A 26 year-old man from Yuma, Michael Himes, collapsed while working at the Belvidere, and died Monday night, despite the best efforts of Search and Rescue EMT’s, Fight for Life helicopter crew and St. Anthony’s emergency medical personnel. It was learned later that he had a heart condition and had not been taking his medications.

Verna Esau is the latest addition to the courthouse staff. She is the assistant to the administrative assistant for the county commissioners.

Andrew Goodman of Golden reported that trespassers on his property in Lake Gulch took a 2 ½ ton dump truck from his property this week. Value of the truck: $700.

An officer of the law was called to the Gold Dust this week, on a report of people with no clothes on at the west end of the motel. The officer reported they were very “involved” when he found them behind their car. He advised them of possible places to stay after they told him they couldn’t find a room for the night.

Search and Rescue transported five people to Denver area hospitals from July 10^th to July 14th.

Over 230 people enjoyed the crab leg dinner served at St. James Methodist Church last Saturday night.

Denverite Janice Hall stars in “Lucia Di Lammermoor” the opera that promises the most electrifying mad scene in all of opera, the most famous sextet ever written for the stage and some of the most familiar and best-loved music ever sung.

While many parts of the country suffered from a heat wave, local residents donned jackets and rain gear to weather frequent thunder showers and cool temperatures.

The latest entertainment being enjoyed in Central is the carousel playing the old familiar tunes in the window of the Intrigue Gift shop on Lawrence Street. You know it’s a carousel, and not a merry-go-round, because it runs counter clockwise. Store operator, Pennie Riess says it is one of fifty carousels built by her father Norb Bartlett of Estes Park.

William Dansby, who sings Raimondo in “Lucia Di Lammermoor” at the Opera House this summer, leads the singing every Sunday at St. Mary’s Catholic Church.

Norm Blake has officially retired after more than 25 years with the Colorado Division of Mines. His party at Bernard’s Restaurant in Arvada drew 96 of his colleagues and friends.

Two trade names have been registered at the county courthouse so far this month. To M.L. James Paglione, “Clear Creek Acres.” To Victor Braecher, “Chateau Realty.”

Central City is requesting $375,000 of Block Grant funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for water system revitalization including repair and replacement of the water system in the Spring/Roworth Street and the High Street neighborhoods.

Daily Specials at Crook’s Palace in Black Hawk, Oldest Bar in Colorado, now serving food from noon on.

The Central City Association Guild’s annual walking tour of historic homes and buildings will include the McFarlane House, Thomas Billings House, Johnson House, Center House, Benoit House, various rooms in the Chain O’Mines hotel, the Lillian Gish apartment in the Penrose Complex, Belvidere Theater, Methodist Church and Gilpin County Historical Museum.

60 Years Ago – July 14, 1950

Over fifty horsemen on beautiful horses caused quite a comment as they rode up Eureka Street, stopping at the Teller House for a buffet lunch on Tuesday. They were members of the Rodeo Riders of the Rockies and on their way to St. Mary’s glacier where they intended to spend the night. Then they are on to Tolland, via Mammoth gulch, and then to the Van Fleet ranch where they will end their ride. Our own Honorable Mayor, John C. Jenkins, Jr. was among the riders, astride that memorable horse owned by Martin Nelson, who had won the race from Idaho Springs last week.

At the eleventh hour, President Truman signed the mine assessment bill giving holders of mining locations an additional three months to complete this year’s work.

The improvements and remodeling of the building adjacent to the old First National Bank building, have been completed by the local Post of the American Legion.

Mr. and Mrs. Buck Gregory are the proud parents of a new baby girl, born Monday afternoon in Denver and named Judy Marie.

Fred M. Bowden, a former resident of Central City, died Sunday at his home in Denver after a long illness.

Miss Caroline Bancroft, writer of western historical non-fiction will conduct a special tour of Central City for persons attending the 10^th annual Western Folklore conference in Denver.

Joe McCarthy, 63, has resigned as manager of the Boston Red Sox and retired from baseball because of his health.

Past Repast: Mustard Pickles – 20 medium cucumbers sliced, 1 quart tiny onions, 2 small heads cauliflower cut in pieces, 2 quarts green tomatoes cut in pieces, 6 green peppers, diced, 1 cup salt, 8 cups sugar, ¼ pound (1 ¼ cups) dry mustard, 1 cup flour, ½ ounce turmeric, 1 quart vinegar, 1 quart water-Place vegetables in separate containers and sprinkle the salt over them. Let stand overnight. Mix sugar, mustard, flour and turmeric; add vinegar and water and heat to boiling. Add vegetables and cook until they are tender and sauce has thickened. Seal in clean hot jars.

Mrs. Frances Adkinson, recent winner in a $10,000 radio contest, was here visiting her mother, Mrs. Emma Wiggins. Good luck seems to run in the family as Mrs. Wiggins recently won an automobile at a Denver theater.

How to take a dollar for a long ride – drive the new Ford V-8!

The cold war, which has caused one crisis after another in recent months, has flamed into a hot war on one front. Soviet sponsored armies of North Korea invaded South Korea using ground forces totaling as many as 40,000 men plus 90 tanks. Americans are being evacuated from Seoul by sea with U.S. air protection.

Alden Megrew, Director of the Department of Art at the University of Colorado will give this week’s free program of the Gilpin County Arts Association. His topic is Contemporary Art.

Good citizenship, like charity, begins at home, with the children growing up in homes to which the Register-Call goes each week. Everyone who reads the “Good Citizen” series will come to an even deeper realization of the unutterable value of his citizenship.

