Interesting Historical Facts Concerning Cotopaxi Pioneers By Mrs. Elizabeth Gulliford “The Sun” Thursday, August 26, 1954 *********************************************************************** USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. *********************************************************************** File transcribed contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Robin Shaules--Granddaughter of Otis Witcher November 2002 *********************************************************************** NOTE: Photographs that accompanied this newspaper article can be found at: http://www.rootsweb.com/~cophotos/Fremont/index3.htm Cotopaxi – Some smile as they hear the name. They think of this small village as just another mountain town consisting of a handful of ignorant hillbilly people. Others pass on as the name means nothing to them. There are still others that stop with a heart-pang as they hear the beloved name. Yes, it brings back memories of their pioneer parents, of hardship, priva- tions, sorrow and happiness. This is the record given me by three of the oldest pioneers still living in Cotopaxi. Back in the early 1850’s men and wild cattle roamed the country but there is no written record of them; only signs of their travels, until the years when a few traveled through the valley on their way to the gold fields of California. But many could not get across the high Rocky Mountains. Some were caught in the winter’s cold and died of exposure. Others turned back, but a few remained to pioneer this unknown country. They lived by hunting and paning [sic] for gold along the Arkansas river [sic]. One man such as this, seeking gold where he might find it, accidently [sic] found some rich paying gold which he panned out of the river. He was the famous, “Gold Tom.” In the late 1860’s George Henry Thomas settled in what is now Coto- paxi. Gold Tom had traveled extensively. At one time he had lived in South America. He said the mountains around Cotopaxi reminded him of the beautiful mountains in South America. One mountain especially, the highest Volcanic mountain in the world (which is still active) is named, “Cotopaxi.” Gold Tom was so enthusiastic about our Rocky Mountains and he named our Cotopaxi mountain after this famous volcanic mountain. In later years when the rail- road came into this settlement, a name was needed for it. Gold Tom suggest- ed to the railroad officials that the town be called “Cotopaxi.” So at last the pioneer settlement had the name “Cotopaxi,” for this world famous mountain in South America. The earliest settlers remembered in Cotopaxi were George Henry Thomas, E. H. Saltiel and Mr. Hart. George Thomas or Gold Tom, as he was called, was a gold placer miner. He built and lived in a log cabin in what is called “Gold Tom Park”, just northeast of Cotopaxi. Gold Tom located the Cotopaxi mine in 1873. For Some [sic] time he worked the mine for gold but found little later sold the mine and went back to placer mining. The story goes that Gold Tom’s treasure is buried somewhere in Gold Tom Park, but it has never been found. In the year 1880 Gold Tom and a man by the name of Myers had a dispute over a dog. The argument led into a feud and Myers shot and killed Gold Tom. The shooting took place in front of what is now the Clyde Basham home. Gold Tom was carried to the backroom of the Hart Hotel, there within a few hours he died; thus ending his famous life. In the early 1870’s there were just a few buildings in Cotopaxi. In 1875 E. H. Saltiel had bought the Cotopaxi mine from George Thomas. Mr. Saltiel built his home here (where the Victor Miller home stands) and opened his mine with a few men working for him. He mined for silver and gold. About the same time, Mr. And Mrs. Hart, their two sons, Harry and Myer, and two daughters, Addie and Phoebe, settled in Cotopaxi. Mr. Hart built a gen- eral merchandise store (now the Hugh Mullins store) and a large two-story hotel (the Gulliford home) next to it. There was a two-story building built for a [sic.] Odd Fellows hall, the hall being in the upper story and a grocery store below. This was run by Zacharia Banta and is now the Clyde Basham home. Next to this building was a small adobe house where the Leo Young home now stands. These were the first home and buildings in Cotopaxi. In the year 1882 a handful of weary Russian Jewish immigrants from Rus- sia and Poland were settled on the soil of Cotopaxi. Land was sold to them by Mr. Saltiel, a silver miner near Cotopaxi. On the way to Coto- paxi the colony camped at what is now the Peter Young Ranch. That night they turned their oxen loose to graze and the oxen wandered off with a herd of wild cattle. The immigrants having no horses with which to catch the oxen, attempted to trail them on foot. They followed them as far as the river but could not catch them. They returned a weary group of men to their camp. The next morning they started pulling the heavy wagons, one at a time to Cotopaxi, some