Our Historical Society's Open House of a Pioneer's Home

 I've written before about the ruins of the Bradford/Perley pioneer house in our community, built in 1859-60 and expanded in 1872, which was an integral part of the Colorado Gold Rush and was honored with placement on the National Register of Historic Places.

You can read the fascinating history of this house in prior posts I wrote,  here and here.

Please click on the photo to enlarge it.

This placard outside the home is a condensed timeline of the house's history.

The front of the house faces east and has a view of these large red rock formations, which are also listed on the National Register of Historic Places due to major archeology digs that have taken place in this area that show these rocks were used by early natives for shelter and hunting for as far back as nine thousand years! One native who was a frequent visitor to this area in the early gold rush days was Chief Colorow, whom I blogged about in this post. 

When my husband and I moved to Colorado, we joined our community's historical society and the History Colorado Center to learn more about our new state. We have remained members, and each year our historical society hosts an open house event where members of our community are invited to enter the home and learn more about it. That event took place this past weekend on a beautiful morning.

 

Our historical society's open house coincided with another community event taking place, called Nature Day, where families can gather in a nearby open space area to see a wild bird demonstration by Hawk Quest, take a short guided hike, participate in a nature scavenger hunt, and engage in fire safety education provided by the local fire department.

Inside the pioneer's home, our society members displayed photos and photo albums from our archives of the home and the surrounding land. This home had two owners before this area became a cattle ranch and eventually developed into a residential community. 

We also answered questions and directed visitors to other points of interest on the land.

There were archeological displays...

...and my husband demonstrated an ancient native hunting instrument called an Atlatl. This way of hunting predated the bow and arrow and allowed a spear to be thrown further and with more force. 

He showed interested visitors how to use the tool and aim at the bullseye target.

You can view a YouTube video about this instrument on this YouTube link.  

Another historical society member is also a hobbyist beekeeper and had a bee display with a tray filled with bees. She answered questions about beekeeping and how to have us all improve pollination efforts in our community.

Another historical society member was in the pioneer's apple orchard, located in the rear of the house, answering questions about the remaining trees that are still producing Ben Davis heirloom series apples one hundred and sixty-six years later! 

Our historical society maintains the trees, and starting in 2010, we undertook a program, with the aid of a horticulturist, to clone the trees by carefully taking cuttings and grafting them onto a sturdy root stock to grow new trees. This way, we hope to perpetuate the old orchard.

Our historical society also has a garden committee that works hard to plant and maintain flowers and planters around the house to beautify it for the community.

The weather was beautiful until the very end of our event, when rain clouds and wind rolled in, and we all scambled to gather our displays and run to our cars! 

It was another successful open house event, and it was a joy to share some of the early history of our community with other residents.

PS: One of the new members of our historical society, who lived in our neighborhood for many years, asked me why we joined the society as relatively new residents. I told her my husband and I always loved history, and for many years we volunteered at a very historic cemetery in Brooklyn, New York called Green-Wood Cemetery in a multi-year Civil War Project where as a group we identified over 3,000 veteran soldiers and sailors of the Civil War, many sadly lying in unmarked graves, or under gravestones that have been so badly weathered that the stones have become unreadable.

We also filled out more than 1,200 applications for new markers since the Department of Veterans Affairs supplies them if originals are unreadable or lost. If you'd like to read more about this project and see some notable graves, click on this blog post.

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Historic Littleton Colorado Tour

 

It seems the end of summer became very busy for us! Our oldest granddaughter stayed with us for a few days as her parents were traveling for work, and we had school routine and homework duty to oversee, which made us feel nostalgic.  Friends visited from their home in Virginia, and we spent a nice time with them. A community group we volunteer for had a fun potluck get-together for all its members. One of the volunteers told us we should go on the last tour offered this summer of Historic Littleton, as she knew we enjoyed learning local history.  

The tour is run during the summer months by Historic Littleton.  On the centennial of Littleton, Colorado, in 1990, the Historic Littleton organization was formed to provide low-cost loans to property owners and businesses on Main Street.  This nonprofit Second Century Fund helps restore and preserve Littleton’s historic buildings for the next 100 years. The organization’s board consisted of local businesspeople who believed that Downtown Littleton gave the City its unique identity and character and was an asset to the entire community.