When the lights of the Opera House are dim and the shadows come over the ceiling, you may see a patch there at the spot where “Peg” Flynn fell through. One year he and a pal had sneaked up to that vantage point in the attic to watch a show and ended up moving the climax of that play ahead by 2 acts!

High speed crack railroad connections to the Chicago gateway, air lines from eastern cities and great driving conditions have made Colorado a top competitor for tourists, stealing them away, even from Florida.

A two day search for the season’s first lost fisherman, a man from Edgewater, in the rough country northwest of Ward, ended Thursday when the man made his way safely to a group of persons searching for him. He had become separated from his companions while fishing along Coney creek.

90 Years Ago – July 16, 1920

Of the initiated measures to appear on the ballot, the most important is for a constitutional amendment providing for the construction of the three railroad tunnels by the state. These tunnels are to pierce the Continental divide under James peak, to connect Denver with Northwestern Colorado via the Moffat road, and under Monarch and Cumbres passes, for the benefit of the San Juan section, reached by the Denver and Rio Grande.

Central City’s new physician, Dr. Struple and wife, arrived from Denver Monday morning and have rented the Ashbaugh house, back of the Teller House, where he will reside and have his office.

The census of 1920 shows the population of Central City at 552; Nevadaville, 51; Russell Gulch, 153; Black Hawk, 374; Rollinsville, 102; Apex, 49; and Tolland, 83. In 1900 there were 3,114 residents in Central; 1,200 in Black Hawk; and 823 in Nevadaville.

Even the lowly but useful angleworm has not escaped the high cost craze. Twenty-five cents per dozen is a modest price at some fishing resorts.

Central City’s marshal has notified owners of manure heaps to remove same.

Dorothy Gish in “Peppy Poll,” and a Ford weekly will be the picture program at the opera house on Saturday.

Central City’s council agreed and decided that the City of Black Hawk should be supplied with water until further notice at a rate of one dollar per day.

On Sunday afternoon the firemen of this city, called to Third High street by neighbors, broke in the back door of Mrs. John Segna’s residence, and soon had the flames under control. The cause of the fire remains a mystery as the home has been unoccupied since last month, but it was found the fire started between the kitchen and the bed-room, and burned out a large section of the floor and part of the partition between these rooms.

“Harding, Harmony and Prosperity,” is the watchword of the Republicans in the coming national election.

In Apex, the Evergreen Mines Co. are rebuilding the Wenger cottage on the Avenue, and when completed will be occupied by the Riggs family.

Gold coinage, which was stopped during the war, has been resumed and in the year 1920, 787,250 double eagles and 126,500 eagles were coined. Their total value was $16,990,000.

Don’t worry over the troubles of your neighbor. The modern way is to let him worry over yours.

Henry Peeck has signed a contract for the erection of a shaft building over the Clara Marie shaft, one of the claims in the Daisy group of mines. A gallows frame, 24 feet high, and a plant of machinery will soon be completed and installed.

Died: In Central City, July 13, Robert Davey, aged 62 years.

Monday evening a couple of men at the Lakeside resort between Golden and Denver, secured a bottle of home brew which was rather heavily surcharged with wood alcohol, the effects of which were undoubtedly much beyond their fondest hopes. A crowd of several thousand people gathered around for a glimpse of the pair as they frothed at the mouth, stood on their heads and climbed trees backward before attendants at the resort carried the pair out feet first to a waiting ambulance.

Colorado voters must give permission on the ballot to create Limon county out of portions of Lincoln and Elbert counties; and to create Flagler county out of portions of Lincoln and Kit Carson counties.

Life holds a barrel of Joy for you if you want it. But it expects you to pull the plug out of the bunghole.

120 Years Ago – July 18, 1890

Thank God there are only five states in which a schoolmaster can now legally flog a pupil. One of these is Massachusetts where teachers flog an average of two boys per day per capita.

The president has approved the designs for the new treasury notes provided for by the new silver bill. These notes will be in the denominations of $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50, $100, and $1,000. They will be printed in black on the face and green on the back with a new feature, the printing of their value in big black letters across the back, to dissuade raising or alteration of the notes.

AD: Ship your Ores and Tailings through Kellerup’s ore agency. Black Hawk’s office in P.O. Building.

It is seldom that the Register-Call makes a kick, but when the mining reporter of the Denver Republican copies mining items from the Register-Call and credits them to the Gilpin County Observer, it is high time for the manager at the Republican to purchase a pair of spectacles for Shannon, its reporter.

Five miners have been put to work continuing development of the Gold Dirt Mine in Independent District.

The stench arising from some of the waste pipes emptying onto Lawrence street is worst against property-holders residing in Denver, who draw their regular monthly rental from parties residing here. Those landlords are fully able to bear their proportionate expense in establishing a proper system of sewerage down that street to the main flumes in Gregory and Eureka gulches.

One party of tributers reported returns this week of $125 per ton for smelting ore of the Bates-Hunter property. That mine is running ten stamps continually on its own product and from five to ten stamps on tribute output.

Mr. Pressler who lives on North Clear Creek, opposite Nagle Hill on the ranch formerly owned by Mr. Clapp, informs us that a movement is on foot whereby a term of public school will be held in that district. A building has been secured, ample enough in its dimensions for the thirty children of school age who reside there.

Col. J.Q.A. Rollins has had a force of men at work in reopening that portion of the Rollinsville wagon road into Middle Park leading down Ranch Creek. Many of the large boulders washed in by heavy rains have been removed, as also the fallen timber. The road is now in splendid condition for travel for conveyances.

