Colorado 150 - The Men at the Beginning

Post (C) Doris McCraw

aka Angela Raines

Image Property of the Author

I thought it would be interesting to talk a bit about those early 'politicians' who were involved in the 1861 Territorial Legislative Session.

Let me start with the provision from the February 28, 1861, document creating the Colorado Territory:

"The legislative power and authority of the Territory shall be vested in the governor and a legislative assembly.

The legislative assembly shall consist of a council and house of representatives.The council shall cosist of nine members, which may increased to thirteen, having the qualifications of votors as hereinafter prescribed, whose term of servic shall continue two years. The house of represntatives shall consist of thirteen members, which may be increased to twenty-six, possessing the same qualifications as prescribed for members of the council and whose term of service shall continue one year." 

Below is a brief look at some of those men.

Dr. E.A. Arnold, elected president of the council, was a miner who, at the time of the legislative session's convening, was living in California Gulch (later known as Leadville). It was said he had mined in most of the territory. The stories say Dr. Arnold was on his way to Carson Valley, Nevada, when he was set upon, killed, and scalped.

Colonel John M. Francisco - Born in Bath, Virginia, in 1820, he moved around before finally settling in Colorado. He was a government sutler at Fort Garland until 1862. He is credited with building the town plaza, which became LaVeta.

Judge Charles F. Holly - Born in Connecticut in 1819, he was a graduate of Kenyon College in Ohio. He studied law privately with two different attorneys, then practiced law in Missouri. He moved to Colorado in 1860. He served on the Union side in the Civil War as part of the 2nd Colorado Cavalry Regiment. He died in Buelah, Colorado, in 1901.

Victor Garcia - Born in 1832 in what is now New Mexico. He settled in Colorado in 1855 and had been active in politics in New Mexico. He was very active in Colorado politics most of his life.

Jesus Barela - Little is known about Barela. He was probably born between 1815 and 1820 in what is now New Mexico. Census has him in the Trinidad, Las Animas area. 

For additional reading about this era in Colorado History, I've included a link to E.A. Bowen's diary entries. E.A. Bowen

As with all history, effort has been made to be as accurate as possible.

If you are interested in being interviewed for this blog, contact me privately with Interview in the subject line.

Until next time

Stay safe - Doris

Angela Raines - Amazon

Doris A. McCraw - Amazon

16th Annual Peacemaker Awards Finalists

 16TH ANNUAL PEACEMAKER AWARDS FINALISTS

FOR WESTERN NOVELS AND STORIES PUBLISHED IN 2025

BEST WESTERN NOVEL

SNOWBOUND, Harlan Hague (Wolfpack Publishing)
CRY FLINT, Scott McCrea (Dusty Saddle Publishing)
RIVEN, Lincoln Valentine Mears (Lincoln Valentine Mears)
WHERE THE LONG TRAIL ENDS, Rod Miller (Speaking Volumes)
LOST CANYON, John D. Nesbitt (Wolfpack Publishing)
DISMAL TRAIL, Ron Schwab (Uplands Press)

BEST WESTERN SHORT FICTION

“Goddess of War”, Kelli Fitzpatrick, SILVERADO PRESS PRESENTS (Silverado Press)
“Leaving Deadwood Behind”, Bruce Hartman, SADDLEBAG DISPATCHES ANTHOLOGY (Saddlebag Dispatches)
“Of Emerald Hue”, John D. Nesbitt, PLAYING A LONE HAND (Thorndike Press)
“River of Retribution”, Vicky J. Rose, SHE RODE WEST (Saddlebag Dispatches)
“Shadrach”, Vicky J. Rose, RIDIN’ WITH THE PACK, VOLUME 3 (Wolfpack Publishing)

Winners will be announced June 15, 2026 on the WF website (www.westernfictioneers.com) and on this blog.

Western Fictioneers (WF) was formed in 2010 by professional Western writers, to preserve, honor, and promote traditional Western writing in the 21st century. Entries were accepted in both print and electronic forms.

The Peacemaker Awards are given annually. Submissions for the Peacemaker Awards for books and stories published in 2026 will be open in August 2026. Submission guidelines will be posted on the WF website. For more information about Western Fictioneers (WF) please visit: http://www.westernfictioneers.com.

Western Fictioneers would like to thank the judges for their excellent work and James Reasoner for being the Awards Chair.

On This Day in the Old West May 8

On this date in 1886, what is probably the most well-known soft drink in the world was invented and served. Dr. John Stith Pemberton, an Atlanta (Georgia) pharmacist, created the syrup for a new drink, which his partner and bookkeeper, Frank M. Robinson, named Coca-Cola, and a new age for soft drinks was begun.

At the time, the beverage was advertised as a tonic, good for "Sick Headaches, Neuralgia, Hysteria, Melancholy..." and even morphine addiction! Considering the original formula was said to contain both coca leaves and kola nuts, it may well have cured headache and melancholy, though I can't attest to any of the other ailments. Dr. Pemberton carried a jug of his new syrup down the street to Jacobs' Pharmacy, where it was sampled, pronounced "excellent," and sold for five cents a glass as a soda fountain drink, mixed with carbonated water.

Robinson's elegant handwriting was also responsible for the iconic trademark for the drink. The first newspaper ad for Coca-Cola soon appeared in The Atlanta Journal, inviting readers to try "the new and popular soda fountain drink." Hand-painted oilcloth signs bearing the trademark were hung from store awnings, with the word "drink" added so passersby knew the new word referred to a soda fountain beverage.

During the first year, sales averaged only nine drinks a day.

Dr. Pemberton never realized the full potential of his tonic. He gradually sold portions of the business to various partners. Just before his death in 1888, he sold his remaining interest in the beverage to Asa G. Candler, an Atlanta businessman and fellow pharmacist. Candler then proceeded to buy up additional rights an dsoon acquired complete control, for a total investment of $2,300. Under Candler's management, the Coca-Cola label soon dominated the global soft drink market throughout the 20th and 21st Centuries.

The background of Coca-Cola is as interesting as its current popularity. In 1885, at Dr. Pemberton's Columbus, Georgia drugstore (Eagle Drug and Chemical House), the pharmacist registered a nerve tonic called Pemberton's French Wine Coca. This might have been inspired by the success of Vin Mariani, a French-Corsican coca wine, but Pemberton's recipe also included the African kola nut, containing caffeine. In the same year, a Spanish drink called Kola Coca was presented in Philadelphia for a contest. In 1953, the rights for this drink were purchased by Coca-Cola.

In 1886, when Atlanta and Fulton County passed prohibition legislation, Pemberton's response was to develop a non-alcoholic version of his French Wine Coca, marketed as--you guessed it!--Coca-Cola. The "temperance drink" appealed to many people as the temperance movement became more popular. Drugstore soda fountains were also popular in America at the time due to the belief that carbonated water was healthier than still, and Coca-Cola was marketed and sold as a patent medicine.

Your characters may have enjoyed a glass of Coca-Cola at a soda fountain, or sought the drink out to cure whatever ailed them. At least it didn't have some of the crazy ingredients some patent medicines did, like opium or chloroform!

J.E.S. Hays
www.jeshays.com
www.facebook.com/JESHaysBooks