Post by Doris McCraw
writing as Angela Raines
We always hear about the 'wild towns' of the Old West; Dodge City, Abilene, and Wichita. Each state has its wild town. Since I live in Colorado it seemed appropriate to take a look at some of the towns where things could and did get out of hand.
Boston, Colorado. A town in Baca County in the Southeast portion of the state. It's close to the border with Oklahoma. It was founded in 1885 and the post office closed in 1893. Its growth was fast and the end even faster. This piece from the newspaper will give you an idea of what was going on.
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| The Aspen Weekly Chronicle April 15, 1889 |
Tin Cup, Colorado. A mining town located north of Gunnison in Gunnison County began its life as Virginia City. The town was not easy to access and the railroad never arrived there. In an article from 1975, they mention 'Frenchy's Place' as the type of saloon most think of as an Old West saloon. It was noted as having the fanciest women in Colorado. This opening paragraph illustrates some of the issues the town had.
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| Pitkin Independent July 15, 1882 |
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| Aspen Weekly Times June 11, 1892 |
There are more stories from towns in Colorado whose history is begging to be explored, but that is probably for a future post.
And we thought NYC was bad... . Thanks for posting.
ReplyDeleteFolk sometimes forget Colorado and it's early days. I'm glad you found it interesting. Doris
DeleteOh my goodness, Doris--these are just fascinating! I love these old newspaper clippings you are sharing. Feels like we were right there witnessing the death of Robert Ford, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteCheryl, these are just the start. Colorado could get pretty 'wild'. The Ford article does just that, you feel like you're there. Glad you found in interesting. Doris
DeleteA great article, Doris. There is nothing quite like studying old newspapers to get that sense of history. It connects to the past.
ReplyDeleteThank you. Keith
Keith, I agree with you about the newspapers. I find so many pieces that end up in my 'clippings' file for future use. Doris
DeleteThank you for sharing those wonderful snapshots of historical events with us, Doris! I thoroughly enjoyed reading them.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed them Mark. I can't seem to get enough of the history of my adopted state. Doris
DeleteSo fascinating, and I too, love the clippings. Keep it up!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Vicky. They are so rich with not only information, but the way they wrote, I can't get enough. Doris
DeleteI'm aware of Creede and Tin Cup, but Boston was new to me, Doris! I wonder who gave it that name. Pretty far from the well-known Boston.
ReplyDeleteJeff, I came across Boston a couple of years ago. It was just a short piece, but then I was off on the hunt. It informed some of my 'romance' novel "Chasing a Chance". It really had a short, but unique history. The only thing left now is the cemetery. The townsite in now private property and nothing left. Doris
DeleteReally enjoyed the clippings. A must read for those who don't believe in the "wild west."
ReplyDeleteI agree, Jesse. The west did have some 'wild' areas and bloody moments. Doris
DeleteHistory always makes for the most interesting reading. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure, John. Like you, history is so rich and to dig into the stories is time well spent. Doris
DeleteAlways love your stories Doris! Fascinating snippets of history and the clippings are always great.
ReplyDeleteThank you! It is something I can't seem to get enough of, the stories they tell in the old newspapers. Doris
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