An extra train will leave Central on Saturday, carrying the St. James M.E. Sunday School children and others to the delightful mountain resort at Graymont. Round trip tickets at $1.50 each.

Silver has advanced to $1.06 ½ per ounce. Lead still remains firm at $4.42 ½ per 100 pounds. Copper is quoted at $16.50.

Hundreds of people in Minnesota perished on July 15 as cyclones tore through that state. Seventy-one bodies have been recovered at Lake City. The entire village of Vadnais, six miles north of St. Paul, is wrecked, not a building left standing, and eleven residents dead.

A few days ago there arrived in this city a woman who registered at one of the hotels as a married woman and two daughters. A man, claiming to be her husband, had arrived several days before. Securing rooms in one of the temples of illicit love, he moved the woman and girls there. One of the little girls, who has not yet reached the age of puberty, last evening, through the “father,” was to have met a man at this temple although she was most strenuous in her objections. Hearing of the affair, City Marshal Teague found the woman and girls quarters more congenial to a life of virtue and likely saved the little girl from being forced into a life of shame. The presumed husband skipped out sometime before dawn this morning.

A reporter of the Register-Call was shown rich specimens of float quartz from the vicinity of Pine creek, yesterday, picked up by wood-choppers. A piece weighing five ounces was pulverized in a mortar and panned. Six grains of free gold were extracted. Parties are now looking for the source.

The mosquitoes on the Jersey coast this year are reported so big that they have to get down on their knees to drink out of a tin cup. On a great many accounts Gilpin county is one of the most desirable and attractive points in the United States in summer.

Mr. C.F. Barker will erect a line of telephone poles from his place of business on Main street to his residence on Nevada street, said poles to be placed on Pine street so as not to obstruct that street nor infringe on the rights of property-holders, if city leaders permit him.

This forenoon the Gilpin Tramway train made a complete round trip of all of the principal mines along the line, the first round trip for some length of time.

Born: In Denver, July 10, 1890, to the wife of B. W. Sweet, a son.

Died: In Denver, July 11, 1890, Major Samuel Y. Smith, aged 60 years, a former resident of Black Hawk, Central City and Gilpin County.

Sunday evening Deputy Sheriff W.W. Williams took charge of a miner who lives in Packard gulch and is insane. It appears that he has a hallucination that someone is trying to murder him. He was found undressing himself for the purpose of jumping down a shaft near by. He is now at the county jail for safe-keeping until Sheriff Hopper can take him to the asylum in Pueblo.

Last week a local favorite canine pet, “Jip,” followed Mr. B.J. Smith as he was going over to the Williams Mine in Lake District. Reaching the summit of Bobtail mountain, Jip spied a chipmunk, which he pursued, and came to grief by stepping into a prospect hole about 20 feet in depth. Several hours afterward, surveyor E.E. Chase happened along, heard Jip barking, secured a ladder and released him. Jip returned to Central wagging his tail at being found and raised to the surface.

Company D, Fourth Battalion, Colorado National Guards, recently organized, held their first drill last evening at their headquarters at Armory hall. This company will soon receive their uniforms and muskets.

A Jefferson county farmer had a gang of tramps in his yard a few days ago who refused his order to “move on.” He showed remarkable presence of mind when he overturned a hive of bees. The suffering tramps disappeared.

There must be plenty of people in the lunatic asylum who were driven there because they were neighbors of those learning to play the piano.

There were a couple of election-related issues discussed at Tuesday’s meeting of the Gilpin County Commissioners, which in and of themselves weren’t terribly momentous, but served as a reminder that momentous events lie ahead.

County Attorney Petrock mentioned during his report that there is an election challenge to one of the Sheriff’s candidates that will probably be heard at District Court this week. The Clerk & Recorder is responsible for certifying candidates according to state statutes, but as with all statutes enacted by the Colorado General Assembly, there is always some gray area that requires interpretation.

Once those administrative issues are resolved, it will be on to the primary election campaign. A number of candidate forums are scheduled by various bodies, to be held in various venues around the County. Although the County itself doesn’t have anything much to do with those, we’re still very glad they are being held; it’s important that people get to know as much as they can about the various candidates before they make their decisions.

And those decisions are coming up very quickly indeed; one of the other matters on the Commissioners’ agenda was a resolution that would allow early voting for the primary election. The election itself is August 10^th (so the Commissioners won’t be meeting that day), with early voting at the Courthouse in Central City the week prior. Of course, a lot of Gilpin County residents have opted for mail-in ballots as well, and those will be mailed out in the same time frame.

But for the first time, as a result of the resolution passed at Tuesday’s meeting, early voting will be offered at the Community Center, on Saturday, July 31^st, from 9 to 3:30. The same technology that allows us to use Vote Centers – any voter from any precinct can vote at any site – allows our Clerk & Recorder’s office to conduct early voting at the Community Center as easily as at any other County facility, even the Old Courthouse here in Central City.

A similar resolution authorized early voting at the Community Center on October 23^rd, just before the general election November 2^nd.

Having early voting at the Community Center – and on a Saturday – is  just another way the Clerk & Recorder’s office is working to maximize voter turnout, while still guaranteeing the integrity of the electoral process.

And the electoral process is really all the County can be involved in – the political side of the process is something quite different. Still, it obviously affects all the County employees; frankly, it’s a pretty nervous time for us all.

While we all recognize that we work for the citizens of Gilpin County, there’s always some candidates who talk about doing away with this department head or that – or sometimes even whole departments!