Part of Historic Littleton's mission is to educate the public about historic preservation through programs and tours.  We met on the well-attended free tour in front of the. historic Littleton Municipal Courthouse--see above.  It was late afternoon on a very hot day, but all in attendance were eager to learn more from the two tour guide volunteers.

The city of Littleton's history dates back to the 1859 Pike's Peak Gold Rush, which brought not only gold seekers but merchants and farmers to the community. Richard Sullivan Little was an engineer from New Hampshire who made his way out West to work on irrigation systems. Little soon decided to settle in the area at present-day Littleton and brought his wife, Angeline, out from the East in 1862. The Littles, along with many neighbors, built the Rough and Ready Flour Mill in 1867, which provided a solid economic base in the community. By 1890, the community had grown to 245 people, and the residents voted to incorporate the Town of Littleton.  The 13-square-mile city is now home to more than 44,000 people. Littleton has top-ranked schools, higher education, and more than 2,000 diverse businesses.  Littleton grew significantly throughout the 1950s and 1960s due to its proximity to the then Martin Marrieta facilities, which produced the Titan rocket and other aerospace products, and is now Lockheed Martin Corporation. You can read more about Littleton's history at this link.

As we followed the tour guide, she told us about both the railroad system and the irrigation canals that were of importance to the early days of agriculture in Littleton.  As Littleton grew, major engineering feats moved the railroad tracks below street level into a tunnel to free up traffic, and the flow of the South Platte River was redirected! Littleton now also has two light rail stations that offer easy access to Downtown Denver.

We continued walking towards Littleton's Main Street, which is now on the National Register of Historic Places.  

Littleton has an active trail system and more than 59 parks and open spaces. In 1961, Littleton, Colorado, and Bega, Australia, joined as sister cities with the motto "Firm and Lasting Friendship." You can read about how they became sister cities on this link.

The former Rio Grande Park just west of the railroad right-of-way on Main Street has been renamed Beaga Park, redeveloped, and landscaped. Its centerpiece is a James Mann fountain, which shows a map of the United States, the Pacific Ocean, and Australia, with the two sister cities marked by bronze stars. 

We then walked down Littleton's charming Main Street as the guide told us the history of many of the buildings. It is very mainstream Americana of assorted stores and businesses on both sides of the wide, tree-lined street. Most of the buildings date back to the late 1800s and early 1900s.  You can see photos of some historic buildings as they first appeared on this link.  I liked that there were placards at each intersection showing where businesses were located, as well as maps of the downtown.

Many of the Main Street Buildings have undergone renovations and changes. The Town Hall building in the upper left of the collage above is now the Town Hall Arts Center and Theater.  The building in the two upper right photos is one of the earliest buildings in Littleton -- the J. D. Hill General Store. It was built in 1872 and was Littleton's first general store and post office, with Hill serving as postmaster. Today, the building is used for retail stores and offices. On July 30, 2022, the 150th anniversary of the J.D. Hill General Store building was celebrated by the community.

In the lower left of the collage is the Franzen House, which is significant as a representative of the Victorian Queen Anne style houses built in Littleton during the late 19th century. The style is reflected in the house’s steeply pitched roof, porch with spindle supports, and walls clad with wood lap siding and shingles. The red brick Ned Kelly's Irish Pub was once a grocery store owned by the Franzens at that time. I always chuckle over the name when we drive over nearby Jackass Hill, and I enjoyed learning about its long history and seeing the Jackass Brewery named after it in the lower right. 

The Historic Littleton tour lasted one and a half hours, and by the time it was ending, I saw this magnificent, breathtaking sunset at the end of Main Street! We enjoyed learning more about Littleton and saw many stores, restaurants, and other establishments that we hope to return to for longer visits and shopping in the future.  We thanked the tour guide and gave a donation towards Historic Littleton's cause. 