seven miles by the old wagon road. After a few weeks they were all safely established in their tents along the Arkansas River. At this time Saltiel was working the Cotopaxi mine. Misfortune beleaguered the Colonists and when the first crops proved a failure, the men found work in the mine. Some of them placer mined; however this did not last. Some left and found work in Salida cutting logs for the D. & R. G. railroad, which understandingly gave the religious workers Saturdays off so they could observe the Sabbath. When the Passover came and the colony faced the festival of lib- eration without matzos or unleavened bread, the men visited stores of Salida and according to ancient law of the Talmud, they picked every tenth sack of flour with which to bake their own matzos. The immigrants’ first crops were planted in August and September, which meant early frosts killed them. The life of the Cotopaxi colony proved unbearable and they migrated to Denver, where they settled in the West Colfax district; there to form the nucleus of the Orthodox Community. Among the original Cotapaxians were Ed (Ydel) Grimes, Motel Shuterman, Isaac Shams and his son Michel and their families, Bezald Prezant and his wife, Keile and son, Isaac Hirsch and Riva Toplitsky, Baruch Hannah and Jacob Millstein and the Skmuel Zbradsky family. The descendants of these families can still be found in the West Colfax district of Denver. In 1883 Mr. And Mrs. O. B. Carroll came to Cotopaxi and bought the store and hotel from Mr. Hart. Mr. and Mrs. Carroll, having no children of their own cared for a little girl named Ruby Keen. This child Mr. Carroll raised to womanhood. She is known today as Mrs. Ruby McCoy and is one of the oldest pioneers of Cotopaxi now living. She was born in Atkins, Ar- kansas and her mother died shortly after her birth. Her father, Jasper Keen a Union soldier, came to Florence soon after the death of his wife. He was searching for a new home for his five motherless children. He, himself, was a sick man and died before his family arrived at Florence. The oldest daughter and her husband gathered their earthly possessions together and with the four younger brothers and sisters traveled by ox team from Arkansas to Florence, arriving in 1882. Upon arrival they learned of their fathers [sic] death. A year later the older sister died and the four younger children were scattered. This is when Mr. and Mrs. Carroll took the little girl, Ruby, and brought her home with them. She was then five years old. Ruby attended school in Cotopaxi, her first year in 1883. In 1894 Ruby Keen Carroll was united in marriage with Charley McCoy. To this union were born five children, one boy and four girls. Mr. McCoy owned a grocery store and saloon and worked at various other things. For years he was a cattle rancher. On his ranch north of Cotopaxi is an old Indian burial ground. Chief Ouray’s sub chief and a group of Ute In- dians had a camping ground on the McCoy ranch. Mr. McCoy retired in Coto- paxi and passed away in 1951 at the age of 91 years. Mrs. McCoy’s child- ren have all preceded her in death except one daughter, Mrs. Belle Frye of Denver. Mrs. Ruby McCoy spent her entire life, with the exception of the first five years, in Cotopaxi. Another of our oldest pioneers still living here is Otis Witcher. His father, T. Witcher came to Colorado in 1867 from Cave Springs, Georgia. He traveled with a freighter drawn by ox teams as far as Pueblo. From there he walked to his brother’s ranch at the mouth of Phantom Canyon near Canon City. There he lived with his brother until 1872. He then made a trip to Texas and returned with a trail herd of 5,000 cattle. He made two more trips to Texas after cattle, bringing 3,000 the second time and a herd of 4,000 the third trip, which he made in 1879. This last herd he brought and ranged in the upper country north of Cotopaxi. The first herds were grazed from Cripple Creek to Salida. In 1879 T. Witcher was married to Mary Belle Hardin and they settled in Cotopaxi. Two children were born to them, T. Lee and Otis. T. Lee Witcher is a lawyer in Canon City and Otis is still a resident of Cotopaxi. Otis Witcher was born in Canon City in 1881. The house he was born in is still standing at 911 Main Street. When he was two weeks old, Mrs. Witcher returned home with her son. Mr. Witcher first attended school in 1887. He was married to Bertha Medearis in 1902. To them were born seven children, of which two are still living in Cotopaxi. Helen makes her home with her parents and Ruth is married to Bill Lee. The other five children live in different parts of the states. Mr. Witcher was a cattle rancher many years; then he studied en- gineering and for several years he was county surveyor for Fremont County. He has lived in and around Cotopaxi all his life. The third pioneer still living in Cotopaxi is Mrs. Cora McCrory. Her father, William Stout came to Colorado from Madisonville, Texas, with his parents in a covered wagon, drawn