Pueblo County CO Archives History - Books .....History Of Pueblo County 1881 ************************************************ 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: Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 December 27, 2008, 7:14 pm Book Title: History Of The Arkansas Valley, Colorado HISTORY OF PUEBLO COUNTY. BY R.M. STEVENSON CHAPTER I. THE OX-TEAM PERIOD-EARLY SETTLEMENT-THE UTE MASSACRE-ZAN HICKLIN-FONTAINE CITY-WAR WITH MISSOURI-A LIVELY ELECTION-QUALIFICATIONS OF A PROBATE JUDGE-PUEBLO LAID OUT-JACK ALLEN-A TRANSACTION IN BACON-"HEVEN'T YER GOT THE BEANS?"-AN EGGNOG PARTY. THE county of Pueblo, when organized in 1862, consisted of the territory now covered by the counties of Pueblo, Bent, Huerfano and Las Animas. In those days, though land was abundant, people were few, and Judge Lynch administered even-handed justice, rendering district courts and county governments almost unnecessary. It is probable that one of the first settlements within the borders of what is now Pueblo County, was located at Charlie Antobee's ranch near the point where the Huerfano River flows into the Arkansas. Charlie, who was an old hunter and trapper, formerly in the employ of the American Fur Company (and who still resides on his old ranch), seems to have taken up his residence there at an early day and drawn around him a party of Mexicans and half-breeds who looked up to him as their ruler and leader in their many skirmishes with hostile Indians. Settlements of Mexicans were also made at the mouth of the St. Charles and at the junction of the Fontaine qui Bouille and the Arkansas. A trading-post was afterward located near where the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe" depot now stands in Pueblo. It was a sort of rude fort constructed partially of adobes and the remainder of Cottonwood pickets, and furnished a good defense against hostile Indians. This place was called Napesta, the old name of the Arkansas River. On Christmas Day, 1854, this fort was the scene of a terrible massacre. The men who occupied it were engaged in "keeping their Christmas holiday," after the manner of their more civilized brethren of the States. Tradition says that a liberal supply of the liquid that both cheers and inebriates had been obtained by the inmates of the fort and in the midst of their jollity a band of wandering Utes came by and were invited to join in the revel. The "artless children of the forest," nothing loath, partook freely of the white man's "tarantula juice" and the natural result was an attack upon the whites which resulted in all of the latter being killed. Some who escaped from the fort were followed and shot, their remains being found several miles away by parties of emigrants coming in from the East several years later. One of the occupants of the fort had gone to the St. Charles with his team on the day of the slaughter, and on his return he found but one man alive to tell the tale, and that man died a short time afterward. Seventeen men lost their lives as the result of Christmas hospitality extended to Indians. A settlement was also made on the Greenhorn Creek by Alexander Hicklin, better known throughout Colorado and New Mexico as Zan Hicklin. He came up from Santa Fe and located on a portion of the Vigil and St. Vrain Grant, which he became owner of through his wife, who was a daughter of Col. Bent. He cultivated a large tract of land, raised immense quantities of grain, was an extensive stock-owner and gathered around him a number of Mexican peons. His house was a renowned stopping-place for travelers, and his genial humor and kindness of heart endeared him to everybody. He died a few years since in reduced circumstances. Other settlements followed along the Arkansas, the Huerfano, the Fontaine and other streams in the county, and as long as corn would bring from 5 to 15 cents a pound the valleys of all these streams throughout the summer and fall were waving fields of corn. In fact the valleys of the Arkansas and its tributaries supplied the whole neighboring country with that variety of grain. But now things are somewhat different. According to the stories of the ranchmen the land refuses to grow corn at 1J- cents a pound, and the corn-fields are far and few between. True, the climate and soil are the same and the water as abundant, but the inducement to work is not quite so great, and hence it is "never a good year for corn" in that locality nowadays. The discovery of gold in the sands of Cherry Creek brought about the outbreak of the Pike's Peak excitement in 1858. The news was carried to St. Louis by returning plainsmen, and in the fall of that year a party of adventurous spirits came across the plains by the Arkansas Valley trail and located at the mouth of the Fontaine qui Bouille, where the old trail from Santa Fe to the Laramie plains crossed the Arkansas. This party was composed of Josiah F. Smith, Otto Winneka, Frank Doris and George Lebaum, who were afterward joined by Capt. William H. Green, William Kroenig, Charles D. Peck, Robert Middleton, George Peck and others. Corn in those days was worth fabulous prices, and in fact provisions of all kinds were sold at outrageous rates, and these explorers thought they could make more money by farming and trading than by hunting nuggets in the mountain streams. They made friends with the Indians, who in those days wintered in large numbers in the Arkansas Valley, owing to its mild climate, and in the following spring they took out a ditch from the Fontaine and