Montrose-San Miguel-Chaffee County CO Archives History - Letters .....Hattie May Wooster Memories Of Arriving In Norwood May 1894 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/co/cofiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Kay Williams Pennay crinklybum@comcast.net September 3, 2012, 11:54 am Hattie May Wooster Williams McKenzie Diary This was written for Shirley Williams Linker by her Grandmother, Hattie May. Translated by K. Williams P. in April 2012 May 1894 Leaving Indiana, May 1st 1893. My first remembrance of arriving in Colorado was on the D & R.G. Southern RR (Denver * Rio Grande Rail Road) coming via Salida over Marshall Pass. On a Narrow gauge track, the long slow climb over the 10,000 ft elevation trusting around curves to make the climb. The day was cloudy and clouds were so near the ground one could hardly see the tracks below over which we had rode. We arrived in Placerville at dark May 4 to a log cabin hotel, the only building near the old Placerville depot was Depot building and the 2 story 5 room hotel operated by a woman named Heaton. As we arrived on Sunday there was no transportation to Norwood and Shenandoah until Tuesday. The state at that time left Placerville on Tuesdays & Thursdays going to Naturita, returning to Placerville on Wednesdays and Friday’s. It was a beautiful Tuesday morning when my mother & I left on the one seat buck board pulled by 2 horses and driven by Jimmie Willie. The roads were dirt, no gravel, very narrow, crooked and we climbed the old Norwood Hill, which was strictly a one way road. Climbing out of San Miguel River Canyon to Wrights Mesa, a mesa about 30 or 40 miles long, lying between Maverick draw and Naturita Canyon. A small settlement of farmers were scattered around with 2 or three room cabins, Norwood the only town on the Mesa. At this time Norwood had 1 log store (general merchandise) operated by Copp & Morgan, one log hotel with 10 rooms operated by Mrs. Henry Copp. There was a post office in the back of the general store. And one log building saloon where several saddle horses were tied to a log hitching pole in front of the saloon. And there was a dance hall where the preemptors and homesteaders gathered about every 2 weeks for a dance. The whole family came, bringing baskets of foods, all the babies and older children. The babies were put to sleep on and under the benches. A violinist and organ player furnished the music. Jimmie Willie, the state driver, was a good violinist having at one time played with Sousa’s Band in Washington D.C. We danced until day light. Jimmie liked his whiskey straight and played for many dances before he finally passed on. During prohibition, we drank “Rip Gizzard” a concoction of grain, sugar, dried peaches then fermented and distilled. Some of the highlights of my trip coming from Placerville are a stop at the Norwood Hotel for dinner and a change of horses. Out west about 4 miles there was a school election being held in a preemptors cabin. Water had been dipped up in a barrel from a ditch and flat cactus mashed up to settle the mud in the water. A few wagons and saddle horses hitched to fence post while the ranchers discussed and voted at the election. On to Shenandoah, still dirt roads and all sage brush for miles. We passed a few scattered cabins most with dirt roofs and dirt floors. We arrived at the J.H. Branderbury ranch which had a small log cabin with the Post Office in one end a printing press operated by a lever pulled by hand. The Shenandoah Tribune was published that was a newspaper. People often wondered where Branderbury got his news, as he always had the paper filled with good news and gossip. Shenandoah at that time was one-6 room framed house, the log Post Office and printing shop. Mr. Brandbury was also the U.S. Land agent or commissioner, where newcomers came to file on preemption or homesteads and to prove up on them after their period of residence was completed A wedding of a local couple was in the Brandbury home. The children Oral, King and Norma Brandbury picked beautiful pink cactus blooms for the floral decorations. Justice of the Peace, John Beddle performed the ceremony. At this home, about once each year, some preachers came and held a few meetings and all the ranchers for miles around came in their wagons. They brought hat and grain for their horses and baskets of food which was spread out on long tables with everyone helping themselves. My mother was delighted with wonderful fresh air and blue skies and to find a printing press. She had assisted my father on our small newspaper he had published in Indiana. Mother was very good at setting type. She (Hattie Marie Simpson) helped Mr. Branbury on the Tribune setting a great deal of the type for him. Soon after we arrived in Colorado a neighbor living on a ranch one mile south of us, James H. Reed, known to most of us as “Old Potato Reed” came to mother to assist in the birth of one of their children. This was a new experience for mother, as she had always worked with doctors. But she got along fine and the baby girl was named after my mother, Hattie Marie. Mother was kept quite busy with babies after that, people coming from miles away leading a horse with a side saddle. Mother could ride more comfortably this way. Potato Reed proceeded to go to Norwood in a few days after the birth of the baby to celebrate by getting drunk. He came home beat up his wife and children so one of the girls ran to our house for help. By the time mother got there he had laid down in the wagon and gone to sleep. The mother of the children was un-hitching the horses and feeding them as they had had a long trip to Norwood and back the same day. This was on what that time was known as the Payson place. Later it was known as the Guy place. We children went to school first in the Claim Cabin, known as the Gallagher place. The teacher was batching in a cabin known as the Benton Cabin. Later we went to a 5 months school in the Sternberg cabin just across the road from the Guy ranch. After a year or so we had school in the house the Guys lived in for several years. A school house was built in 1900, which was used for years as a school and for dances. This house was later moved to the Stokes place and remodeled for a residence. The Coventry Post Office was established in 1896 or 1897. James P. Huff was the first Post Master. The name for the P.O. was selected by Carlos P. Cole who later took the P.O. over. Their preemption was on the hill north west of Coventry that is now known as the Gilmore place. In 1898 I was married to W. W. Williams, the man who owned the cabin where the school election was being held. We were married for 42 good years. Additional Comments: Includes local area history that includes the Railroad, Norwood Hill, Placerville Depot and local events. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/co/montrose/history/letters/hattiema65gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/cofiles/ File size: 7.3 Kb