Now hungry, my husband and I went to dinner at a favorite Littleton restaurant, Angelo's Taverna.  Although I live in a landlocked state, I still crave East Coast seafood, so we indulged in oysters on the half shell, and I had a "Frutti di Mare" mixed seafood entree while my husband had a chicken parmesan stuffed with Prosciutto. 

I have written many blog posts--21 in all before this one-- about places we have visited in Littleton, Colorado, since moving here, which you can read under the label "Littleton."  It is a wonderful town!

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The Meeker Incident in the White River Valley

I've always been interested in history, and since moving to Colorado almost eight years ago I have been fascinated with reading the history of our new state and traveling to see points of interest that correspond to what I've read. When my husband and I were in Steamboat Springs last year to celebrate our anniversary--click here--and--click here--to read those posts--I asked my husband if we could take a day trip over to the town of Meeker to visit a historical site in the White River Valley that I read about called the Meeker Massacre or more recently the Meeker Incident.   Being ever willing to please me he agreed, and early one morning we drove on US 40 West past the town of Craig and then on CO13 south towards the town of Meeker, about 90 miles away from Steamboat Springs.

This was early in October 2019, and I was pleased to see there was still some pretty autumn color along the way.

We passed many ranches.

The further west we traveled the topography began to change into sparse rocky hills and buttes...

...and some very volcanic looking structures.

I liked the shape and red color of this mesa.

We finally entered the town of Meeker.  The Town of Meeker is located along the famed White River near the base of the iconic Flat Tops Wilderness in Northwestern Colorado’s Rio Blanco County.  It is an area comprised of beautiful and vast wilderness which gives visitors the opportunity for many outdoor recreational pursuits. 

In town, we visited the White River Museum to look at their exhibits and learn about the man for whom the town was named, Nathan Meeker.  White River Museum, housed in an actual 1880s U.S. Army officer quarters, showcases the early pioneers and the stories and artifacts they left behind, including clothing, household goods, an original 1885 hand printing press, Native American Ute artifacts, and much more.  Chief Colorow's peace pipe is one of the objects on exhibit.  Chief Colorow was also a frequent visitor to the area where I live---I blogged about him and a red rock cave he often frequented near us in this post.  Reading about his life made me learn about the "Meeker Massacre" of which he was a part of, and that piqued my interest to visit the site of this incident.

The incident site is located on Colorado Highway 64, about three miles west of Meeker. It is indicated by a wooden marker on the south side of the highway but the battle actually took place in a privately owned meadow on the north side of the White River.

Nathan Meeker was the Indian Agent at White River Reservation, appointed in March 1878. He wanted to change the lifestyle of the Utes, the last indigenous people to inhabit Western Colorado before Europeans and Americans arrived. They had lived many hundreds of years, and possibly many thousands of years, as nomadic hunters in Colorado and the northern band lived and hunted in the White River Valley. Meeker wanted the Utes to become like the white man and be educated, church-going farmers. Meeker wanted them to raise livestock, discontinue their pony racing and hunting forays, and send their children to school.

The Utes did not like the changes that Meeker was making and they also resented the settler encroachment on their reservation and the poor management of the Indian Bureau. Meeker wanted the Utes to get rid of their horses, as he thought that if the Utes did not have their horses, they would be more willing to become farmers. To the Utes, their horses were their wealth. He also wanted them to plow up the horse racing track they used for recreation and horse training to use it instead as farmland. The Utes would not do it so one day Meeker did it on his own, which made the Utes very angry.

When Meeker claimed he had been assaulted by a subchief during a petty quarrel, the government sent approximately 150-200 soldiers, led by Major Thomas T. Thornburgh, commander of  Fort Steele, Wyoming, to settle the affair.

On September 29, 1879, before the soldiers arrived, the Indians attacked the agency, burned the buildings, and killed Meeker and ten of his employees. Meeker’s wife, daughter, and another girl named Josephine were held as captives for 23 days.  This event became known as the Meeker Incident or Massacre.

In the meantime, the Utes attacked the approaching troops from Fort Steele, in what is known as the Battle of Mill Creek Colorado. 

