Telluride Oral Histories
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A poem by Rick Masters (Provided by Craig Muhonen)
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The picture is of a hang glider, near Telluride, Colorado, in 1979. Both the picture and the poem were provided by Craig Muhonen. Here is the poem, written by Rick Masters:
"You embrace her and feel her tremble and sigh, responsive to your touch.
You pay attention to the air ocean you are about to enter.
You don’t turn your back to it’s waves, lest they sweep you away.
You don’t make a bunch of ridiculous and distracting choreographic moves at the critical moment of take off.
You stand firm and focus on the sky that beckons you.
You stand firm and focus on the movement of the air coming up the hill towards you.
A gust? A thermal? The devil?
Your hang glider is completely ready to go, trusting you to guide her.
You stand there, confident, in quiet excitement, feeling her fly on your shoulders like an ever wondrous and powerfully fleet, obedient Gryphen about to be released from her cage.
You see the grass ripple.
You watch the birds.
You listen to the words of the wind, sometimes you wait for signs of a thermal teasing the bushes.
You wait for the right moment, when the wind feels perfect, with your fabulous wing already flying inches over your head, responsive to your every command.
You trust her.
Then you take a few steps and fly away to heaven.
You are joyously and instantly and smoothly transformed into an ethereal being.
There is no drama.
Drama is for idiots. R.M. 2018"
--Taken from an email by Craig Muhonen.
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A story of Telluride's runway at the Telluride Airport (by Craig Muhonen)
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Here is the description of this image, as written in an email from Craig Muhonen on 11/4/22:
"24 NTSB reports on this airport since 1985. I have copies of them. well this is a slightly different record of those events, the picture is from 1984, when the hangers were being built, and it shows the first “building” on mountain village, was a 23 story monstrosity,
only to bring in their skiers “right down the runway”, to the Doral hotel and spa…ha..
and one perfect little ski area.
Most of these crashes were “stall/spins” or uncontrolled into terrain , of perfectly good airplanes, but in high density altitudes, with inexperienced mountain pilots,
and no real, “clear air turbulence reports” from the ground, things can get crazy in a heart beat.
The yellow crosses are single plane fatal accidents. The blue crosses are “should have been kilt,” accidents,one where a Mexican jet passenger plane, crashed into a snow plow, during a snow storm, at night, at a “closed airport!!” (8 minutes prior)WOW. They clipped a wing off and managed to slide to a stop and lucky no fire, where the passengers, and the poor snow plow driver, all had “shi* their pants,
(adrenaline is brown)but the two Mexican Pilots were just glad,that they could salvage their “cargo”.
The other blue cross was a Cessna flying into a tree, sheering his right wing off, but walked away with a big TBI, and no memory of the actual crash, of him “flying his airplane ALL the way to a crash landing”.
NTSB said that he was trying to do a “go a round”, but I saw him, his engine was dead and he picked a place to “land” that saved his life, and possibly others on the ground if he had stall/spun into the subdivision. 32 years later a pilot did crash his airplane into the subdivision in Jeff Campbell’s back yard just missing his house.
The white cross is for a little girl, Palomar or Paloma ? !0 years old?, 1985-86, who was allowed to play in the hanger, and died when an “in a hurry” airport attendant got in a Tug, and without checking (because she had crawled under to retrieve her ball) drove off, squashing her to death in a bloody mess.
I happened to be plumbing in the hanger that day, and it was bad, I got out of there quickly.
Still can’t find any record of her death or where she was buried, but I remember that her parents were managers there so….."
--Taken 11/16/22 from Craig Muhonen's email.
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Airplane crashing on Main Street in Telluride, Colorado (as told by Craig Muhonen)
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The image was provided by Craig Muhonen, via email, on 11/4/22. The title is "Small Airplane crash in 1971" and shows where a small plane crashed on Main Street in Telluride, Colorado in 1971. Here is the story, provided by Craig:
"The crash landing was uneventful, the pilot and passenger (some say from Joe Zoline’s company) were put up at the Hotel overnight then the “fixed” airplane was pushed out of town where it flew off.
Of course sheriff Morrow wanted to arrest the pilot."
--Taken 11/4/22 from Craig Muhonen's email.
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Alta Allan & Myrtle Israels' Oral Histories
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An oral history, that is currently on cassette tape at the Wilkinson Public Library: Museum Tape MU38 Side A: Alta (Wood) Allan. Interviewed by Sandra Johnson and Alta Cassietto 4/25/75:
00-12 Introduction of Alta Allan. She lived in Telluride for a number of years and first moved there in 1919. Not married at the time. Worked in the telephone office. Named various girls that worked there. Future husband (Charlie) was in the service and they married after he returned in 1921. Bought cafe from Joe O'berto. The Tremont Cafe. Moved to Montrose in 1929 after the bank closed.