planted crops of corn and vegetables. Of course a new town on the frontier must have its baptism of blood, and the infant metropolis of Fontaine was no exception to this rule. When the corn had reached a considerable height and the prospects for a good crop gladdened the hearts of the little settlement, a number of "yahoos" from the State of Missouri, who had been to the mines and having been so unfortunate as not to have been able to pick up ten-pound nuggets on top of the ground, were returning to their former homes, damning Colorado as a humbug, camped near the settlement. Their oxen were poor and they turned them into the growing crops. The ranchmen remonstrated, but without effect. The gallant Missourians were the biggest crowd and they would do as they pleased. The settlers found that they must take desperate measures or lose their crops. The cattle were corraled and the Missouri party informed that they could have their cattle when they paid for the damage done. The Missourians attempted to take the cattle by force, when the settlers, who had intrenched themselves in a log house opened fire. A lively battle ensued, during which several Missourians were killed, and three or four on each side wounded. The strangers paid the damage, took their cattle and went home leaving Fontaine City material wherewith to open its first graveyard. In the fall of 1859, the residents of the settlements at Denver, Golden, Central City, etc., concluded that a new Territory ought to be organized. Colorado at that time was part of Kansas, and the Pike's Peakers were of the opinion that 500 miles or more was almost too far to travel to the seat of government. Hence it was proposed to organize the new Territory of Jefferson, and to hold an election for officers to form a provisional government for the same. The residents of Fontaine City were notified of this election, and like all good citizens determined to exercise their suffrages "early and often." There could be no trouble about placing any number of ballots in the box, but then the registry law had reached Kansas and it became necessary to make a registry. The Fontaine City men were equal to the emergency. They first registered all the voters in their town, amounting to twenty-five. Then they called in Juan Chiquite, a leading spirit among the Mexicans, who gave them the names of all the descendants of the Montezumas that he had ever known in New and Old Mexico, but still the registry wasn't large enough. A lucky thought struck one of the party. Among his effects he discovered an ancient directory of the city of Cincinnati, and from that the required number of names were copied. As to how many votes were cast, history is silent; but when the returns reached Denver they showed that only 1,500 ballots had been deposited at Fontaine City, all for one set of candidates! The first store in Fontaine City was opened by Messrs. Cooper & Wing. About this time Messrs. S. S. Smith, W. H. Young, Matthew Steel, O. H. P. Baxter, George M. Chilcott, John W. Shaw, Gov. Hinsdale, Col. Francisco, Mark G. Bradford, Judge Howard and others arrived and assisted in swelling the population of the Southern Metropolis. Judge Howard was a character. Possessed of considerable ability as a lawyer and an inexhaustible fund of dry humor, he soon became well known throughout the country. He had a curious affection of the facial nerves which caused one side of his face to jerk and one of his eyes to wink in a manner that gave a peculiarly laughable effect to his trite sayings. Hon. Wilbur F. Stone tells the following anecdote regarding him: "Judge Stone had been absent from Pueblo for some time, and during his absence an election had been held for Probate Judge. Howard was a candidate and his opponent was a ranchman in the neighborhood who knew nothing of law and had a very limited education. His name has been lost to history, but we will call him Brown. On Judge Stone's return he met Howard, when the following conversation ensued: Judge Stone-" Well Judge, how are political matters?" Judge Howard-" We've held an election for Probate Judge since you left." S-"Who were the candidates'?" H-" Brown and myself." S-" Who was elected?" H-"Brown." S-" Has he qualified? " H-" Well, he has filed his bond and taken the oath, but all h-l wouldn't qualify him!" In the winter of 1859-60, the present city of Pueblo was laid out under the auspices of Dr. Belt, Dr. Catterson, Wesley Catterson, Cy Warren, Ed Cozzens, Jack Wright, Albert Bercaw, W. H. Green and others. Green and Bercaw built the first bridge across the Arkansas at the foot of Santa Fe avenue. Messrs. Buell & Boyd, two surveyors, were brought down from Denver to lay out the future city. It may be that Buell & Boyd were paid by the day for their services, or that they spread themselves because land was plenty and cheap, but be that as it may, the original survey of Pueblo was made on a scale of magnificence that was appalling to the ordinary tenderfoot. Corner lots were made as numerous as possible, and the streets wide and straight In the language of Judge Stone, the survey extended "from the river back two or three miles toward the divide and from the Fontaine on the east to Buzzard's Ranch on the west. Near the mouth of Dry Creek was an extensive city park, filled with serpentine drives and walks, rare shrubbery and exotic flowers, amid which the alkali dust was gently subdued by the spray of a dozen refreshing fountains." Jack Wright built the first house in Pueblo. It was located in the rear of