These are all (well, most of them) legitimate and fair points for discussion; while the County functions as a political subdivision of the state, and most of our functions are largely mandated (though not always funded) by the state, there is always a lot of flexibility in how those functions are carried out.

So the County – and particularly the Clerk & Recorder’s office – will make it as easy as possible to vote. It’s up to the citizens as to who – and what – they vote for.

A few weeks ago as we started our study through the Gospel of John, and one of the key verses that we looked at was John 1:14 – “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” I think that John wrote this gospel so that today we could be included in that amazing privilege; “We have seen His glory.” The glory of the One and only incarnate Son of God; Show Me Your Glory! This seeing has huge effects. Verse 16 sums them up: “From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another.” When God gives us eyes to see the glory of Jesus – His beauty, greatness and worth – that great grace invades our lives. We have Grace to love; Grace to rejoice; Grace to live forever. So for every text I look at in this gospel, I’m praying: Show me your glory. Grant me your grace. Show me more of the greatness of Christ and help me to be more like Christ.

John says in verse 11, “This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee. He thus revealed His glory, and His disciples put their faith in Him.” So here John puts the focus again on seeing the glory of Christ. His disciples saw His glory, and they believed on Him. The disciples only recently had begun to follow Jesus and it was only two days before the wedding in Cana. What this miracle did for them was to deepen their existing faith rather than to bring them to faith. They already believed in Jesus, but their faith grew and was strengthened. Nothing is ordinary after Jesus has touched it.

To the Jewish people wine symbolized joy. The Jewish rabbis had a saying, ‘Without wine there’s no joy.’ At the wedding in Cana their joy had run out. “Woman, what does this have to do with me?” ‘Your relationship with me as mother has no special weight here. You’re a woman like every other woman. My Father in heaven, not any human being determines what miracles I perform. And the pathway into my favor is faith, not family.’

This is very good news for us. It doesn’t matter what family line we come from. Your parents may be the most ungodly people you know. That won’t keep you from the favor of Jesus. Faith, not family, makes you His friend. Part of Jesus’ glory is His radical freedom from family favoritism and His radical allegiance to His Father in heaven.

Jesus felt the need to make clear not only to His mother, but to all the rest of us, that because of who He was, physical relationships on earth wouldn’t control Him or force Him. His mother and His physical family wouldn’t have any special advantages to guide His ministry. And His mother and physical family wouldn’t have any special advantage to receive His salvation. The reason is that Jesus was absolutely bound to His Father’s will in heaven and not to anyone on earth, and there could be no competing controls on His life.

So, what do we do when the wine runs out? Mary came to Jesus and told him of the problem that they were facing. I can just imagine her telling the groom’s mom, “You just hold on a minute! I know just what to do with this situation.” She came to Jesus and told him…I love her instructions to the servants. “Whatever he tells you to do, do it!” Sometimes it’s hard for us to understand God not only meeting our need but providing for us abundance. That’s the story of grace. There’s no measure to grace. There will always be enough grace to meet our needs. That’s the story of God’s love. There’s nothing that you can do that will cause God to stop loving you.

Understand this principle of God today…God isn’t just a God of the required – He’s a God of the abundance! Look at those mountains! There’s an over abundance. God didn’t give us ‘just enough’ beauty, it’s all around us. What do you do when the wine runs out? Mary showed us by example; she told them that if they would just do what He said, they would see a miracle. A miracle that not only met their immediate need… but a miracle of abundance.

As warm weather finally arrives, the high heating bills of winter give way to other energy challenges such as keeping homes cool and cutting down on fuel use.

In our Colorado foothills climate, some easy behavior changes can yield surprisingly big energy dividends. Before you worry about adding solar panels or even doing expensive home retrofits, it’s wise to think of some no-cost or very low cost ways to save energy and cut your utility bills.

For example, simply getting in the habit of opening windows every evening and shutting them tight in the morning can keep many homes cool during the hot sunny daylight hours. And be careful of leaving doors open for long periods when it’s hot outside. Using drapes or shades over windows that catch the most sun during the day will also cut down on heat gain.

Inside your home, you can save a surprising amount of electricity by getting in the habit of turning off everything that is not in use. Flip off the light switch whenever you leave a room. And beware of “vampire energy’’- electricity use by electronic devices that are turned off but still plugged in. Computers, televisions, home audio systems, kitchen gadgets – everything that has a little light – continues to suck energy unless it is unplugged or plugged into a power strip that can be turned on or off with a touch of your foot.

Summer months often mean more car travel, and some simple habit changes can yield big fuel savings. According to the Alliance to Save Energy, keeping your speed at 60 miles per hour or lower can really affect your gasoline charges. The group estimates that each five miles per hour over 60 uses gas equivalent to paying an extra 24 cents per gallon.

Summer also means higher water use. In addition to being water wise with your outdoor landscaping, you can save both heat and water by trimming showers to five minutes or so. When it comes to clothes, running only full loads of wash, choosing cold water to wash most loads, and using Colorado sun to dry your clothes can save you water and heat as well.

As your new Community Energy Coordinator, I will be working in Gilpin and Clear Creek Counties to help get the word out about ways to save energy and take advantage of programs to encourage energy efficiency and the spread of renewable energy. I invite your questions, thoughts and ideas at the email or phone number below.

Be sure to also check out the new website of the Governor’s Energy Office that is loaded with information about energy rebates and incentives: www.RechargeColorado.com or 800-462-0184.