12-40 Names various hotels and cafes that were open during the time she was in Telluride. The Sheridan, The Alpine Rooming House, Mrs. Jackson had rooming house, Victoria Hotel, The Chicago Store, The Golden Rule Store, Perinos Grocery Store, Krakaws, Elscamps. She lived with brother Chap Wood. Brother and mother lived together after he got out of service Brother was superintendent of the Smuggler Mill. Describes the house she lived in.
40-80 Speaks of working at the telephone office when it had the switchboard. Names the people she worked with. Speaks of the avalanche that killed Mrs. Gifford and Mrs. Hicks. Talks about the little boy that was saved. Talks about all the people in town at that time. Very busy. Alta Cassietto talks about how busy Montrose was in 1905, but not as busy as Telluride.
80-111 Sandra introduces Myrtle Israel who came to Telluride in 1911. She was the mother of a five-month-old baby when she came to Telluride. Her husband was looking for work and he had a brother working at the Black Bear. Speaks of the Smuggler or Tomboy being the richest gold mine in area. Her husband and brothers worked in the mill for a long time. Later moved to Town and put in a little cleaning parlor, which he operated for a long time. Speaks of the only time she was at the Tomboy. She watched the gold being processed at the mill.
111-214 Describes the dances held at the Tomboy. Alta Allan's husband Charlie worked for the Transfer and would drive a sleigh and team full of women to the Tomboy. Also had a bowling ally there. She speaks of the night the sleigh tipped over coming down from the dance. Describes how the men brought the bodies down the hill from the Black Bear slide. All the people in town watched them come down. Describes where the mine was. Myrtle speaks of her daughter that still lives in town, Mrs. Dick (Elmer) Summer. She was five months old when they first went to Telluride. Her parents were in Telluride before she (Alta) was born. Speaks of her uncle that was murdered in Telluride. Was the first man buried close to the tree at Lone Tree. That was before Myrtle was born and she was born in 1891. Alta speaks of brother's nickname. Myrtle names the churches in town at that time, Presbyterian, Catholic and Community Church. She attended the
Community Church. Alta talks about living in Aspen.
214-256 Myrtle lived in Telluride from 1938 until 1943. She worked at Alvie Adams dairy. They had the Adams ranch and Mrs. Adams was an invalid. She was second mother to the whole family. Ski area bought ranch from their son Gene. Describes where the dairy was. Milk was
delivered on their milk route in town. She hurt her leg falling off the
porch and was in the Telluride hospital for a month. Dr. Parker took
care of her. Speaks of studying to get her LPN degree after moving
Idaho.
256-349 Speaks of her daughters. Talks of all the people that had left Telluride when she went back in 1938. Many of the houses were
empty. Seemed to be a ghost town. Mines and mills were closed down. Her father's brother had the first pack train in Telluride. Charlie
Seevers. Describes the areas he packed into. They lived in Fall Creek. Speaks of Seevers family and how they were related. Her father
worked on the railroad, as did her mother. Talks of the work her
mother did for the railroad on Old Dallas. Followed the railroad,
working on it, over to Ophir. Father helped build the railroad over
Dallas in late '1800s. Describes riding the train and the Galloping
Goose. Tells of driver describing one of the times when the Goose lost it's brakes and the passengers had to jump off.
349-467 Her daughter had a hotel at Ophir and Myrtle worked there. There were mines and mills there at that time. Describes her
daughter's first husband's death, a mining accident. Speaks of the Miner's Union building and where they lived and the cleaning parlor they owned. Talks about Grandma Spencer who lived next to the
Miner's Union. Talks about Ed Vizina's dairy. Lots of people lived in San Miguel then. Names people that had dairies there. Speaks of different houses there.
