germania Claim in 1901, among others, which produced gold and silver.

In 1915, Billy and Irene moved to Golden, Colorado, where they had their only child, Lauretta Ruth, who was born December 14, 1917. He continued to have business relationships with those in Summit County he left behind, though the family stayed in Jefferson County. In December 1937, he and partner A.G. Hoopes had an interest in the Orthodox Mine, for lead, near the Wellington in French Gulch.

Although well known during his lifetime, the treasure that remains today is the fantastic collection of intricate silver plated horseshoes William Boyd created as a blacksmith. In fact, his skill was so remarkable, that he qualified as a whitesmith, “a level of excellence attained by few in his chosen field.”* Artistic in nature, the set is a remarkable example of a detailed and exact art form. The display currently features 101 horseshoes of varying sizes and function, including some made to travel through ice and snow. It was donated to the Summit Historical Society as part of the estate of Lauretta Boyd.

William Boyd is buried in the Crown Hill Cemetery in Jefferson County, Colorado, alongside both his wife and his daughter.

*whitesmith: a person who works with white or light colored metals such as tin and pewter. (Wikipedia.)

*SHS Voices, date unknown, Page 2.

Going Adventuring!

There are fewer things in this world that my husband and I enjoy together than "going adventuring!"  Generally speaking, we pick a road, an area, an interest we have not explored yet and just go. Pack a few snacks, the camera, and the rain gear, and we hit the road. Of course, now we're taking the little one, too, which adds a whole new element.

On Mother's Day, 2012, we went adventuring. I loved every minute of it; snow, rain, wind, sun and all.

Since we're still fairly new to Breckenridge, Colorado, we stayed local. Hoping to find "old stuff", we turned onto Tiger Road and just kept going. Thanks to the Atlas of Colorado Ghost Towns, Volume II by Leanne C. Boyd and H. Glenn Carson, (Cache Press, 1985) and The New Summit Hiker and Ski Touring Guide by Mary Ellen Gilliland (Alpenrose Press, 2002), we had a vague idea that there was something out there to see. Old mining camps and towns such as Swanville, Parkville, Preston and Royal Tiger awaited us. We just had to find them.

The map in the Atlas we brought along wasn't excellent, but it gave us a rough idea. We stopped at a few places, walked into the woods a bit. Found a washed out bridge and for our daughter, some very cool rocks. We kept going.

Eventually, we had to turn back for home. On the way in, however, we had seen some leftover mining features that we wanted to explore, so we had those to check off the list first. Our first stop, we hit the jack pot. It was such a great little alcove of history!

(All images are Copyright Jen Baldwin, Ancestral Journeys, 2012. 

Thank you for asking permission before use.)

There was a wooden structure on top of the tailing pile you could see from the road. It looked to us like an entrance to a mine, but we did not climb up to explore further.

Immediately adjacent to the tailing pile, were these pieces. Appears to be an old water wheel and possibly some structure that was put in place to keep everything together. Hard to tell, and I'm certainly no expert.

About 100 yards down the trail, was this, just off in the trees, very close to the stream. 

And right next to that... a sluice? Also, someone had come along before us and collected all these nearby artifacts and laid them out for all to see. Pieces of porcelain, metal, old shoes and glass. Interesting to look through. 

One of the pieces still had identifying marks on it. 

We kept walking. Very quickly came upon this "dump" of tin cans and broken dishes. It went on forever! The pics below are the "more interesting" items we stumbled upon. 

Broken pieces, some with marks, and some with existing color. The blue piece was some kind of rough pottery. 

There were piles of these little guys. They looked like the bottoms of bottles, broken apart. We had no idea what they were... best guess was possibly some kind of explosive used in the mine?  One side was flat, obviously, the outside of the container, and they were all broken in the same way and the same rough size.

One of the more distinct pieces of porcelain with its pattern still very clear and the colors distinct. 

This can was interesting because you can still make out some of the lettering on it... two words, the second of which is "ALBERT"

More walking led to this gem; a small cabin or mine opening in the woods. Sat right alongside the road we were walking on. 

Two rooms, and a very intentional flat roof, which made us think it was a cabin intended for human shelter. It was very low, however, so perhaps it was an entrance to a mine? 

Square tin can, versus the round ones that were certainly more prominent. 

Two pieces that my husband was able to fit back together. You can tell which side was exposed and which was laying against the ground. Notice one piece has a small gold 8 stamped on it. 

Another piece with good color. Not sure what the metal next to it is. 

Two pieces laying nearby each other, obviously from the same pattern/dish. 

On the way home, finally, we saw a moose munching in the bushes. Do you see him? 

Neither my husband nor I are incredibly knowledgeable about the lives of miners in the late 1800's in Summit County, Colorado, however, we are working towards learning more. According to one of our area trail maps, this could be a "mine dump" area, which would indicate to me that this is where various people brought their garbage - it certainly looks that way - and I've read about these sites before. What a fascinating journey into the daily lives of the predominant culture in this area! 

If you have knowledge of any of these items, or expertise in this time frame, we would certainly love to hear from you. Please feel free to comment below or send an email/message. 

All in all, we had a fantastic day. I invite you to "go adventuring" and get lost exploring your own regional history.