the northeast corner of Front street and Santa Fe avenue. Dr. Catterson also built a cabin on the north side of Second street near Santa Fe avenue. About this time an important event in the history of every new Western town, took place in Pueblo. The renowned Jack Allen arrived and established the first gin-mill. The distillery from which Jack purchased his whisky, the only liquor which the pioneers of Southern Colorado considered fit for men to drink, is lost. Tradition has it that his fine old private stock was manufactured from alcohol, chilli, Colorado tobacco, Arkansas water, old boots, aqua fortes, rusty bayonets, soap weed and cactus thorns. In the language of the pioneers, it was good liquor, because it cut like a three-cornered file as it went down. The delay which often happened to the ox teams from the East never affected Jack's stock of whisky. Sometimes the supply would give out, but the whisky famine was only temporary and in an hour or two his bottles would be replenished, though no supplies had arrived in the settlement for a month. The whisky always had the same flavor and the same startling effect upon the drinker. In addition to his gin-mill. Jack kept a small stock of bacon, beans, etc. One day a stranger came along with a team and going into Jack's place purchased a large side of bacon, paying for it at the rate of 75 cents a pound. The purchaser fastened the bacon to the back of his wagon and went around the house to get some water. After he had disappeared, Jack remarked to some bystanders, that "it was a d-d shame that one man should have so much bacon when so many other good men needed it." So he deliberately cut off about half of the side and carried it back into his house. The purchaser did not discover the theft and drove off down the river toward "America." Of course gambling was a favorite amusement at Jack Allen's resort. An amusing story is told regarding a game of poker which took place there. A party was made up and had commenced to play, when an old-timer, still a resident of Pueblo, came in and wanted to take a hand in the game. Knowing him to be an expert, the players ruled him out much to his disgust He sat down and watched the game determined to play them a trick if possible. The table was covered with an ancient gray blanket in which there were several holes. The money staked on the game was pushed through one of these holes, near the edge of the table, between the blanket and the table top. The players used beans for chips. The rejected gamester noticed a ramrod belonging to a musket, standing in the corner. On the end of the ramrod was a worm, such as is used for cleansing the barrel of the piece. He slily introduced this worm under the blanket and while the players were intent upon the game abstracted the greenbacks. After some hours' playing, one fortunate player succeeded in accumulating all the beans, amounting to about a quart. He searched for the money in vain and in his disgust cried out: "Now I've won all the chips and what in the d-l have I got for my trouble?" Jack cocked his weather eye at the speaker and responded: "Ye durned fool, haven't yer got the bean?" Among the arrivals of 1860, was Judge Wilbur F. Stone, now of the Supreme Bench of the State. The first family in Pueblo was that of Aaron Sims and Josiah F. Smith, present Police Justice of the city, was the next to set up his household gods. Col. Boone opened a store on the lower end of Santa Fe avenue, of which Dr. Catterson took charge. Emory Young, son of William H. Young, was the first male child born in Pueblo, and Miss Hattie Smith, daughter of Josiah F. Smith, the first female child. Even at this early age in her history, the convivial propensities of the people of Pueblo began to crop out in an unmistakable manner. One day, a returning tenderfoot, who had been to the mining regions with a load of groceries, stopped in the settlement on his way home to Missouri. He had a portion of a barrel of whisky left and offered to sell it to a party of the Puebloites. They purchased the liquor, and soon manufactured a washtub full of egg nog. The scene of the revel was in Pat Maywood's blacksmith-shop, down by the river bank The male inhabitants of the town all gathered there and, after several fights, many of the revelers were overcome by the bilious compound. An eye witness gives the closing scene as follows: One man hung doubled up over the bellows; another sat sound asleep in the tub of water where the smith cooled his hot iron; a third reposed with his face in the ashes of the forge: a dozen more slept in various positions in the dust on the earthen floor of the shop. But two showed signs of life. In one corner lay the proprietor of the shop and astride his breast sat an individual, afterward a well-known citizen of Pueblo, armed with a funnel and a tin cup and engaged in pouring egg nog down the prostrate man's throat, the victim mildly protesting that he couldn't drink another drop. CHAPTER II. THE STAGE COACH PERIOD-ORGANIZATION OF THE COUNTY-COUNTY OFFICERS-COURT HOUSE -JAIL--GEN. BOWEN-HOTEL-FREE AND EASY WAITER-FINANCIAL CRISIS-STAGE LINE ESTABLISHED-POSTAL FACILITIES-THE FIRST SCHOOLHOUSE- RELIGIOUS SERVICES-INDIAN SCARE-PUEBLO IN THE LATE WAR-VIGILANTES-THE CHIEFTAIN-CHURCH BUILDINGS-BRICK-SALE OF TOWN LOTS-DANCING -MASQUERADE-SITUATION IN 1868- PUEBLO INCORPORATED. IN 1862, the county of Pueblo was organized. Messrs. O. H. P. Baxter. R. L. Wooten and William Chapman were appointed Commissioners; Steve Smith, County Clerk, and Hank