KEYWORDS FOR THIS TRANSCRIPT
00-12
Nellie Mines
12-40
Smuggler Mill
40-80
Avalanches, Pandora
80-111
Black Bear, Smuggler, Tomboy
111-214
Black Bear, Smuggler
214-156
Dairy, Hospital
256-349
Old Dallas, Narrow Gage Railroad, Galloping Goose
349-467
Ophir, Miner's Union Building, Dairy, San Miguel
People mentioned in this recording:
00-12
Thompson Girls, Joe O'berto
12-40
Mrs. Jackson, Pete Machone, Wunderlicks, Perino, Elscamp, Johnny McAdams, Mrs. Goldsworthy
40-80
Lena Sand Blixt, Tiny & Lillie Thompson, Ethel Larson, Mrs. Gifford, Mrs. Hicks
80-111
M rytle Israel
111-214
Dick (Elmer) Summer, Sam Seevers
214-256
Alvie Adams, Gene Adams, Dr. Parker
256-349
Charlie Seevers, Crissie Ross
349-467
Grandma Spencer, Ed Vizina, Kelly McKnight, Collins
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Alta Cassietto's Obituary
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An article, located in the Telluride room of the Wilkinson Public Library. The publisher is unknown. This is Alta Cassietto's obituary.
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Alta Cassietto's Oral History Recording
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An oral history recording, between Davine Pera and Alta Cassietto, which took place on February 8, 1990. Here is the transcript:
Alta Cassietto-CD’s 1 and 2
OH25
Disc1
1. Introduction between Pera and Cassietto.
2. How Alta’s father arrived in Telluride.
3. Where her father was born.
4. How Alta’s mother arrived in Telluride.
5. Mother’s brother in Rico, a third sibling all in the area.
6. Her mother arrived in the U.S. with a relative, they were separated before reaching Colorado and her mother was forced to finish the trip alone.
7. Family spent significant time early on in Cedaredge where Alta’s mother had three uncles who offered support.
8. Father worked at the Alta mine through an early Gold King lease. Mentions an archaic hatpin with a gold nugget that was mined by her father and worn by C.D. Wagner’s mother.
9. Discussion of Reno connection and Telluride, the Wagners, Phiefs, and Lu Long.
10. Parents marriage and her birth in Cedaredge during the winter., close to Christmas.
11. Family travels back to Italy, father returns to Telluride alone to work while the rest of the family remains in Italy for seven years.
12. Alta recalls journey by boat from Italy to NYC, speaking not a word of English.
13. Alta speaks of the day the U.S. signed the armistice for World War II as well as the flu epidemic that struck the country. Alta missed an entire year of school.
14. First school memories are shared, including when Nellie Men us married Ballard, a very significant name in the growth of Telluride.
15. Discussion of the relevance to Alta’s name and the history of the mine.
16. Location of the “Old School”, Van Atta was her first grade teacher. Alta mentions the Levenitiz girls.
17. Alta recalls all the different locations her family lived in the Telluride.
18. Alta reveals the changing of the name Ballinger to Ballard and its significance.
19. Their 1940 house was owned buy J. Niccolino and was at one time used as a church. Today, it is the Johnstone Inn.
20. Miner’s Union Hall, labor strike of 1902 and 1903, as well as the Episcopalian Church.
21. All the various churches in Telluride are discussed. The Christian Science Church and the Recreation Hall which is now the Oak St. Inn.
22. Crackaw families, there were two in Telluride, their moves West as mining declined in 1919.
23. Alta’s job at the newspaper in 1927, gathering news and working in the office. Her father’s death in the Carbinero Mine in 1926 prompted the offer as their family was suffering from severe poverty. Mentions Sylvia Lines and Eriksons.
24. Influence that Dad Painter had on developing Alta’s interest in history.
25. Post office history, the various contacts Alta utilized from Painter’s influence. Alta states that these contacts were a great aide in documenting the post office’s history. This is when Alta discovers that she was the first postmistress.
26. Alta recounts an incident when a heavy drinker entered the post office and wanted to mail his horse to Placerville. Mention of P.E. Long and the Express Office.
27. Discussion of why the post office was located in the middle of the saloons on Main St.
28. Alta talks about the mining accident that claimed her father’s life. The month was August. His salary was $3/day. Alta still possesses one of his pay cards in which it reveals that her father worked every single day of that particular month.
29. After his death, their family had only $50. Her mother took to washing and ironing for income. Alta recalls making $75/monrth from the newspaper that, at the time, was printing both a daily and weekly paper.
30. Alta tells of her raise at the newspaper to $100/month and of taking the Postmast exam in Montrose. Out of the five people who took the exam, she was the only female and one of the three who passed.
31. Discussion of the Historical Museum and the collection of items from Painter’s house that live there. Davine and Alta talk about the value of antiques and their significance in the history of the Telluride.
32. Painter’s two hats: the Abstract Company and the newspaper. The Lavendars are mentioned.
33. Nan Leino’s start with the Abstract Company. Discussion of the Commonweal Club and its role in the community.
34. Schedules for the two trains that ran to Telluride, including trips to Rico, Ridgeway, and even Durango.
35. The Galloping Goose and its schedule at the time, including a memory of Alta’s of when she took the Goose to a wedding in Cortez. Discussion of the type of life people led on the mesas, including the Sunshine and Wilson mesas, and the Vanderveers family. Mentions of the “black slide” and the closing of the railroad.
