Descendants of Edwin L. Mansfield claim that he was only White River Indian Agency employee to escape with his life. That statement was not entirely correct as we shall see later. All during the summer of 1879, Agent Meeker had urged military intervention to enforce his ideals of a Ute[Read More…]
Tag: History Lessons
HISTORY LESSONS: Agency Survivors
A couple of weeks ago Kevyn Mack of the White River Museum produced Letter No. 56. Correspondence between Nathan Meeker and E.A. Hayt, commissioner, Indian Affairs. On July 2, 1879, the commissioner had approved the appointment of five employees and mentioned two resignations: Edgar E. Clark and James S. Fullerton. This[Read More…]
HISTORY LESSONS: Fire, the sequel
As a veteran Boy Scout, I can tell you that any camping experience can be rated on the quality of food consumed, how many blisters on your heel, and the availability of dry firewood. A rainy day spent in a leaky tent with no chance of lighting a campfire can[Read More…]
HISTORY LESSONS: Miller Hill Cemetery Pt. 4
The Meeker Herald in the July 27, 1895 issue reported the US 8th Calvary was headed to Jackson Hole, Wyoming to persuade members of the Bannock tribe to return to their reservation. A large number of Indians were roaming the area hunting game. They were granted these hunting rights by[Read More…]
HISTORY LESSONS: The discovery of fire
One of the characteristics that separate man and beast is the control of fire. Eons ago, the first man discovered a burning ember left over from a lightning strike and said, “OUCH.” Language and four letter words were also discovered. Things progressed when he found a roasted squirrel left over[Read More…]
HISTORY LESSONS: The Miller Hill Cemetery Part 3
The Meeker Herald in the July 27, 1895, issue reported the U.S. 8th Calvary was headed to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to persuade members of the Bannock tribe to return to their reservation. A large number of Indians were roaming the area hunting game. They were granted these hunting rights by[Read More…]
HISTORY LESSONS: The Miller Hill Cemetery Part 3
I am continuing the series on people involved with the Miller Hill Cemetery, whether you want to read it or not! The names will appear in their order of death, if known. I am interweaving newspaper headlines as a backdrop to what was happening here in Northwest Colorado and the[Read More…]
HISTORY LESSONS: The Miller Hill Cemetery Part 2
When the oil companies began buying up land in the Piceance area, Miller Hill Cemetery was deeded along with the rest of the ranches. Through the efforts of the Rio Blanco Historical Society, RBC commissioners, Lila Cox, and Phyllis Lake, Exxon-Mobile deeded the cemetery and access to the Meeker Cemetery[Read More…]
HISTORY LESSONS: The Miller Hill Cemetery
Miller Hill Cemetery is located on County Rd 5 (Piceance) just about 1 mile north of the Rock School. I would recommend it as part of of a leisurely half-day trip. The White River Museum has an informational brochure giving you points of interest along the way. If you are[Read More…]
History Lessons — Founder stories: Charles Dunbar Pt. 3
The quest for the wild Wyoming Dunbar family continues. From Historic Wyoming newspapers, I gleaned two important clues: Charley Dunbar’s brother’s name, Benjamin Dunbar, and a time frame. This clue suggests that Benjamin might appear in the 1880 Nebraska Federal census instead of Wyoming. The newspaper had reported that he[Read More…]
History Lessons: Founder stories: Charles Dunbar Pt. 2
Photo of the early days of the Meeker Hotel from www.historymeeker.com Once more, the Dunbar family in this edition are NOT related to any Dunbar family in Meeker today. We covered the dramatic death of Charles Dunbar last week. What I didn’t know when I started my research, is where[Read More…]
History Lessons – Founder stories: Susan C. Wright
Everyone knows about our historic Meeker Hotel, once visited by politicians and bank robbers. It was a resting place for weary travelers who would emerge from dusty stagecoaches run by the Harp family. What we now see is the product of decades of tearing down, remodeling, additions and hard work. [Read More…]