Rebecca Cantwell is the Community Energy Coordinator for Gilpin and Clear Creek Counties, working with Colorado State University Extension and the Governor’s Energy Office to help educate residents about energy use and assist in ways to increase energy efficiency and renewable energy. She can be reached at Rebecca.Cantwell@colostate.edu or 303-679-4233.

Taking the Zephyr to Glenwood Springs

I’ve received a few e-mails asking why people still take the train in 2010. It’s not that easy to take the train if you live in Gilpin County. If you’re west bound either you have to get up early and drive to Union Station in LODO (an hour and fifteen minute drive even on an early Sunday morning), or get up even earlier and catch the RTD bus from Nederland.  East bound trains are easier to catch, scheduled out of Denver at 7:50 p.m. In either case you’re going to Denver to get anywhere on the train. Here’s a report on a recent train trip that may partially explain why some people do it.

The California Zephyr Report

Train #5, The California Zephyr (CZ) pulled out of Union Station Denver at exactly 8:05 a.m., the advertised, on May 2. The conductor welcomed us over the PA and reminded us   that National Train Day, May 8, would feature special displays and even goodies in the old Union Station waiting room. That waiting room still seems rather grand. It’s many feet high and has those vaulting windows at either end. Some of the echoes in there have been reverberating for over a century it seems. It was a good place to ask my fellow passengers why they take the train.

I talked with one young couple as we lined up at the check in station. They were excited about riding the Zephyr all the way to Emeryville CA and on to San Francisco. That’s a long night on the train, but they were prepared. They had books to read in their sleeper and good cell phones and even a little hamper of food. They knew they could fly to San Francisco in a much shorter time, but they were off on an adventure.

Another gentleman claims that he’s figured the cost of driving his car to Salt Lake City and the train is much cheaper. With his National Railroad Passengers Discount card, plus using now and again his accrued AMTRAK miles he saves money each year.

Dining Car and View

Now to the question everyone asks, “How was the food”? As we pulled out through Denver’s western suburbs I was at the first seating in the fragrant breakfast diner. The coffee was good, strong and kept coming. The omelet of the day was tasty as well: Swiss cheese, grilled onion, green pepper and mushroom. The spuds were tasty too, though I added hot sauce. Grilled sausage was on the side. The servers were amiable, even downright interested in everyone. Price was what you’d expect for any medium priced restaurant, say compared to Roy’s Last Shot or the Sundance Cafe. They fed 94 patrons that morning, about a third of everyone on board.

One of my breakfast companions takes the train because she’s had it with airline travel. She sat on the tarmac for over an hour last time she went to DIA waiting for takeoff and felt she’d been “taken apart” by security. She’d fly again if she had to, but likes the train to Salt Lake City far better.

The view from the diner was worth the ticket price. Snaking up through the “S curves” above highway 93 is always lovely. Diners exclaimed as they saw elk, coyotes, and the big reservoir up above Eldorado Canyon come into view. The swirling mists and light snow made it all more picturesque. The tunnels come and come (44 in all) until one gets to the big one. Named for Mr. Moffat, those 6.2 pitch dark miles to Winter Park always seem a little mysterious. It’s the second longest tunnel in the U. S. and still impressive as it was in 1928.

Price and Equipment

My $66 fare to Glenwood Springs is almost exactly what the Greyhound would charge. If one figures auto expenses at the $.50 a mile the IRS uses, the train is a bargain. I know my “conservative” friends would argue that the train is subsidized.  But, according to National Association of Railroad Passengers, my train trip was the least “subsidized” way to go. One would have to figure into an auto trip on I-70 the cost of the Eisenhower Tunnel, the State Patrol, the maintenance trucks and a dozens of other CDOT expenses. We don’t figure all of that cost when we hop in our flivvers.

The high level Superliner cars on the Zephyr have served well for 29 to 31 years. Some have been refurbished, but especially the coaches need work. Before long the superliners will need to be replaced, but they’ve served remarkably well and still cut a nice picture rolling through the Rockies.

Glenwood Springs station is a lovely old Victorian gem and the railroad museum inside worth a visit. The Springs itself is always worth a visit. While I didn’t have time to take the waters others were almost jumping into their swimsuits when we arrived. It’s been advertised as Colorado’s premier hot springs pool and gondola ride. Those I chatted with certainly agreed.

Some Great Conversations on the Ride Home

Train #6 pulled out right on the advertised at 12:50 p.m. and the bar car was filling up even then. I enjoy bar car conversations. For the price of a beer you can hear many a story. I heard from an ex-pat living in Latvia. Seems if you’d like to retire there, the Balkans are quite a bargain, though the common market has cut back on the luxury aspect somewhat.  An interesting conversation happened with the night guy from the roundhouse in Durango. Seems the locals hate coal smoke (even though their economy likes it). They use wood chips to keep the boilers heated over the long cold nights to cut down on coal smoke and that causes some interesting moments. Two Mexicans from Aspen (here legally) chatted in Spanish about the jobs they do and how hard the hotels try to fill those jobs with Gringos. The Gringos all quit.

Jokes went around and one of the conductors joined in with a few of his own, all mildly off color. He thinks the U.P.  Would still like to get this train off our scenic mountain route and re-routed though Wyoming so as to make way for the coal drags. When I asked why this group of travelers takes the train, they pretty much laughed at me. They are all veterans and just plain love train travel. The conductor warned that they’d not have liked it last summer when track work on the U.P. typically made the Zephyr two hours late. One of them said he’d still not mind. “More for the money!” said he. Folks did take time to gape at Gore Canyon as we rolled along and Red Canyon too. Most of those views are only possible if you pack in.