Way, Sheriff. At the next county election, Steve Smith was elected Clerk; William Chapman, Probate Judge, and John B. Rice, Sheriff. The following gentlemen have since held the offices of County Clerk: Eugene Weston, John D. Miller, Sam McBride, O. P. Randall, George H. Hobson, and John T. Crawford, the present incumbent. The office of Sheriff has been held by the following persons: H. R. Price, Z. G. Allen, Abe R. Ellis and H. R. Price (second time). The latter is the present incumbent. The first term of court was held by Hon. A. A. Bradford, in a house belonging to Col. Boone, on the lower end of Santa Fe avenue. An adobe building, now occupied as a cigar store, on Santa Fe avenue, near Third street, was afterward erected by the county for a court house, where court was held up to 1872, when the present handsome structure, the finest court house in the State, was erected. Previous to 1868, the county had no jail, and prisoners were kept under guard in all sorts of places. In that year, R. N. Daniels erected a stone building, on the east side of Santa Fe avenue, for that purpose, and rented it to the county. But the new jail leaked so badly that the Commissioners soon after erected the brick building, on the court house square, which was demolished a few months since, after the erection of the jail now in use. The cells were made of planks, spiked together, and fitted with iron doors, and the place was, unfit for any human being to live in, the ventilation being defective, the bed-bugs numerous and a perfume, not that of Araby the blest, being always present to invade the nostrils of the visitor. Some of the finest legal talent in the State attended the Pueblo County Courts. Among the queer fish was Gen. Bowen, of Denver. Bowen was a good lawyer, but had a strong propensity for getting drunk, generally just at the time that he was most needed. When he had an important case on hand, he would be full to the bung, with Jack Allen's "Taos lightning," and many and varied were the plans adopted for sobering him. On one occasion, he had an important case on hand in the afternoon, and in the morning he was so industrious as to succeed in filling himself before breakfast. An empty stage coach stood near the river bank, and Bowen climbed into it and went to sleep. His client found him there, and persuaded the employes of the stage company to pull the coach out into the middle of the river and leave it there, hoping that Bowen, thus imprisoned, would become sober in time to try the case. The coach was left in the middle of the stream, and its occupant, waking up from his tipsy sleep, and thinking he was traveling, would, from time to time, roundly abuse an imaginary driver for the slowess of his team. At length, Bowen awoke in earnest, and, after vainly calling to those on the bank to come to his aid, at length succeeded in coaxing the driver of an ox-team, that was crossing at the ford, to deliver him from his unpleasant imprisonment The scheme didn't succeed, and, in a short time, Bowen was as drunk as before. The first hotel in Pueblo was kept by Aaron Simms, and the next by John B. Rice. Mr. Rice's house is now part of what was formerly the Drover's Hotel, on Santa Fe avenue, near Second street. The building is now occupied as a restaurant and saloon. The famous old City Hotel, on the east side of Santa Fe avenue, between Second and Third, was kept by Moody & Alexander, P. K. Dotson and Messrs. Keeling & Thomas. Uncle Tommy Suttles also kept a hotel on Santa Fe avenue, east side, in a one-story log building, just north of the Riverside barn. This building was destroyed, a short time since, to make room for a large brick business house. The manners of those days were decidedly free and easy. All men were on the same level, and the waiters were not required to show any particular respect to guests. At one of these hotels, a tenderfoot from the Far East, ordered beefsteak and coffee for his breakfast, and was astonished a short time afterward, while sitting at the table, by the appearance of a longhaired desperado of the plains, with revolver on one side of his belt and butcher-knife on the other, appearing at the dining-room door with the desired eatables, and bawling out, "Where's the d-d son-of-a-gun that wants beefsteak and coffee?" The tenderfoot, with pale face and hair on end, meekly acknowledged that he was the man and seemed supremely happy when he escaped from the dining-room without losing his scalp. In Uncle Tommy Suttles' hotel occurred the first financial crisis, followed by enforced payment, that took place in Pueblo. The facts of this case are familiar to many of our old citizens. Previous to 1862, there was no regular means of communication between Pueblo and the outside world. The mail was carried from Denver semi-occasionally, on horseback, and the post office was kept by Aaron Simms. The letters, when the mail-bag arrived, were emptied on the floor and each man sorted over the pile, and took what belonged to him. D. J. Hayden, who kept a store on the corner of Second street and Santa Fe avenue, in an adobe building, now used as a grocery, succeeded Simms as Postmaster. The office afterward fell into the hands of S. S. Smith, who sent in his resignation, and, having received no reply from the post office department, placed the effects of the office in a barrel, and set it out in the street. Somebody took it in, and carried on the business of the office as before. About 1862, the mail contract between Denver & Pueblo was let to a man named