writing as Angela Raines
Sharing again.
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| Church in Nathrop, Colorado Wikipedia |
Mr. Nachtreib, born
April 20, 1833, in Germany, arrived in the Lake County area around
1859. He was a candidate from Lake County to the convention to admit
Colorado as a state in 1865, which was approved by the voters.
Although a constitution was adopted, President Andrew Johnson
rejected the petition in 1866. (Colorado was not admitted as a state
until 1876, becoming known as the Centennial State)
In addition to having a
business along with being postmaster in Nathrop, Colorado, Nachtrieb
also owned land in Gunnison County where his large ranch was located.
(Nathrop is an Anglicized version of Nachtrieb). He is also credited
with having the first grist mill west of the Mississippi.
In 1879, Nachtrieb,
along with Otto Mears and Issac Gothelf filed article of
incorporation with the state for the Poncho (Poncha), Marshall and
Gunnison toll road. The toll road was expected to cost twenty-five
thousand dollars and run from Poncha Creek in Chaffee County to the
Gunnison River. Apparently, there was a verbal agreement between Mears
and Nachtrieb that Mears would build from the Gunnison side to the
top of Poncha Pass and Nachtrieb would build from the Lake County
side. This arrangement came about due to the above-mentioned grist
mill and the farming, especially wheat, along with the higher price
paid in places like Oro City and other mining communities in the
area.
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| Otto Mears Wikepedia |
On October 3, 1881,
according to newspapers of the time, a man named Burt (Bert)
Remington shot and killed Nachtrieb in his store. Some reports say he
was a disgruntled former employee. Remington escaped and the search
was on. On Thursday, October 6, 1881, Governor Pitkin issue a
proclamation and offered a reward of $300 dollars for the arrest of
Remington. Nachtrieb was forty-nine at the time of his death.
How does the Lake
County War fit into all of this?
In 1874 Elijah Gibbs
and George Harrington quarreled over property, fencing, and water.
About fifteen days later, one of Harrington's outbuildings was set of
fire and when he went to deal with the blaze he was shot and killed.
Due to the quarrel, Gibbs had with Harrington, he was the prime
suspect. Tempers and gossip fueled the incident and soon Gibbs was
marked for a lynching. Cooler heads prevailed and they were bound
over for trial. With emotions running so high, a change of venue put
the trial in Denver. There Gibbs and his hired hand McClish were
found not guilty. McClish left the area, but Gibbs returned to his
home in Lake County (Now part of Chaffee County).
Things appeared to
return to normal, but in January of 1875 the vigilantes got a warrant
for assault, for the first quarrel, and went after Gibbs. Gibbs, along
with others made a run over South Park and ended up in Colorado City.
The sheriff secured warrants and followed them to Denver. Gibbs and
his cohorts left the Denver hotel, where the sheriff allowed them to
stay, due to implied lynching stories put out by the papers in
Denver.
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| Collegiate Peaks Photo property of the author |
At the end of January
of that year, the Committee of Safety organized in response to Gibbs
and the Regulators he was purported to be a part of. This Safety Committee, composed of most of the prominent men in the region,
including Nachtrieb, intended to rid Lake County of all suspected
murderers, cattle thieves, land grabbers, and any other undesirables.
In following through with their agenda, the flames grew greater.
Anyone coming into the area was questioned, and if they were
determined to be 'undesirable' they were asked to leave. One of the
men questioned was Judge Elias Dyer, son of the itinerant preacher
'Father' Dyer. He took exception to being told to resign when he
told his inquisitors he believed Gibbs was not guilty. Dyer
eventually returned to the area and while holding court was shot and
killed. There were those who said Dyer, by his actions, brought about
his own demise, while others said the opposite.
Judge Dyer, in writing
his thoughts in the matter, indicated that the man who killed Charles
Nachtrieb was the nephew of Mr. Harrington, the man whose murder
started the whole affair. To this day, the who, whats, and wherefores
are hidden in time and memories. Story after story offers conflicting
information. In the end, was Charles Nachtrieb killed over 'wages' or
the 'war'. We may never know. The Lake County War, a year-long,
impacted the lives of so many. Like the death of Charles Nachtrieb,
we may never know the whole true story.
What I've shared is
just a small part of the story of Charles Nachtrieb and the Lake
County War. For more on the War, the book by Don and Jean Griswold,
“History of Leadville and Lake County Colorado” is a good place
to start. There is additional information by Gayle Gresham, whose
great great grandfather was also involved, in the book “Rush to the
Rockies” published by the PPLD as part of the Regional History
Series.
Doris Gardner-McCraw -
Author, Speaker, Historian-specializing in
Colorado and Women's History
Colorado and Women's History
Angela Raines - author: Telling Stories Where Love & History Meet
Great Information,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing..
You are welcome. It is a complex and fascinating piece of history. Doris
DeleteFirst Time reading about Lake County War in CO. I think Nachtrieb's claim of the "first grist mill west of the Mississippi" may have been his personal boast. Ceran St. Vrain had grist mills in Taos, and Mora, NM and near Fort Garland,CO before the Civil War.
ReplyDeleteI thought the same myself. The whole mountain man, early fur trading forts era is one I am fascinated with. That is another post further down the line. Doris
DeleteI couldn't help wonder why Nachtreib left Germany and came to Colorado. Did he want to escape religious persecution in Germany? And obviously he must have been wealthy to own a huge ranch in Colorado. Very interesting reading, as usual, Doris.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth, I don't know. I came across his part in this story when I was researching the early women doctors. His daughter, Josephine was one of the early doctors. She practiced in Pueblo, Colorado and her daughter also became a doctor. They both ended up moving to Texas.
ReplyDeleteI'm happy your found the story interesting. I have a friend who helped research a book on the war. It hasn't been released yet, but I know I look forward to reading it when it does come out.
Doris