I was ready for dinner and got in for the first serving at 5:00. Again, a moderate price and a good crew. The young woman next to me had the steak which looked great while I enjoyed the bison meat loaf and baked spud.  She was taking the train back to Denver because she’d been advised that I-70 over Vail Pass was a “nightmare” and had been closed off and on all day. We did see plenty of snow swirling outside the dining car.  The wet snow added to the spring trip. Glenwood Canyon was especially lovely with the clouds parting and fresh white on those red crenellations. We backed slowly into Union Station early at 6:45. Many a “good by and good luck” were exchanged. The CZ is a fine trip.

What’s Going to Happen at Union Station?

The old gray lady is looking a little grim these days. Only one track remains and that’s soon to be torn up. Amtrak will build some kind of temporary facility out on Wewatta and 21st by Coors Field. RTD and some intercity Buses will still stop at Union Station, but it’s a long walk to the temporary train barn. COLOrail group is still suing to get more train access to the “new” Union station. It seems late in the game for that lawsuit, but we’ll see.  The really hard part will be lugging the luggage across Wewatta to the tracks. They plan to install a pedestrian walk light, but good luck in blizzards.

Does that Answer the Question?

The folks I talked to on the CZ all had specific reasons for taking the train. They hated air travel. They were avoiding bad roads, or didn’t enjoy driving that much. The main group, though, just likes train travel.  Maybe that answers the question.

Arizona is trying hard to keep immigrants from Mexico out. They’ve passed laws, one sheriff has set up camps, and so on. It’s all getting a lot of national attention. The history of the west (west of the 100^th meridian that is) should warn Arizona that attempts to keep out immigrants have all failed. Consider the last big wave of immigration. From the point of view of Mexico or the Mormons in the 1840s and 50s, all of those immigrants moving from east of the Mississippi were illegals. The Mexicans and the Mormons all tried to stop the tide, but to no avail.

The Mormon empire called “Deseret” had initial success in keeping out the “gentiles.” Mexico had halted the U. S. immigrants at the Red River and the Arkansas River for a time. But, the Texans just kept coming into Mexican territory. It was only a matter of time until Texas would be lost. Once the gold rush hit there was no keeping the miners out of Colorado either. “Gentiles” (non-Mormons) kept filtering into Deseret too. We’ve had a mixing pot of peoples here in the west for at least a couple of centuries. That western mixing pot is as American as green chili. All the attempts at keeping the “others” out have failed. I’d be surprised if Arizona had any better luck stopping the immigrants than did Mexico or Mormon leader Brigham Young, who was for a time the unchallenged ruler of much of the west.

Mexico Tried Hard To Stop The Immigrant Tide

When the famously controversial General Wilkinson sent Zebulon Pike out our way in 1806, the U. S. had very little idea of what was here. President Thomas Jefferson knew he’d bought quite a bit of real estate from France in 1802, but not exactly where it was. He knew his Louisiana Purchase butted up against the traditional lands of the Spanish Crown. Most of all, Thomas Jefferson knew a lot about the restless nature of the Americans. Once word got out about the West, the immigration was bound to begin. Pike’s reports spurred that emigrant tide, and so did those of Lewis and Clark.

Jefferson was somewhat threatened by the prospect of western movement, perhaps not as much as the Mexicans were, but still worried. He knew that there was a plot afoot to develop a separate nation out here with Aaron Burr as king. President Jefferson had some idea that General Wilkinson was more than just the biggest of the U. S. Army generals. Jefferson surely knew that Wilkinson was in league with Aaron Burr and shared Burr’s idea of setting up an independent country in the west. Jefferson also must have known that Burr wanted to grab some of that Mexican land as part of his new empire. Mexican land was so temptingly sitting here just on the other side of the Arkansas River and in Texas, and who knew where else. But Jefferson had many big fish to fry. He did eventually get Burr tried for sedition, but trying to stop the western expansion was never front and center for him.

Zeb Pike, Lewis and Clark, and Other Travel Writers

Mexico was afraid that soon there would be hordes of Gringo illegal immigrants moving west. It was happening in Texas after all. In fact they sent out an armed force to stop Lewis and Clark from exploring. That little armed column of Mexicans never got anywhere near Lewis and Clark, but the attempt was made. What would have happened if those two famous travel writers hadn’t made their journey and popularized the West?

Harpers Magazine sold out when the accounts of the western explorers were first printed. Very soon after, settlers and adventurers were on their way west. Once Zebulon Pike reported on the gold finds in Bayou Salado (today’s South Park) the gold miners were bound to come here too. Of course all of this immigration took time and the immigrant story is complex. Nevertheless, the urge to move into the new land was not different for those settlers than for the Mexicans moving to Arizona today. Many people want a new chance in a new land. The sitting government can try to keep people from moving, but here in the west it hasn’t worked so far. Heck, governments haven’t even been able to keep people from marrying each other.

Colorado Miscegenation

Mexico lost half of its land to the U.S. under the great annexation called the Mexican War. But, Mexico did manage to bargain in the peace Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo for some rights and customs. One of those customs was inter-marriage across racial and cultural lines. Few Mexicans did not carry some “Indian blood” and vice versa. So, Mexico never had a miscegenation law. Miscegenation laws were in place in most U.S. States and “whites” marrying “blacks” or “other races” could be fined and their marriages annulled. Therein lies a story.

