I am interested in a thousand things, so which one shall I discuss? Fruit farming in the Fremont County area is a subject brought to my attention in the last few weeks, which I then immediately did some research and found a fascinating map of the Beaver Land and Irrigation Company, covering a large chunk of our county from Four Mile Creek to Beaver Creek. Named “Fruitlands.” Then, there was the difficulty of real estate development of a “nonconforming” lot, which prompted my intense interest and research into that particular real estate area. Then the idea that we have a neighbor county (Custer) who have turned everyone loose to be comfortable, and oh, no, they ended up with “probably six Covid cases.” However, it was determined they immediately get the tracing out and call anyone you have associated with (if you test positive), as also being a victim of the virus.
So, which of these particular subjects is worthy of your attention? Ah, yes, the wonderful inspiration, which was so elusive. I think the idea of our history of the County is as interesting as any other subject, and since I have lived a good half of it (the county was named in 1861) and was part of the Jefferson Territory I have a great interest in how it was shaped, governed and progressed. The information I am so often presented with from people who are looking for answers is amazing.
I got a note from a gentleman who found a handwritten letter in the insulation of his attic (old, historic, home in Kansas). He sent me the typed letter as he interpreted the handwritten script, but was uncertain as to the signature. I could not read it (old eyes) so took it to the History Center for Rachel to look at. She immediately said, “This looks like Frankie Harding, to me.” The letter was either from or to “Grace,” and written after the people had moved away. What a challenge! I will be busy for a few days researching this particular family and hope to find Frankie and Grace in the annals of this city.
On another occasion - I was contacted on my Facebook page about the Townsend family. As it just so happened, I had just been given an entire suitcase full of pictures, identified as Townsends. Wow, what a find, I promptly gave the suitcase to the Florence Archives, and will indeed look into the Townsend family someday.
I also was made aware of another old family name which was recently mentioned in a post. The Locke or Lock family was the subject, and lo and behold, I received a picture with questions about it that only said “The Lock girls,” and it was four beautifully dressed young ladies. Period 1890 to 1900? Gosh, how exciting is that
The mysteries and stories about our past are as numerous as the people who came and went throughout the many decades since they first crossed the prairie and found the Climate Capitol of Colorado. We are indeed fortunate to live in such a beautiful place, and have such enthusiastic people as neighbors and business people here to serve us. We have our problems, of course. We also have very progressive people in office, now, that can guide our County and Cities down the road to a more secure and profitable future. We are over the “scare.” We are simply not going to bow down to the ridiculous concept we are all going to die if we do not follow the Center for Disease Control guidelines.
So, there. My inspiration has run down. Hope you have a little inspiration in your life to sing a song, hum a melody or write a poem soon.