Transcribed by Marta Norton MartaNorton@q.com

2 January 2005

 

Pioneers Outfoxed Indians in Attempt at Trade

(1858-1859)

 

The Colorado Springs Gazette

8 March 1959 page BB 12

 

Hannah BASSETT, who came to the Pikes Peak Region with her husband, William, in 1859, was both ambitious and beautiful.

 

Because she was ambitious, the family crossed the plains five times.

 

Because she was beautiful, a band of Indians tried to trade a large number of horses to William BASSETT for her.

 

BASSETT, who operated a sawmill at the pinery, now known as Black Forest, didn’t want to irritate the Indians who proposed trading horses for his wife, since members in the wagon train were greatly outnumbered, so men in the party decided on a ruse that was effective.

 

Slipping away from the wagon train, several of the men made their way to a nearby creek, where they spotted their faces with berry juice.

 

Returning to the conference being held over Hannah BASSETT, the men confronted the Indians, explaining they had smallpox.  Frightened, the Indians broke up the conference and drifted away.

 

William and Hannah BASSETT are among 160 persons listed at the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum as having arrived in the Pikes Peak Region in 1858 and 1859.

 

Among the early arrivals was Melancthon S. BEACH, who located Colorado City, built the first house there, was the first county recorder and represented El Paso County in the first territorial legislature.

 

Others on the 1858-1859 list are:

 

Adams, William A. – Claimed 160 acres on Fontaine qui Bouille about 7 miles below Colorado City.

 

Archibald, A. W.

 

Auchinvole, Charles J.

 

Aux, George

 

Baldwin, Amanda Melvina (Mrs. Elisha E.)

 

Baldwin, Elisha Emery – Father of Mrs. Zopher Holden of Colorado Springs

 

Banning, Laura (Mrs. Sylvester)

 

Banning, Sylvester

 

Barth, Andrew

 

Bassett, Alden – Had a sawmill

 

Bassett, William – Picture of him in the article

 

Blake, Charles H. – Member Colorado City Town Company

 

Blodgett, A. D.

 

Blodgett, Martha (Mrs. A. D.)

 

Blodgett, W. R.

 

Bolin, B. H. – Claimed 160 acres 12 miles from Colorado City on “Cut Off” to Denver Road.

 

Bollman, Edward

 

Bott, Anthony – Came with a party from Kansas City in November 1858, and laid out a town which they called “Eldorado” on the site soon to be claimed at “Colorado City”

 

Burghardt, H. J.

 

Burghardt, M. D.

 

Bute, George A. – Was with Anothy Bott in 1858 when the party laid out “Eldorado”

 

Cable, R. E. – Credited with naming “Garden of the Gods”

 

Cady, F. W. – Claimed 160 acres 15 miles from Colorado City on north fork of the Little Fountain

 

Chesstnut, James D. – Claimed 160 acres in Squirrel Creek Pinery about 15 miles from Colorado City

 

Chever, C. B.

 

Chever, David A. – Member original Colorado City Town Company

 

Clark, Henry S. – Appointed county commissioner by Governor Gilpin

 

Cobb, Frank M. – Climbed Pikes Peak in 1858

 

Coby, Henry – Belonged to Company G, Colorado Cavalry and took park in Civil War and in the Battle at Sand Creek

 

Comstock, Harris S. – Claimed 160 acres lying on the west side of Cheyenne Creek at its junction with Fontaine qui Bouille

 

Cook, F. A. – Claimed 160 acres on Fontaine qui Bouille one half mile below Cheyenne Creek

 

Cook, G. W.

 

Corson, W. A.

 

Cotten, James Madison

 

Cotten, Oliver Martin – On grand jury in 1861, Justice of the Peace in 1862 and father of Frank Cotten

 

Cotten, William – Great Uncle of Frank Cotten

 

Cramer, Nathan

 

Crowley, John

 

DeLong, James – Claimed 160 acres on Fontaine qui Bouille 10 miles below Colorado City

 

Devlin, Pat – Killed by “Jim” Laughlin in Colorado City

 

Donovan, Joe B.

 

Dugen, Seth – Claimed 160 acres where road leads to “Big Mountain Pinery”

 

Enos, James – Claimed 160 acres being the first to claim north of and adjoining the claim of M. S. Beach on Camp Creek

 

Eskins, Peter Phillip

 

Fletcher, William Dudley

 

Ford, Col. F. R.  and his wife Henrietta

 

Fosdick, H. M. (Colonel) – Platted original Colorado City town site and was the first to show that farming could be successful.  He plowed up a few acres on the south side of Fountain Creek and planted all sorts of fruit and vegetables

 

Foushee, John G.

 

Fulerton, James – Claimed 160 acres on Fountaine qui Bouille at mouth of Bear Creek

 

Ganit, G.

 

Garvin, Dr. James Paul – Was the first physician of El Paso County.  He built the cabin that was located “just above” the Templeton Block on Colorado Avenue, called by some uniformed people the “State Capital”

 

Garvin, William

 

Gilmore, Charles – Led a party of about 12 men from a place near Denver and laid out “El Dorado City” in 1859

 

Girton, Sarah (Mrs. Thompson)

 

Girton, Thompson

 

Gleason, A. H.

 

Goldberg, Gumpert – Claimed 160 acres on Fontaine qui Bouille about 9 miles below Colorado City

 

Graves, W. H.

 

Gregory, John

 

Hall, George B.

 

Hall, H. I.

 

Hall, O. C.

