Cousin Jacks & Jennies in Gilpin County

A look at Cornish Miners and their contribution to Gilpin history

Forrest Whitman

05/01/2008 - At least one reader of the Gilpin County News has asked me where in the world the Peak-To-Peak Chorale concert is this year. Many don't know a little theater exists upstairs over the Doc Holiday Casino on Main Street Central City. It's there that the Cornish miners of our mountains, all those Cousin Jacks and Jennies, will be celebrated in song and story on Friday May 9th & Saturday May 10th. It will be a dinner theater provided by Tommyknocker's of Idaho Springs. During much of the 19th and early 20th  century the Cornish miners and their families were the heart and soul of hard rock mining on the front range. On those two nights the Peak-To-Peak Chorale, under the direction of Ann Wyss, will bring the Cornish story alive. The musical selections will be interspersed by spoken vignettes, a brass band, and other attractions. The script for this event owes much to Cora Jean Lennheer, who researched the Cornish miners at great length.

A Local Tells His Cornish Family Tales

  Don Bennallack of Gilpin is the last survivor of his Cornish family. His grandfather William Bennallack was a local shop keeper and had nine children: William, Martha, Mary Ellen, Emily Mariah, Cordelia (the pretty one), Maraduke, Ralph, Louise (the mean one) and Don Bennalick's father, Ralph. Of those 13 children there is no single living descendant except for Don. Bennallack will tell many local tales as part of the program. He'll especially talk of the great Fourth of July celebrations around these mountains and the local brass bands. What great names they had; like Babcock's Band in Black Hawk, the Centennial Cornet Band, The Gilpin County Reed and Brass Band, The Nevadaville Brass Band etc.

Why The Cornish Came

  America is a land of immigrants. Each group arrives, holds on to their own customs for a generation or two and them becomes part of the “American Stew.” The Cornish were no different, but they had a larger influence in our part of the world. They had been called “Tin Men,” as tin miners back in Cornwall, but times had changed. Back in Cornwall they'd mined deep under the sea and brought out tin since the times of the Romans. But by the mid 19th century, the natural tin supply was giving out. Many of the Cornish families were living in quite poor circumstances. The allure of America and a new start was strong. Several regions of Cornwall lost a third or more of their population as whole families emigrated. “Trevithick's Venture” referred to the export of Cornish mining techniques, and particularly mining pumps to the United States, Mexico, and Central America during this whole period. The Cornish also brought with them many of the traditions that came to be known as “mountain” here in Colorado, even the meat pie or “pasty.”

A Faith of Christian Song and Paganism Too

  Mountain church singing through much of a service was in part due to Cornish influence. The Cornish were well known for founding churches of a moderately evangelical sort where choral singing was the center of the service. St. James Methodist in Central City is a good example. It was not only founded by the Cornish, it looks like a Cornish Church. The organ pipes are painted with leaves. The main interior roof is painted in bright colors with lots of gold gilt. Even the motto over the altar is Cornish. The great hymns were sung in Cornish until probably around 1900. Cornish was not an easy language for other mountain folks to understand. When a Cornishman brought his son to the doctor he said “Es 'ave a sore ouzel and cannot clunk,” the doctor didn't know what was wrong! But the church services were also spoken partly in standard English, as not only the Cornish attended services on Sunday mornings. Gradually Cornish language and customs waned and the American “Melting Pot of Ethnic Stew” happened once again in our mountains.

  Another important religious tradition arrived with the Cornish. The Celtic Religion was not completely obliterated by Christianity in Cornwall, and some of those “pagan” traditions carried on in our mountains. Many Cornish wore old style amulets with the ancient sacred animals engraved on them. The owl, eagle, and the bluebird of Celtic mythology crossed the water with the Cornish. Also the tree of life, or the world tree was featured. Of course the most famous pagan import was the Tommyknocker. These mischievous little men lived down in the mines wherever the Cornish went. They did play tricks, but were well loved. Many a pending mine cave-in was reported by the Tommyknockers, providing enough time for the miners to clear out. These “little people” were long a part of Celtic lore and never quite tamed. Here in the New World some old time Cornish folks still left a little offering on Samhain Day (our Halloween) for these ancient peoples of the underworld.

Miner's Life Wasn't Easy

  Some of the stories which will be told at the program depict what a hard life mining really was. One particularly riveting tale concerns a miner who spent 14 days digging his way out of a collapsed mine. He returned to Nevadaville to a hero's welcome. A few days later he was back working in the mine. As they said: “A mine is a hole in the ground with a Cornishman at the bottom of it.” In fact, the life expectancy of miners during that era was not lengthy. Those who lived to age fifty were regarded as old men.

Some Rich and Famous Colorado Cornish

  The Gilpin County Sheriff Dick Williams is likely the best known public figure of Cornish descent. He not only served many terms as Sheriff, he also served as a County Commissioner and delegate to various state conventions. Other Cornishmen made fortunes in mining. The Capitol Hill Denver mansion of Richard Pearce was a landmark paid for by mining proceeds. Matthew Penhallow and James Reskelly were also substantial miners during that period. Many of them  made their fortunes by investing in mines once their own mining days were over.

Does The Melting Pot Still Give Us an American Stew?

  The Cornish were, of course, only one of the ethnic groups that gradually melted into the “stew” of American citizens we know today. Those who doubt that immigrants are good for the country, should take a look at what the Cornish did in these very mountains. If you’d like to learn more about our Cornish heritage, you can call 303-582-5833 and make a dinner theater reservation.