The Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection recently digitized and added a decade to the Wet Mountain Tribuneās section. This adds a decade from 1926 to 1936. This extends to digitized records dating back to 1899. The great thing about these records is that they are largely searchable, which helps pick out names and themes from the founding half-century in the Wet Mountain Valley.
This week, we will look at the news from 100 years ago in the entire month of April. The paper was owned and run by Philip Doyle. To visit the newspaper collection, visit www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org.
April 1926 ā 100 Years Ago
Donāt Injure Mining with Freak Laws
Twenty-two bills or measures relating directly to mining have been introduced in the present Congress.ā 21 others have to do with the tariff on minerals; two are on immigration that affects mine labor; and three consider transportation as it would touch the mining industry.
Some may be good, some doubtless are frivolous or at least not of wide importance. But that so many measures should appear in one session indicates that mining is a great, growing, important industry that should have encouragement.
A dispatch from Florence dated March 30 and published in the Daily Press on Wednesday says:
āDale D. Davidson, of Ilse (in Custer County), age 35, was arrested by Humane Officer Pruitt, at Ilse, Sunday, on the charge of marrying his 12-year-old stepdaughter. They were married in Denver about a year ago by a district judge, and Mr. Davidson claimed the girlās age as 18 at the time.
The couple arrived in Florence Sunday evening, accompanied by Officer Pruitt and Mr. Davidosn. They spent the night in the city jail. The party left Monday morning for Denver, where Mr. Davidson will be tried.ā
New Bakery
Mr. and Mrs. J.H. Cooper of Pueblo were arrivals here Tuesday to look over the Westcliffe Field with a view to starting a bakery here, a branch of the Sanitary Bakery of Salida. Such an enterprise should do well here, and if they can secure a suitable building, it is most likely they will soon start up. Later, we learned that they have rented the front portion of the Ideal Restaurant and Rooms building and that they will start up within the next few days.
George Batchelor, of Batchelorās Dairy, CaƱon City, was up from that place Wednesday with a view of establishing a cream station here for the convenience of his many cream patrons in this part of the Wet Mountain Valley.
A number of merchants from here attended the commissionersā meeting on Tuesday with a view to urging that body to construct a road from the Leavit Ranch through the hills to connect with Brush Hollow Road, thus making a good all-year-round road to the Terrible Mine at Ilse. And we understand the commissioners look upon the proposition favorably.
Davidson Discharged
David Davidson, 33 years old, and his 13-year-old wife, Mrs. Effie Hampton Davidson, will leave Denver this morning for their home in Ilse to take up life where it was interrupted last Sunday when her husband was brought to Denver to face charges of contributing to the delinquency of his wife.
Davidson was discharged by Judge Ben B. Lindsley of the Juvenile Court yesterday, and it was stated that officers connected with the district attorneyās office had abandoned the idea of filing charges of perjury against the man. Judge Lindsley expressed the opinion at a hearing on Wednesday that charges of perjury in connection with the marriage licenses could not be supported if Davidson and his wife continued to testify that she told her husband she was 18 at the time they were married.
Judge Lindsley ordered the court to lend Davidson the money needed to pay his return fare to Ilse, which Davidson agreed to repay within a few days.
Radio Friends
Keep your storage batteries charged during the summer months, sulphite collects on your plates, and they rapidly deteriorate. Charging one cent an ampere hour. -Westcliffe Radio and Music Store.
Trees May Prove Valuable on Unproductive Land
The U.S. Forest Service during the years of 1910-11 planted twenty-three acres to Western Yellow Pine and Douglas Fir in the vicinity of Colorado Springs.
In 1926, just sixteen years later, the Forest Service has realized $2500 from this acreage in thinings alone, and at the same time, has left 500 trees to the acre for a future crop. These 500 trees, which have been left, will prove the most valuable financially for lumber purposes.
Colorado farmers should plant those unproductive acres to trees and later realize a cash return from them.
Elmer Garnier returned from Gilman the first of the week. Elmer was working in dangerous ground in one of the mines there and decided that while he knew he would make a handsome corpse, he preferred to postpone it for a while yet.
The Wm. Berry home at Hillside was the scene of a delightful party on Saturday evening last. There was a goodly number present, and all enjoyed the occasion immensely.
Hillside Notes
The newly organized Hillside Grange is progressing nicely. Keen interest is being taken in the various committees appointed. Good programs have been given. Also, programs of much interest are being planned for the future.
All interested in the Grange and wish to join, applications may be secured from any member.
The Hillside baseball team defeated the Cotopaxi nine at Cotopaxi Sunday afternoon, 11 to 4. A return game will be played at Hillside next Sunday.
W.B. Porch is up from CaƱon making preparations for opening the Cloverdale mine west of Hillside on Lake Creek.
Cloverdale Company
A special from Pueblo to the daily press of Monday says: āThe reported discovery of gold in the San Isabel forest several weeks ago has led to the start of actual mining operations above Hillside, in the Sangre de Cristo Range. The Cloverdale Mining Company, of which Wm. B. Porch is the secretary, has applied to Forest Supervisor H.E. French for a permit to build a $15,000 road to the claim.
The Cloverdale Company has had prospectors at work for three years, and it was their strike that caused a small gold rush several weeks ago. āThe first fold we discovered assayed around $17 a ton,ā Porch said. āThis was at grass roots. At a depth of two feet, it assayed $32 a ton. We now are to a depth of six feet and I do not care to have quoted what it assays at that depth.ā
The company has several hundred acres under lease.
The district still bears marks of the gold rush of fifty years ago. Although several good prospects were found, they were abandoned by reports of rich strikes in the Cripple Creek fields.
Work on the new road will start on Monday. The road will circle Rainbow Lake, which is one of the largest and most beautiful in the San Isabel.
Ilse Camp is the one bright spot in the mining industry of Custer County at this time. The Terrible mine will now employ close to 100 men, and about 300 tons of ore are run through the mill daily.