by oxen, in the 1800’s. As a young man he mar- ried and settled in Howard. This was in the year of 1872. Cora Stout was born in Howard. The country around Cotopaxi and Howard had many Ute Indians at that time. Mrs. McCrory relates the Indians in their travels would cross the river just above her father’s home and always camp on a hill just above their house. Her mother often gave the Indians potatoes and white bread, which always delighted them. In 1896 Cora Stout was married to Benton McCrory of Cotopaxi. He had owned land in Cotopaxi since 1889 and it was here he brought his bride. He was a cattle rancher. To them were born two girls and three boys. Mr. McCrory did his part in pioneering Cotopaxi and passed away in 1936. Mrs. McCrory’s children are all living in or near Cotopaxi. Mattie, the oldest, is married to Donald Augustine. They own the Cotopaxi grocery store and Modern Cottage Court. Idell is married to Peter Young, a rancher. Dall for many years had the only garage in Cotopaxi. Tom is a filling station operator in Canon City and the youngest, Charles, makes his home with his mother. Mrs. Cora McCrory has spent a useful and happy life in helping to pioneer Cotopaxi. Another pioneer family I wish to mention is Mr. and Mrs. William Hendricks. They came to Cotopaxi in 1880. Mr. Hendricks purchased the general store and hotel from O. B. Carroll. The hotel he made into his home. He owned and ran the general merchandise store for 24 years and he and Charley McCoy sold ties and wood to the railroad. Mr. Hendricks was the notary public for many years and was one of the oldest members of the Elks Lodge in Canon City. Mrs. Hendricks was a sister of O. B. Carroll. Mr. Hendricks came from Ver- mont, Ohio, and the Hendricks were married in what is now Coaldale. At that time the town was called “Hendricks.” It was named for William Hendricks and was changed to Coaldale in later years. Mr. Hendricks owned a grocery store and had the U.S. Post Office in his store at Hendricks. To Mr. and Mrs. Hendricks were born six children. All have passed on except William, who lives in California, and Orilee of Cotopaxi. Mr. Hendricks passed away in 1915 and Mrs. Hendricks died in 1950 at the age of 90 years. Orilee Hen- dricks was born in 1892 at Cotopaxi. At the age of 18 years she was postmist- ress. In 1917 she was married to Hugh Mullins. Mr. and Mrs. Mullins have five children, all living. He bought the general store once owned by Mr. Hendricks, and is still in the grocery business. Orilee Mullins is the postmistress. There are many more old timers who helped pioneer Cotopaxi and some have moved away; but most of them have gone to another pioneer country where they will receive their final reward. Some of the oldest are: David Hil- ton, Joseph Dyer, Judge Bardine, Nick Owens, Rummel, George Hamilton, Bill Williams, Wadleigh, Coleman, Charley Case, Jefferson Allen, Gregory Gross, Haggarty, Pierie Beauchat, Jim Dunlap, Al Hatley, George Caywood, Volney, Warren Eggleston and Mary Raper. There has been a school in Cotopaxi since 1870 with school being held very irregularly. By 1883 they were having a six-months term. At the present time Cotopaxi has a large modern, accredited, consolidated grade and high school with school busses coming from Texas Creek, Hillside, Coaldale, Stout Creek, North of Cotopaxi and Cotopaxi proper. Men and women in all walks of life have graduated from the Cotopaxi school, such as: teachers, lawyer, post office officials, business men and women, railroad diesel en- gineers, nurses, ranchers, singers and musicians. As far back as 1884 some remember church being held in the school build- ing. The first Sunday school was organized by Mr. and Mrs. Windsor. They carried a melodian to and from Sunday school and it was played by Mrs. Windsor. At first a minister would happen into the community and church services would be held. In later years circuit rider ministers would come once a month, but for the past 70 years there have been faith- ful people who at least conducted Sunday school in the school building. This is one of the things Cotopaxi cannot boast of. It does not have a church. There has been a post office in Cotopaxi dating back to the 1870’s but the oldest remembered was run by Judge Bardine in 1883. In 1887 Mrs. T. Witcher was postmistress. The post office was then in a small one-room house, which stood where the Leo Young home is now. During the years the post office has been in various places. It is now in the Hugh Mullins store. The railroad has played an important part in the history of Cotopaxi. Up until 1879 the only way of transportation to Cotopaxi was by stagecoach and freighters. In 1879 a spur was built from Texas Creek to Salida. It was completed in 1880. This opened a new era for Cotopaxi. It became a thriving town and a depot was built. There was an operator and three agents. The depot was kept open day and night. Until 1900 the stage coach drawn by six horses was kept running between