I once heard some senior lawyers discuss that odd fact in our court house. Since former Mexican territory included everything west of the Arkansas River, the Colorado miscegenation law didn’t apply to about four fifths of the state. Only once was the Colorado miscegenation law invoked. Shortly after World War II, a mixed race couple was kicked out of their Denver apartment and the landlord invoked the miscegenation law. They fought in court and the judge ruled that since they had been legally married in Pueblo, Colorado (former Mexican territory and on the Mexican side of the Arkansas River) the law did not apply. Fortunately that miscegenation law was repealed shortly thereafter in one of those general legal house cleanings we have from time to time. Not only has it been hard to hold off  immigration in the west, it has been hard to hold off people marrying “immigrants” too.

The Mormons Put Up A Tougher Fight

Once Brigham Young had set out his bold plan for the land of Deseret here in the west, he fought hard to keep control of the fiefdom. He colonized Las Vegas and southern Idaho right from the start. He saw the iron mines and the coal and the shipping possibilities from Los Angeles. He was an excellent planner with a big design for a new nation of the saints. Deseret was going to be a rich country, but absolutely only for the elect. While he allowed a few “gentiles” to live there, mostly he forbade immigration.

Those who defied his rule were dealt with much more directly than anything Arizona has tried yet. Although there are rumors that the “minutemen” who patrol the Arizona border have shot at Mexicans, so far such incidents must be rare. Not so in Deseret. Young simply sent out his “avenging angels” to kill those who wouldn’t swear allegiance. The “avenging angels” hunted down the “illegals” on the list mercilessly. I’ve been reading a biography of one of those “angels,” Port Rockwell. (“Orin Porter Rockwell, Man of God/Son of Thunder” by Harold Schindler) Rockwell, along with Effie Hanks and Dan Hickman, killed quite a few who defied the prophet. That system worked well for a time, and no one entered Deseret or tried to set up there without permission.

By 1857 or so, the tight rule of Brigham Young was all but over. Brigham Young was indicted for ordering murders and later for treason. He resigned as governor of Utah in 1858 with President Buchannan’s federal troops literally at the door. The Mormon kingdom of Deseret was opened for immigration from then on.

Will Western History Repeat Itself?

Will Arizona have success in kicking Mexicans out of the cactus state? Even a quick reading of western history shows that many a government has tried to keep out those people thought to be “outsiders.” It hasn’t worked so far in the west, but for all of us armchair historians, it will be fascinating to watch.

James J. Hill, visionary founder of the Great Northern Railway, once said that he didn’t plan much passenger service. “Passenger trains are like tits on a boar, neither ornamental nor useful,” he’s reported as saying. This week I received a communication saying that Hill was right and the Colorado Dept. of Transportation (CDOT) should just advise the Division of Transit & Rail to back off on passenger rail. Nothing like being challenged by a reader to get me writing!

Will I be Lonely On My Train Trip This Week?

My friend also tells me that I’ll “Probably be the only one on the train between here and Grand Junction this week.” This week I’ll be taking a train (AMTRAK California Zephyr) to the western slope for a meeting. That train runs 80% full so I won’t be lonely. My fare will be $66.30 one way. That’s a little cheaper than I could drive that same distance (if I figure the $.50 a mile IRS allows) and almost exactly what I’d pay on Greyhound Bus. However, I’ll spend more time on the train even if it’s on time. That’s even a little more time than on the bus depending on a bunch of road factors. My friend argues that trains are subsidized, but that’s a silly argument. Taxpayer subsidy for driving my car west on I-70 would be slightly greater per mile than the subsidy for taking the AMTRAK. The gas tax I pay at the pump will never pay for the interstate highway system, CDOT, state patrol, and on and on. The bean counters have told us about all of this hidden cost of driving our flivvers down the road from the start. That’s all beside the point James J. Hill was making though. He just didn’t think passenger trains could ever pay. In 2010 it looks like he was wrong about that.

Can Colorado Grab The New Technologies?

It’s the job of CDOT to position Colorado to take advantage of new rail technologies and funding in the future. There are some quite exciting new technologies coming along the rails. The initial investment is big, but the pay-offs would be bigger. These days CDOT is on board with a rail planning process they call “Context Sensitive Solutions.” CSS is jargon for getting all of the stakeholders together and finding a shared vision for transit in fairly large areas of Colorado. That includes bus, rail, freight rail, and passenger cars.

The new rail technologies are exciting. The Europeans have generally moved to magnetic levitation for their trains and there’s no reason, other than money, why we couldn’t do that here. Maglev trains have rails for guidance, but suck up power from a central track like the inter-urban cars of old. In one sense they run on a curtain of air. This allows them to go up mountainsides in Switzerland and Germany, for instance, at 7% grades.

What The Studies Show

Probably the biggest rail passenger study in Colorado History was recently released by the Rocky Mountain Rail Authority. It shows some surprising results. In five years of project development and six years of design, we could have high speed trains going from DIA to downtown Denver and on to Colorado Springs. Assuming passengers would be willing to pay a reasonable fee, generally thought to be around $32 to ride this route, it would turn a positive operating ratio. Even if existing diesel rains were employed, the operating ratio would be 0.64. That would mean somewhat slower 30-50 mph average operating speeds. If high speed maglev rail were employed, that goes up to 1.88 and speeds averaging 60-70 mph. That would need no governmental subsidy. Ticket costs for an I-70 alternative would be somewhat higher, generally estimated at $40 from Denver to Vail. Again this would turn a positive operating ratio.

Will We Get Out Of Our Cars?