36. Alta recalls some of her favorite times during adolescence. These include mushroom, raspberry, and black currant picking. Originally, in the northern mountains of Italy, her family had been mushroom pickers.
CD2
1. Pera’s discusses her family’s move to Telluride in 1952 and how her parents lived up on Wilson Mesa. Alta mentions Mrs. King and they talk about some of the hardships involved in mesa living.
2. Alta recollects the many dances she attended every Saturday from the age of eighteen and on. Dances were held at the Swede Finn Hall, the Opera House, and the Elks Building.
3. Alta offers information about the quality of school curriculum, courses that were offered, and teachers she had. She specifically mentions her sixth grade class that had a total of 39 students.
4. Alta explains the reasons behind the high school’s decline. Mines began to close, the stock market crash of 1929, and the 1934 depression.
5. Alta talks of her 36-year career in the post office and the changes she witnessed in the mining business. Mining was very much a hot and cold industry. For example, during war years, metals were needed and mining increased. The post office was also used as a bank where countless money orders were issued.
6. Alta discusses the various forms of live music used for the Saturday night dances. They hired orchestras and band from all over the region as well as local artists. One band came all the way from Paonia. One local band was affectionately called the “Footwarmers”.
7. Alta discusses the strengths and talents of the 1925 Telluride class. E. Rella is a particular highlight for his musical and theatrical talents and his later successes in Rome. The basketball team was also spectacular.
8. Discussion of the two Telk boys who later became post office inspectors. Perino’s Silver Bell grocery store which is now Ace Hardware and the two sisters from Telluride who were talented violinists and went to the San Francisco orchestra after graduation.
9. Alta reminisces about the old opera house in the railroad building. There were actually two opera houses in town and it was here that Alta witnessed her first circus.
10. Alta describes the various establishments that all lived on the same block in Telluride. They included: Chicago Store for dry goods, barber shop, tailor, theatre, newspaper, Abstract Company, a restaurant and one of the opera houses.
11. Mention of family businesses: Pekkarine, Goldsworthy, Perino. Alta talks of old ticket stubs from Pete Perino’s grocery store which today is the Toggery.
12. Alta explains the exodus of people from Telluride when silver dropped. Some went to Durango for ironworks while others relocated to California.
13. Discussion about the two mortuaries in town; the first located across from Rose’s and the second up on the East End of town affectionately referred to as “Swamp Land”. Alta mentions when Hunter bought this land.
14. Mention of the cigar factory in town, directly behind the post office.
15. Alta talks of the newspaper office and what it meant to her to work there from 1927-1934. Then about her term as postmaster and her retirement in 1970. She worked 43 years at the post office and reflects on the changes of the town and its people.
16. 1905 was the height of population in Telluride as all mines were running. There were wooden sidewalks. Alta pays tribute to the amazing work ethic of the miners who often did not see the light of day for weeks at a time while digging underground.
17. Alta comments on the tragedies, crimes, past-time in the saloons, hurly girls, the opera house and the “Mules Skinners Ball”.
18. Susan Karcher, the town’s seamstress, did all the costumes for the ball and the “ladies on the line”. Alta points out that these women where respected in the community. Notes that Alquist takes as lady from the line as his second wife.
19. Alta discusses the Tomkins Christy Hardware store, today the Excelsior Café, Jewish women, the Oberts who was the town’s druggist and his wife who was a pianist.
20. Ballards various homes around Telluride, Alta talks of her sister’s death, and mention the Miner’s Union Building.
21. Alta mentions her brother Bert who enlisted in the services and how he managed to become a typist for the army.
22. Alta explains the circumstances around the shooting death of Mr. Baisch, mentions Frank Wilson and C.D. Waggoner.
23. Alta talks of highgrading, boot-legging of whiskey, and robberies.
24. Alta again mentions the two sisters who traveled to the San Francisco Orchestra. Their names, Aurora and Alba, both mean sunrise.
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Art Inama's Oral History Recording
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An oral history recording, that probably took place in 1979. This was side A of a cassette tape, owned by the Wilkinson Public Library, in Telluride, Colorado. The interviewer was Joy L. Poole.
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Avilena Rella's Oral History Recording
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An oral history recording made by Avilena (Rella) Bardwell. The date of this recording is unknown. The volume is low, as it was recorded from a cassette tape.
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