When the Army occupied the White River valley (1879-1883) they kept the troops busy by improving the road from Rawlins. The road was realigned and new bridges built to accommodate the heavy traffic of supplying 2000 men. The road became known as the Government Road. The Army was not known for originality. The journey took several days with oxen, mule, or horse-drawn wagon. One of the resting places where water and grass was available was in Routt County (now Moffat). It was a natural place to lay over and spend the night. It soon became known as “Lay Over.” Soon, there enough ranchers and settlers lived in the area to warrant a post office.
Pleasant Peter Harp is not listed as a founder on the 1949 Courthouse Rock. I am not sure why. He was certainly part of the original 1883 Meeker Townsite Company. In fact, he was the secretary of the corporation. It is possible that he sold his shares early on. There are several names that were listed with the 1883 company who faded away before the land had clear titles.
Pleasant Harp was usually referred to as P.P. or Pete. In the press release announcing the Meeker Townsite in 1883, he signed the article as P.P. Harp, Secretary. Peter was brother to Thaddeus S. and Horace “Simp” Harp. Thaddeus and Simp owned and operated the stage and freight line beginning in what would become Rifle. Once the Denver Rio Grande and Western Railroad tracks were laid that far west, a practical freight route to Meeker was possible. The road was much shorter than the old Government Road to Rawlings.
The three brothers were among 10 children of William Con Harp and Hannah Marie Brouse. All 10 were born in Iowa. Our Pete was named after his uncle Pleasant Preston Harp (1827-1903), who once traveled to Meeker for a family visit in 1899 from Pella, Iowa. Among other enterprises, Thad and Simp ran the Stage and Freight wagons along the Government Road: Rifle — Meeker — Axial — Craig. Their start in business was boosted by winning the Rifle to Meeker U.S. Mail contract.
According to Pete’s obituary, Pete came to Colorado during the 1878 Leadville excitement. He married Miss Minnie Blinn at Buena Vista, Colorado, in 1880 and in 1883, brought her to the White River Valley. Pete was part of the Meeker delegation who traveled to Glenwood in July of 1887 to prove up on the Meeker Townsite. The party consisted of Mayor Clark, James L. McHatton, Col. J. D. Thayer, Frank Sheridan, Pete Harp, and James Lyttle of the Meeker Herald.
Pete homesteaded 160 acres on Sulphur Creek, north of Meeker. In 1888, he refused an offer of $2,000 for the ranch. In April of 1889, Pete formed a partnership with Charles S. Attix: ATTIX & HARP, real estate. Pete died at his home in Meeker on Dec. 8, 1891. He has the distinction of being the first occupant of the new Highland Cemetery above the White River. Good real estate people know when to move in before things get crowded. Minnie died in Los Angeles, California in 1941. I did not find any recorded children.
Sources: Coloradohistoricnewspapers.org; Rio Blanco Historical Society; ancestry.com; Meeker Herald