Weibling. The service was once a week A man named Jones was the next contractor. Mr. A, Jacobs, of Denver, afterward obtained the contract, and put on a fine stage line between Denver and Trinidad, three times per week Messrs. Barlow & Sanderson succeeded Mr. Jacobs, and the service was made daily until the advent of the Denver & Rio Grande Railway, in 1872. In 1862, John A. Thatcher, Esq., arrived in Pueblo, from Denver, with a small stock of general merchandise, and commenced business in a small log cabin, on the south side of Second street, between Santa Fe* avenue and Main. His enterprise proved successful, and a few years later, he was joined by Mahlon D, Thatcher, Esq., his brother. Through hard work, sterling honesty and close attention to business, these gentlemen have become the wealthiest citizens of Pueblo, and are well-known and highly respected throughout Southern Colorado and New Mexico. As early as 1863, the people of Pueblo became impressed with the importance of providing for the education of the rising generation. A comfortable frame schoolhouse was erected, by private subscription, on the rear of the lot now occupied by the Stockgrowers' National Bank, on the west side of Santa Fe avenue, between Fourth and Fifth streets and a school taught therein by Miss Weston. This building was used for school purposes until about 1871, when the adobe structure, which still stands near the new schoolhouse, was erected. In 1876, the new school building was erected, which is pronounced by experts to be among the best in Colorado. The schoolhouse of South Pueblo School District No. 20 is a large square brick; it has two stories; four large apartments; and, though it lacks the height of some Colorado schoolhouses, it covers a greater superficial area than many, and, standing as it does, on the brow of the mesa, overlooks South Pueblo, and is as conspicuous in its own city as any school-house in the State. In the summer of 1864, the first regular religious services ever held in Pueblo, took place in the old schoolhouse first mentioned. Rev. Mr. Hitchings, then Rector of St. John's Church, Denver, officiated. During 1864, a war broke out between the Cheyenne and Arapahoe Indians, and the entire country was placed upon the defensive. The old El Progressio saloon building, on the southwest corner of Third street and Santa Fe avenue, was used as a temporary fortification, and the women and children placed therein. A block-house was built near Third and Main streets, and a round tower, constructed of adobes, crowned the point of the bluffs overlooking Santa Fe avenue. The foundation of this structure can still be seen. Armed men patrolled the neighborhood day and night, but no collision with the Indians took place. During the war of the rebellion, Pueblo was frequently occupied by the Colorado troops and Company G, of the Third Regiment, was recruited chiefly in Pueblo County. This regiment participated in the celebrated Sand Creek fight, the hardest blow ever given to the Indians in Colorado. The Indians were surprised in their camp, just at daylight in the morning, and upward of 500 slain-more good Indians than were ever known within the boundaries of the Territory at any one time. The officers of the company were: O. H. P. Baxter, Captain; Swaim J. Graham, First Lieutenant, and Andrew J. Templeton, Second Lieutenant. Among the rank and file, were Charles D. Peck, Joseph Holmes, John W. Rogers, James O'Neal, Abe Cronk, W. W. McAllister, John Brunce, John C. Norton, John McCarty, William H. Davenport, Jesse W. Coleman, H W. Cresswell, Henry B. Craig, Joseph W. Dobbins, Tom C. Dawkins, A. A. Johnson, L. F. McAllister, H. H Melrose, Noah Puntenny, F. Page, Eugene Weston and others. This regiment was armed with Belgian rifles and mounted on bronchos. They weren't pretty soldiers, but they would fight. At the completion of 100 days' service, they were mustered out at Denver. From 1864 to 1868, but little of interest occurred in Pueblo. The town was gradually increasing in size and prosperity. "Tex" and "Coe," two desperadoes, had finished their evil lives by hanging to a tree, on the banks of the Fontaine, and one or two other bad characters shared the same fate. Pueblo had a bad name throughout the Territory, but property was safe there, and but few people locked their doors day or night. The Vigilantes were a terror to evil-doers, and the town was carefully avoided by that class of gentry. The year 1868 was marked by the advent of the Colorado Chieftain, then published weekly. A paper called the Times had been published at Canon City during the boom there, but it had departed this life, and its proprietors, Messrs. Millett & Riddlebarger, sold the material to other parties to publish a paper in the mountains. Hence, for some time previous to the publication of the Chieftain, no newspaper was printed between Denver and Santa Fe. Dr. M. Beshoar, now of Trinidad, was the father of the Chieftain. The Doctor had had some experience in journalism in the South, and conceived the idea of establishing a paper at Pueblo. He obtained some assistance from the business men of the town, and gave Sam McBride, a practical printer, then working for George West at Golden, an interest in the business, provided he would remove to Pueblo and manage the mechanical portion of the work. The first issue of the paper made its appearance June 1, 1868. Hon. George A. Hinsdale and Hon. Wilbur F. Stone, the latter now on the Supreme bench of the State, were the editors. Gov. Hinsdale was one