Eagle Valley Manuscripts

: Early Days in Eagle County; Sallie Welsh (Hartman) was the first woman in Eagle County to graduate from college (University of Denver) and later served as Superintendent of Schools in Eagle County. She married the son of a friend of John Welsh. Charles Hartman was sent to work for John Welsh and a few years later married Sallie. They took over the ranch and lived there until 1930 when the ranch was lost due to financial problems. They had four children, three boys and a girl. (from "Early Days of Eagle County")

: Early History of Eagle County; A brief history of the early beginnings of Eagle County written by Elizabeth (Quinlan) Bedell. Elizabeth's parents and family were some of the first pioneers to settle here; her aunt, Sarah Dougherty, was well-known throughout the area and the family's first homestead cabin still stands today near Dotsero, Colorado. This short writing contains a wealth of first-hand information of names, places, ranches, and important happenings in the earliest days of settlement.

: Early History of Norrie and Stories of Gold; Norrie, Colorado is a ghost town located in Pitkin County just outside of Basalt, Colorado on the Upper Frying Pan River. Claims were first taken around 1890 to 1900. Eventually, the town became a lumber camp and had a post office, school, and dance hall. In 1913, some reports say that the population was around 200; today, the last census noted 7 people living in the area. Some buildings and foundations still stand and can be seen today.

: Eighth Grade Commencement; Program for the Eagle Public School 8th Grade Commencement ceremony on 05/13/1909

: Enlistment Record of Loyd Gerard; Enlistment record stamped with discharge documentation. Honorable Discharge certificate on the back.

: Envelope addressed to Frank Edwin Grant at Castle (Eagle); An envelope addressed to Frank Edwin Grant. Frank "Ed" Edwin Grant was the younger brother of Mary (Grant) Borah. Ed worked for Alfred Borah for a number of years before moving to Utah. What is unique about this envelope is that it is addressed to Castle, Colorado, now the town of Eagle, dating this envelope to around 1887.

: Ford Model T Receipt; On May 17, 1923, George Frey had paid $75.00 in full to Ralph Whiting for a 1915 touring style Ford Model T.

: Fourth of July in Eagle; A program detailing the weekend's festivities in celebration of the July 4th in Eagle, Colorado. The 4th of July was known for its baseball tournaments in early Eagle County. People would come from all over the surrounding area to watch the weekend's games between neighboring towns, most important of which was Eagle vs. Red Cliff. (At the time, Red Cliff was the county seat and Eagle was catching up.) This particular program shows a full day's schedule of events and prizes, like horse racing, wheelbarrow races, and children's foot races followed by fireworks and a grand ball. The program has gold embossed letters and designs and the information insert is printed on blue paper with black writing. The program is tied together with a gold string at the center.

: Gateway to Mt. of Holy Cross; On August 1, 1951, a stamp commemorating the 75th Anniversary of Colorado statehood was released. The stamp featured the Colorado statehouse and also the iconic Mount of the Holy Cross. Special editions were released in Minturn, Colorado on this date and this particular envelope is from the first day of issue.

: George W. Watson; Frances Watson retells the story and history of her esteemed husband, George Watson. Watson was an influential cattleman, stockman, and rangeman, who helped secure grazing rights, served on advisory boards for different livestock and agriculture organizations, and was a rancher himself. Watson served a term as Eagle County Commissioner. Frances tells stories of riding on long cattle and horse drives, helping her husband in remote areas of wilderness, and the work ethic of a true cowboy and rancher. Watson sold his property to Leonard Horn, another well-known horseman of Eagle County. This manuscript was donated by the Horn family. Some pages have been edited or have text that is replaced. These changes have been maintained here to reflect the final version.

: Gore Creek School; Dorothy Van Schaack writes a brief history of the Gore Creek School, located near what is now Minturn, Colorado. Van Schaack was a teacher there and talks about her students, a day in the life, how the school came to be, and what education was in the pioneer high country.

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