 

Harman, Lewis

 

Hayden, Lewis – Claimed 160 acres near Colorado Avenue; grandfather of Zopher Holden of Colorado Springs

 

Higgens, Thomas J. – Higgens and Cobb and a Mr. Baker, known as “Hog” Baker, were among the first business men in Colorado City

 

Hinman, “Hersey”

 

Holden, Daniel M. – Father of Zopher Holden of Colorado Springs

 

Holliday, Duncan

 

Holmes, James A. and his wife – Climed Pikes Peak in 1858.  It is thought that she is the first woman to have made the trip

 

Holmes, William

 

Humbert, Prosper – Claimed 160 acres on the Little Fountain

 

Husted, Calvin R. – Had a ranch at what is now called Husted, parted of Air Force Academy site.

 

Irion, John W. – A government surveyor

 

Long, Isaiah K. – Claimed 160 acres on Fountain qui Bouille one mile below its (can’t read) on with Monument

 

Love, Arthur B.

 

Love, James

 

Love, William A. – Platted Love and Quimby addition to Colorado City; the site occupied by Philadelphia and Colorado Smelting

 

McAlroy, E. P.

 

McCarty, Michael – Member of Colorado City Town Company

 

McCloud, Alexander – Claimed 160 acres in “Big Valley”

 

McClure, W. P. – Member Colorado City Town Company.  He fought a duel with Richard Whitsitt in Denver and was severely wounded, but recovered.

 

McCrea, Reuben

 

McDonald, Angus R.

 

McMahan, John – Claimed 160 acres on south side of Fontaine qui Bouille

 

Macomber, Major W. H. – Belonged to “Old Time Cowboys”

 

Middleton, Robert and his wife

 

Miller, Frank

 

Miller, John D.

 

Miller, Paul

 

Moore, James A. and Minerva, his wife with T.A. Jones, G. Chapman and M. D. Burghardt, he claimed 160 acres in the “Squirrel Creek Pinery”

 

Moore, William B.

 

Morrow, Robert – Grandfather of Robert Morrow of Colorado Springs

 

Murphy, Patrick – Lived near Monument and used to walk to Denver carrying butter and eggs.  Lived to be 103 years old

 

Murphy, William – Claimed 160 acres on the Monument

 

Myers, Ira – Claimed 160 acres on Camp Creek

 

Oaks, Joseph – Homesteaded on Kiowa Creek

 

Ohlinger, Jacob

 

Owens, Thomas

 

Parkinson, John T. – Member original Colorado City Town Co

 

Parr, Joseph – Claimed 160 acres about 1 mile below junction of Fontaine qui Bouille and Cheyenne Creek, being on road that leads to “South Pinery”

 

Persall, Charles W. – Helped M. S. Beach build the first house at 28th and Colorado Ave.

 

Price, C. W.

 

Price, John J.

 

Putnam, George W. – Member Colorado City Town Co

 

Richardson, Albert D. – Was connected with New York Tribune and was an active member of this community;  had a claim on Monument Creek and was a member of Colorado City Town Co

 

Reed, Asa Harden

 

Roberts, David

 

Rowley, I. H.

 

Shepherd, I. T. – Claimed 160 acres on Monument Creek

 

Simpson, Daniel

 

Simpson, Hiram

 

Simpson, Jim

 

Simpson, Lorenzo Dow

 

Skerritt, Joseph – Chestnut, Skerritt, McDonald and Smith claimed 640 acres in Squirrel Creek Pinery, 15 miles from Colorado City

 

Smith, Joseph

 

Smith, Julian – One of the founders of “El Dorado City”; also member of Colorado City Town Co

 

Smith, Samuel

 

Smith, W. A.

 

Spielman, Clementina Girto (Mrs. David)

 

Spielman, David

 

Steele, Robert W.

 

Stout, E. P. – Member Colorado City Town Co

 

Tallman, John M.

 

Tappen, George H. – Member of Tappan and Company, owners of a general store in Colorado City;  built a concrete residence near Colorado City

 

Tappan, John G. – Member of Tappan and Company

 

Tappan, Lewis N. – Was one of the surveyors with M. S. Beach, who laid out the town site of Colorado City

 

Tappan, Samuel – Friendly toward the Indians, member of First Colorado Regiment, come from Massachusetts

 

Tappan, William – Owned what is now 720 S. 8th St.

 

Templeton, Andrew J. – Templeton Gap is named for him

 

Thompson, John – Claimed 160 acres 20 miles from Colorado City southward on Fontaine qui Bouille

 

Tucker – “There was at the time a man named Tucker, and two others, encamped on the Fountain a little distance above the new town site”  (Eldorado City)

 

Voorhees, August

 

Wade, A. B. – Claimed 160 acres on a stream called Antelope Creek

 

Waggoner, Seymour W. – A member from Colorado City of the First Colorado Battery on the Union side in the Civil War and served in Missouri

 

Wanless, John W.

 

Warren, T. H.

 

West, Robert S. – Claimed 160 acres in the “Big Valley” and in 1862 was constable

 

Whitsitt, Richard E. – Fought a duel with pistols with W. P. McClure in Denver

 

Wilking, Oscar – Claimed 160 acres “near H. D. L. Morse”

 

Willis, Robert B. – Supervisor of District one of roads, Colorado City

 

Winchester, L. J. – President of Colorado City Town Company

 

Wineka, Otto – One of the four founders of Fountain City near Pueblo also had claim near Garden of the Gods

 

Woodward, G. A. – Member of original Colorado City Town Co

 

Wootten, Rickens L. – Had an early claim on the Soda Springs of Manitou

 

Wright, Andrew C. – Road overseer in Colorado City

 

Wyatt, N. G.