of the finest writers in the Western country. His solid arguments and sonorous sentences will long be remembered by the old readers of the Chieftain, while the sparkling wit and biting sarcasm of Judge Stone, gave a spice to the sheet that rendered it popular wherever read. Mechanically, the paper presented a beautiful appearance, and was everywhere considered a model of typographic art. The building in which the paper was then j printed stood on the north side of Fourth street, between Santa Fe avenue and Summit, on the site of the present handsome office. It was frame, one story in height, and originally occupied as an office for a lumber-yard. A small addition was made to the building, and in these limited quarters the Chieftain commenced its successful career. Bunks after the style of those on the lower deck of a river steamer were erected in one end of the building, and in these the proprietors and printers slept. One Washington hand-press did the newspaper and job work. In the winter of 1868, Samuel McBride sold out his interest to Dr. Beshoar, who in turn sold his entire interest to McBride. McBride afterward sold the paper to Capt John J. Lambert, its present proprietor. George S. Adams was for a short time editor. E. G. Stroud, followed, and, in 1872, a daily edition was issued, with C. J. Reed as editor. A. P. George succeeded Reed, and, in 1874, B. M. Stevenson occupied the editorial chair, retaining it until 1880, when he resigned, and became Private Secretary to Gov. Pitkin. Con Conover was the next editor. He died after a few months, and was succeeded by Gart Shober. The latter remained but a short time, and G. G. Withers, the present editor, was his successor. Under the able and careful management of Capt. Lambert, the Chieftain has become one of the most valuable newspaper properties in the State. In 1868, the first church was erected in Pueblo. It was St. Peter's Episcopal. Mr. Winslow was the Rector. The church edifice was at that time considered out of town, and there were but one or two buildings beyond it. Rev. Samuel Edwards succeeded Mr. Winslow. Revs. Green, Brouse, Bray and others afterward officiated. Mr. Gaynor is the present Rector. A church was afterward erected by the Methodists, Rev. O. P. McManis being the first Pastor, Revs. Merrill, Wallace, Edmondson and others succeeding him. The Presbyterians also erected a church, and Rev. George took charge. He was succeeded by Rev. I. H. Montfort, and that gentleman by the Rev. H. B. Gage, the present Pastor. The Catholic Church came next, with Father Pinto as parish priest. Rev. F. X. Gubitosi now fills that position. The Methodists, north and south, also erected churches in South Pueblo. Previous to 1869, brick buildings were unknown in Pueblo. Adobes, logs and boards were the materials used in the construction of houses. In that year, Messrs. Morgan, Barndollar and Mullaly, and Moses Anker established brick-yards. A lively competition arose between the parties, which ended in the former firm selling out to the latter. The old county jail was the first brick building erected in Pueblo. True, the bricks were very soft, and it was necessary to handle them like eggs, but still they were bricks. In 1869, the County Commissioners ordered a sale to be made of a number of town lots in the county addition adjoining the town proper. The sale was at auction, and one gentleman paid $185 for a choice lot on Seventh street, near Main. He was considered crazy, and the wise ones winked their eyes and chuckled to think how the greenhorn had been bitten. If the purchaser owned the property now, he could probably get his money back for it. About the only amusements of the people of Pueblo at this period of the town's existence were card-playing, horse-racing and dancing. The dances took place in the large room in the second story of Thatcher Bros.' store, on the southeast corner of Santa Fe avenue and Fourth street. There were but two unmarried ladies in the town, but the married ones liked to dance just as well as if they were single, and a small room was provided for the reception of the babies, while the mothers tripped the "light fantastic." Fifteen minutes notice was all that was required to get up a ball. The toilets of the ladies were not elaborate, nor were "scissors-tailed" coats required on the part of the gentlemen. Joe Cox was the fiddler, and he played the "Arkansas Traveler," and "Dog Bit a Bye Straw," while the male and female pioneers "hoofed it" until the floor and windows rattled. Vet Clark and his brother Luke succeeded Joe Cox as purveyors of dance music, and Tom Willey occasionally came down from the mountains and regaled the people with the dulcet notes of his violin. The first masquerade ball ever given in Pueblo took place in the room above alluded to. Among the maskers were Judge Hart as Don Juan, Dr. Thombs as a Prussian officer, R. N. Daniels as a German peasant, Ferd Barndollar as a wharf-rat, M. Anker as a colored lady, D. B. Berry as a clown, Aug Beach and George Morgan as colored gentlemen, Ezra Graves as a priest, Dr. Beshoar as a " what-is-it," and divers and sundry others. Many of the costumes were home-made, but the fun was fast and furious, and the disguises, in many cases, excellent. At this time, Messrs. Thatcher Bros., Rettberg & Bartels, Berry Bros., James Rice, D. G. Peabody and Cooper Bros, were the leading merchants. Judge Hallett presided in the District Court. The bar consisted of Hon. A. A. Bradford, Hon. George A. Hinsdale, Wilbur