Afterward, Shawsheen (sister to Chief Ouray of the Southern Uncompahgre Utes) who lived on the White River Agency land, told the Utes it would be best to free the women and children to the soldiers. Both Mrs. Meeker and Josephine said that Shawsheen was kind to them and saved their lives. The soldiers returned the women and children to freedom, but the Utes were doomed. 

After this event, the Utes were eventually banished from Colorado, as in 1880 the US Congress passed legislation requiring the Ute population to relocate to reservations in Utah.

Plaque for Nathan Meeker and the men of the Indian Agency placed in 1927--Click on to enlarge to read

The White River

In July 2008, the Meeker historical society, Meeker Chamber of Commerce, US Forest Service, and Bureau of Land Management organized the Smoking River Pow Wow, a local reconciliation event that marked the first time Ute Indians were officially invited to the White River Valley since their removal. An estimated 600 people attended, including Utes whose descendants were forced out in 1881.   It was held again the next year but seems to have ended after that as an annual event.

After visiting the historical site we drove back to our hotel in Steamboat Springs, enjoying the scenery again along the way. I was also deep in thought about all I saw that day.  I thought much about the misguided actions of Nathan Meeker who did not try to learn more about the customs and traditions of the Utes.  I thought about the forced diaspora of a race of people who had loved what they called the "Shining Mountains" and their ancestral hunting grounds in Colorado. I thought about our government which at the time thought of Native Americans as a problem to expansion and whose lands could be taken away from them.  I remembered our visit to the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site in SE Colorado a few years before to learn the story of the 500 plus women, children, and elder Cheyenne and Arapaho people that were ambushed in their village in 1864 and killed and mutilated by soldiers--click here--to read that post

I wondered what we as a nation have learned since then and how would we be judged a hundred years from now on actions that we are taking today.  There is so much to learn from history and I am glad that these places have been preserved for all to see.

Stay happy, safe, and healthy!

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The Historic Manor House at Christmas

 As promised in my last post, I wanted to show a little more of the "Old Fashioned Christmas" neighborhood party that was held at a special mansion that is located in our community, called the Manor House.

Click on to enlarge

A plaque inside the house tells of its illustrious first owner, John C. Shaffer, who built the house and turned the land into an award-winning cattle ranch.

John C. Shaffer in the center surrounded by his wife, two sons, two daughters-in-law and grandchildren.  He named his ranch Ken Caryl after his sons, Kent and Carroll.

The Manor House looked very impressive from its position on the highest hill in the valley, all lit for the Christmas season.

The Manor house is now privately owned and is used primarily as an event/wedding center.  The owners opened the house to the Ken Caryl Community to see how it was decorated for Christmas and to allow for the community to gather and celebrate.

It was a very well attended event! There were food trucks outside and the bar was full of customers. Neighbors were having a good time sitting and talking.

We enjoyed seeing the beautiful decorations...

...and fine antiques.

The Manor House was also the site of frequent entertainment in the Shaffer years, and frequent guests were President Theodore Roosevelt, and President William Howard Taft, as well as industrial chieftains from around the world and celebrities of the time.

The staircase is lined with historical photographs.

 Upstairs, the crowd was thinner and we were able to enjoy a quieter conversation. Our daughter and granddaughter are in one of the photos.

This large ballroom is a recent addition to the house, and most often used for wedding ceremonies and receptions.  On this evening a band was playing music to entertain our fellow residents.

It was so nice to visit this historic home for the Christmas holiday and meet with neighbors to celebrate the season in style.  I hope it will become an annual tradition!

It would be remiss if I did not mention how sad I am for the terrible fires occurring in Australia during this their summer season, and the concurrent destruction of human life and property and wildlife. I visited Australia in 2011 and enjoyed all its beauty.  One of the highlights of my trip was visiting Taronga Zoo--click here to see that post--and where I had the chance to hold this koala bear, as well as do a "walkabout" with kangaroos. Wildfire is always a danger in the United States West, so I truly sympathize with all the people of Australia and I hope and pray all the fires will be resolved very soon!

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