Silver Cliff and Coto- paxi. It carried passengers and mail. The freighters, which were drawn by eight to sixteen horses, were the main source of supplies. For several years after the stagecoach was taken off, the freighters continued to haul hay, silver, lead and gold ore from Silver Cliff to the Cotopaxi railroad. Provisions and supplies were then taken back to the city of Silver Cliff. Intermittently through the years Cotopaxi has seen some thriving times. Ranching and cattle raising has been and is yet the most important industry. But there has [sic] been others such as placer mining, which ended around 1887. The Cotopaxi mine was first worked in1873 and last worked by Mr. Poston of Canon City in 1950. This mine has produced zinc, lead, copper, silver and gold. During World War II it was mined for lead, zinc and copper. In 1885 there were seven charcoal kilns owned by the Harper brothers. This lasted for ten years. About 1893 a large granite quarry was in operation. A stone cutting shed and loading derrick was erected in Cotopaxi. This quarry operated for several years. The derrick was torn down in 1951. The ground tiers and first two stories of the Civic Center building in Denver is made of Cotopaxi granite. The pillars to the entrance of the United States post office in Salt Lake City, Utah, are also made of Cotopaxi granite. At one time Cotopaxi had a packing shed for lettuce, peas, beans and cauli- flower, which was raised here, packed, loaded and shipped to various places. At the present time the C. F. & I. has diamond drilled for lime north of Cotopaxi. The lime quarry has been released to the original owners for resale to a Denver firm, who intend in the near future to take the lime and use it in prepared food for stock and also for fertilizer. The first garage in Cotopaxi was opened in 1915. It was operated by Fred Jones, who had a blacksmith shop and at times worked on cars. He sold gas and tires, also. But the first automobile garage and repair shop was open- ed in 1919 in an abandoned creamery building by 19 year-old Dall McCrory, a young man with lots of ambition and a real foresight into the future. His business was small to begin with. He stocked his gasoline at the rate of two barrels a week, shipped to him from Florence. His business flourished as more people bought cars. Dall took the agency to sell Ford cars from Ralph Wann at Canon City. Dall relates that Tom York, also of Canon City, taught him all he knows of salesmanship and selling cars. The first day Dall sold seven T-model Fords in Cotopaxi. In 1924 he tore down his first garage building and built a modern cement block garage. A few years later he added onto this building. He then stocked electrical appliances and beginning in 1938 he stocked tractors and farm machinery. Later he added hay bailers to his business. In 1952 Dall took sixth place in the selling of tractors. This covered a four-state area. He was also Continentals’ oldest jobber in selling gas and oil. Until 1945 he had the only one-stop garage between Canon City and Salida. Then misfortune overtook him when his garage caught fire and was burned completely. Dall sold his holdings to Bernard McGowan, who has rebuilt a large modern garage in the same place. Perhaps you wonder why I tell you of Dall McCrory. Today the 19-year-old boy, who started in business with nothing but a foresight into the future, is one of the most successful business men in this part of the country. Some ask the question, What do you have in Cotopaxi now to keep people there? The 1950 Census shows we had a population of 240 people. The state highway stops are here. We have the west end county shops and road crew, which employs several men; a rural fire truck and equipment operated by the county workers, the depot and two daily passenger trains and several freight trains. The railroad employs a depot agent, section foreman and section crew. We have the United States post office; two grocery stores, one owned by Hugh Mullins and the other by Donald Augustine, where you can purchase most everything that the city grocery provides; one large garage owned by Bernard McGowan, which employs several people. Another garage, one mile from Cotopaxi, is operated by Cleo Estis. There are cafes and filling stations within one mile of town. They are Gail Young’s, Bill Ireland’s and Glenn Stear’s. A modern hotel and liquor store is owned by Mr. and Mrs. Duke Cantrell. A modern cottage court is owned by Donald Augustine. We have a grade and high school, community church services where all may worship as they choose. Mrs. Dall McCrory is our notary public and, last but not least, are our beautiful ranches where large herds of cattle are raised each year. The climate is of the best both winter and summer. The beautiful scenery, hunting and fishing attract many tourists. During the years people have come and gone, but all who lived here have loved this quiet village and have found peace and contentment. This is Cotopaxi.