F. Stone, H. C. Thatcher, James Macdonald, J. W. Henry and G. Q. Richmond. Drs. P. R. Thombs and J. W. O. Snyder represented the medical profession, and Lewis Conley, Flynn & Beach and Gus Bartlett were contractors and builders. In 1870, Pueblo became a corporate town. Lewis Conley was the first President of the Board of Trustees, and Hon. G. A. Hinsdale, Sam McBride, Henry Cooper and Cal Peabody were members of the board. CHAPTER III. THE RAILROAD PERIOD-DENVER & RIO GRANDE RAILWAY-UNITED STATES LAND OFFICE- THE PEOPLE-SOUTH PUEBLO LAID OUT-COUNTY COURT-HOUSE-RAILROAD BANQUET-BOOM-WHITE LYNCHED-PUEBLO BECOMES A CITY-WATER WORKS BUILT- FIRE DEPARTMENT-ADVENT OF THE PUEBLO & ARKANSAS VALLEY RAILROAD-A THREE-DAYS JUBILEE-SAM McBRIDE DEPARTS WITH THE SCHOOL FUND-THE PUEBLO DEMOCRAT-CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION-SMELTING WORKS-INSANE ASYLUM -STEEL WORKS-STREET RAILROAD-GAS WORKS-GENERAL PROSPERITY. IN 1871, the question of voting bonds of the county in aid of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad was agitated. The road was at that time constructed as far as Colorado Springs, and the people of Pueblo County were solicited to subscribe $100,000 in bonds to the stock of the road, the company threatening that, in case the subscription was not made, to construct the road south via Canon City, and leave Pueblo out in the cold. The bonds were voted by a large majority, and the road in consequence came to Pueblo. The United States Land Office was opened in Pueblo during this year, with Judge Wheeler as Register and Mark G. Bradford as Receiver. In September, the Pueblo People, a weekly journal, Democratic in politics, was established by a joint-stock company, with Hon. George A. Hinsdale as editor. The office was located in the brick building on the northeast corner of Fourth and Summit streets. The paper was well edited and handsomely printed, but bad financial management proved its ruin, and in 1874 the material was sold under a trust deed, and purchased by the proprietors of the Chieftain. About this time, the Colorado Central Improvement Company, a branch of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad Company, having purchased the Nolan Grant, proceeded to lay out the town of South Pueblo, on the southern bank of the Arkansas, directly opposite the city. The first buildings were the Grand Central Hotel, and the building next to it on Union avenue. Other buildings followed rapidly, and numerous handsome residences were erected on the mesa, which is now one of the most attractive places of residence in Colorado. South Pueblo has a city corporation of its own, water works, etc., and is a thriving business point. In 1872, the county court house was completed, Mr. E. H. Barber being the contractor. This building, the finest of its kind in the State, was paid for by the money received from the sale of town lots in a quarter-section of land pre-empted by the county authorities and filed as an addition to the city. Hence it cost the people of the county nothing. During the same year, the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad was completed to Pueblo. The first depot .was located on the Fontaine, a short distance north of the court-house, but was shortly afterward removed to South Pueblo. The completion of the railroad was the occasion of a banquet given at the court house, which was attended by many leading citizens from all parts of the State. Grace Greenwood was present, and delivered a short address. At the time of the advent of the Denver & Rio Grande Railway, Pueblo experienced a genuine boom. Hundreds of buildings were erected, and the streets of the town were crowded day and night. Dance halls, variety theaters and gambling rooms flourished, and the crack of the pistol was common on the streets. Among the rough characters who arrived in the city at this time was a Chicago sneak-thief named White. One night, he went through a number of rooms in the National Hotel, and also several in the upper stories of business blocks, securing a quantity of valuable property. Next morning he decamped and went to Denver. By means of telegraphic dispatches, he was captured at Denver and promptly returned to Pueblo. On j the night of his arrival at the latter place, he was taken from the jail and hanged to a telegraph pole. In 1873, Pueblo was incorporated as a city, with James Rice, Esq., as Mayor. Mr. Rice was succeeded by Messrs, John B. Lowther, M. D. Thatcher, W. H Hyde and George Q. Richmond, the latter gentleman being the present incumbent. About this time, the construction of water works was agitated, and an election held to decide whether the city should issue $130,000 in bonds to carry out this important enterprise. The election was carried in favor of the bonds, with but one dissenting vote, and in 1874, the present Holly Works were constructed, the contract having been let to the National Building Company of St. Louis. The fire department was organized shortly after the completion of the works. It consisted of two hose companies and one hook and ladder. W. B. Macomb was elected Chief; R. M. Stevenson, Assistant Chief; W. H. Middaugh, Foreman of Hose Company No. 1; W. H. Redfield, Foreman of Hose Company No. 2; and C. J. Hart, Foreman of Hook and Ladder No. 1. The Pueblo & Arkansas Valley Railroad, connecting with the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe, was completed to Pueblo in 1875, thus giving to Southern Colorado a direct line to the East. The people of the county subscribed $350,000 in