Special to the HT
MEEKER | The role of Leadville in the development of the White River Valley and Piceance was huge.
Leadville and the surrounding mining areas were a giant magnet, drawing miners and entrepreneurs from back East and Europe — gold seekers and adventurers from every social stratum: Civil War veterans, silver-spoon young men, blacksmiths and young teachers. They all wanted something different.
The mid-1860s and 1870s created a rich, 20-mile-square mining district around Leadville. Horace Tabor, J.J. Brown and other mine owners made fortunes buying and selling claims and financing ore removal. The miners who worked the claims did not fare as well, but they earned enough to support dozens of saloons and other businesses.
Leadville had at least two newspapers. One promoted unregulated mining interests; another reflected the growing labor movement.
The shrewdest business owners catered to both labor and mine owners and stayed out of politics. These businessmen saw the wisdom of taking profits and investing outside the mining districts. Some used money earned in Leadville and other mining towns to establish homesteads on Piceance Creek and the White River.
Leadville business owners also invested part of their fortunes in cattle herds to graze on the lush open ranges of the White River Valley. They became part of the absentee investment class here. Eastern banking interests and even English investors sought large profits. Today, many local residents are descended from those English transplants. The opening of former Ute Reservation lands in 1884 added thousands of available acres.
The Baer Brothers were among the more successful absentee owners. After making a fair fortune in Leadville saloons, they had the sense to acquire land along the White River near the fledgling town of Meeker. They were even smarter to partner with Thomas Kilduff. Together they acquired more land and more brands. The Baers also partnered with Meeker businessmen to build saloons, a dairy and a flour mill.
James Lincoln “Linc” Tagert also came from Leadville. His father worked in businesses in the early 1880s, including charcoal burning and timber dealing. Linc later became successful in Meeker as owner of a hardware store at Sixth and Main streets. The building still stands today as part of the Historic District. He also served several terms in county offices.
Rio Blanco County and northwest Colorado have many descendants of Leadville pioneers. Starting with a list compiled by the 1933 Oldtimers Club of Rio Blanco County, I identified 110 families with Leadville-Rio Blanco County connections. The list runs six pages, so I won’t publish it. If you would like a copy, some are available at the White River Museum.
Sources: ColoradoHistoricNewspapers.org; Meeker Herald; Rio Blanco Historical Society; Ancestry.com