bonds of the county to the capital stock of the road, which stock was afterward sold at a good figure. The completion of the road was the occasion of a monster excursion from Kansas, as well as from Denver and other points in the State. The jubilee lasted two days. On the first day, a parade took place of all the firemen, civic societies, etc., followed by a banquet, the guests being the visitors from Colorado. On the second day, the Kansas people arrived, and were hospitably entertained. A reception and ball in the evening closed the festivities of the occasion. The handsome school building now in use in Pueblo was erected in 1876. The people of the district voted bonds to the amount of $14,000 to erect an appropriate school building. The funds recieved from the sale of the bonds were placed in the hands of Sam McBride, Treasurer of the School Board. Samuel went East that year, and failed to return. After his departure, it was discovered he had embezzled a large portion of the money placed in his hands. The courts released his bondsmen from liability, and the tax-payers of the district footed the bill. The Democrat, a daily and weekly newspaper, was established in Pueblo about this time, Dr. A. Y. Hull, a veteran journalist from Sedalia, Mo., purchased the Republican, founded a year or two before by Mr. J. M. Murphy, and, changing its name and politics, published the first regular Democratic organ in Pueblo County. The paper then passed into the hands of Messrs. Hull Bros., who afterward sold it to Judge Royal, formerly of St Joseph, Mo. The name of the paper has been changed, and it is now the Daily News. The Centennial of the independence of the United States was celebrated in fine style by the people of Pueblo. A large procession, consisting of civic societies, firemen and citizens, paraded the streets and marched to Concordia Park, where an oration was delivered by Rev. Brouse, Rector of St. Peter's Church, followed by a historical sketch of Pueblo, by Hon. Wilbur F. Stone. Judge Stone's address was printed and from it the writer has gleaned much valuable information. Messrs. Mather & Geist inaugurated the first great manufacturing enterprise in Pueblo in 1878, by the erection of their extensive smelting works at the crossing of the Pueblo & Arkansas Valley and Denver & Rio Grande Railroads near the southern boundary of the city. This extensive establishment, one of the largest in the State, has now in operation six smelting furnaces of forty tons capacity each, with the requisite number of calcining furnaces and other apparatus. Ores from all parts of the State have been successfully treated here. Several hundred men are now employed, and the enterprising proprietors are extending their works in order to handle the increasing supply of ores. The Legislature of the State during the session of 1879-80, authorized the establishing of a State insane asylum at Pueblo, and appropriated a fund for procuring land and buildings. Under this act, Messrs. James Macdonald, Theo. F. Brown and J. B. Romero, were appointed Commissioners by the Governor. The board purchased the commodious mansion of Hon. George M. Chilcott, a short distance west of the city, and made the necessary improvements to render it suitable for the purpose. Dr. P. R. Thombs, of Pueblo, was appointed Superintendent. Mr. Macdonald resigned shortly afterward and was succeeded by R. M. Stevenson, who in turn resigned and was succeeded by O. H. P. Baxter. The asylum was opened in October, 1879, with accommodations for forty patients. The building was soon crowded to its utmost capacity and the Legislature of 1880-81, found it necessary to make an appropriation of $60,000 for the erection of another building, which is now in course of erection. Dr. Thombs' management has been very successful and numerous cures have been effected. The Colorado Coal & Iron Company are now erecting extensive iron and steel works on the mesa, just below South Pueblo. The iron ores of Colorado will be smelted and from the product thereof will be manufactured pig iron, bar iron, steel rails, stoves, machinery, etc. The works are being constructed on an extensive scale, and when finished will furnish employment for upward of 1,000 men. Several million dollars will be invested in the enterprise. The Pueblo street railroad, which was constructed in 1880, furnishes ready means of communication between Pueblo and South Pueblo. William Moore, Esq., is the President of company. The corporation is now preparing to extend its lines in several directions. The wave of prosperity which swept over the entire country reached Pueblo in 1880, and since then the two cities have enjoyed a veritable "boom." Business has been exceedingly brisk; strangers in great numbers arrive daily, and numerous fine buildings are in course of erection on both sides of the river. The works of the Union Gas Company are in course of construction and in a short time both cities will be illuminated by gas. Pueblo has the geographical location and railroad connections requisite to make her a great city, and within a few years the site of the little trading post of 1854, bids fair to be covered by a populous and busy metropolis. Additional Comments: Extracted from: History of the Arkansas Valley, Colorado By J. Harrison Mills O. L. Baskin & Co. Chicago 1881 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/co/pueblo/history/books/history-of-arkansas-valley/historyo41nms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.net/cofiles/ File size: 44.4 Kb