My acquaintance tells me he still won’t take the train from downtown Denver to Vail even if it only takes the estimated two hours. He seems to like sitting in the weekend traffic jams on I-70. If he lived in Fort Collins he might reconsider. Assuming a fare of $48 to the ski areas and a train time of two and half hours, he might reconsider. In any case he’ll still be sitting there in the I-70 traffic for some time to come. Any of these rail plans take a dozen years to build. DIA to Copper Mountain would be a 14 year proposition.

A Boon For Gamers

All of these scenarios envision extending track to Black Hawk, where there’s easy bus transport on up the short distance to Central City. With 18 round trips a day in the rail plan, folks planning on having a good time up here could almost decide to go on the whim of the moment. The fares normally discussed to make the operating revenue bulge would be $11. That’s more than the money-back bus, but then trains run even in the snow and offer many amenities en route.

Where Will We Get The Money?

If we decide to build all of these big railroad dreams, what could it cost? It’s no small number. Probably over 3 billion (that’s with a B) dollars would complete the whole system. James J. Hill might be saying that he told us so. On the other hand California and Ohio have gotten larger sums from the federal government to build their project ready rail plans. Our own CDOT is not there yet with anything rail project ready, but work does continue.

Political Will Is Needed

As with so much else in life, a coalition of supporters is needed – that is if we’re ever to re-build our Colorado rail system. The economic benefits would be considerable. Some of the analysts talk of $33 billion in benefits to Colorado. All of these estimates are based on gasoline costs staying more or less where they are now. If those go through the roof an analysis for rail becomes even more favorable.

More Useful Than Mammary Glands On A Boar Hog

The passenger train is simply more useful than tits on a boar. We may see a new age of passenger rail. That’s the analysis of the Rocky Mountain Rail Authority.

For the fifth year in a row, students from Gilpin County High School attended the third session of the annual Colorado Close-Up Program. This intensive three-day program focuses on engaging Colorado’s youth in an in-depth study of our state government. Our students spent the three days in marathon training sessions, which were primarily led by the students or by various elected legislators of the state. The in-depth program covered all three branches of the state government and was held at the state Supreme Court building, the State Capitol, and in the Denver Court House.

While in the House and Senate, the students watched debates over various issues, voting on bills, and talked to lobbyists from several organizations throughout the state about issues important to Gilpin County such as education funding, the I-70 corridor, and environmental issues.

From Sunday noon to Tuesday afternoon our students participated in discussions on Hot Topics where students work with their peers to create solutions addressing the hot issues in their communities, examining the positive and negative consequences related to those solutions. They attended a session called, “Role of the Media” where local media professionals joined our students to discuss the impact of the media in the political realm and help students learn to form the “perfect question.” U.S. Representative Jared Polis, from Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District, was a keynote speaker and addressed our students about the importance of civic engagement and being leaders within their own communities. Monday brought along a mock trial in The Judicial Branch in which our kids participated along with nine other high schools from Meeker, Rifle, Caliche, Plainview, Weldon Valley, Florence, La Junta, Widefield, and Rangeview, CO.

This year’s Colorado Close-Up participants included seniors Katie Schimanskey, Bobby Garza, and David Yerkman, junior class representatives Haeley Johnson and Megan Ball, and sophomores Molly Quaranto, Jon Adams, Michael Barngrover, Becca Schafer, and Shelby Foelsch. Our high school social studies teacher, Karl Gates, was the accompanying sponsor from the school.  For a month prior to the session the students researched and studied current and past legislation, “hot topic” issues, and several Supreme Court cases on their lunch breaks and in after school sessions in preparation for the event.

“It is very encouraging to see the amount of preparation and work that these kids were willing to put into this program. They represented Gilpin Schools very well and I am extremely proud of them,” said Karl Gates.

Taking time out from their hectic legislative schedules, Colorado State Senator Dan Gibbs, and Representative Claire Levy, joined the Gilpin student group for breakfast on the final day of the program.  For an hour the students asked the legislators questions and talked about issues that specifically affect our county.

The Colorado Close-Up program is impressive in its scope and gave the students a better idea of how essential it is to be informed about the issues that affect our state and county and how important it is to be an active participant in our community’s future development.

New York Times bestselling author Kim Harrison writes books that are peopled with vampires, werewolves, banshees, and demons. In the midst of all these supernatural creatures comes bounty hunter and witch Rachel Morgan, who is described by Entertainment Weekly as a cross between “Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Tank Girl.” Rachel’s latest adventure is called Black Magic Sanction, and it looks like our heroine is in trouble with her own kind for a change. She is “denounced and shunned for dealing with demons and black magic,” and her best hope is life imprisonment, which would be better than a forced lobotomy and genetic slavery. But she’s not ready to accept any of the above, as she plots to escape. She has to depend on enemies to win her freedom, and trust is hard to come by. Then there’s her ex-boy friend turned thief, but can Rachel trust him either? According to Kirkus Reviews: “Harrison makes Rachel’s conflicts real and poignant without turning them into melodramatic slush.”

Critics and peers alike acclaim Kelli Stanley’s new noir novel, City of Dragons, in which we see the debut of a remarkable private investigator in Miranda Corbie. Set in 1940 in San Francisco’s Chinatown, Miranda walks down mean streets with all the flair and intelligence of those hard-boiled detectives who have come before. She is standing in a crowd, as fireworks explode around her, celebrating Chinese New Year’s, when Eddie Takahashi “stumbles – fatally shot – into Sacramento Street and into Miranda’s life.” While the cops want the killing covered up, Miranda seeks justice at any cost. Fellow writer Rebecca Cantrell wrote: “This is one of my favorite novels of all time.” And the late Robert B. Parker: “…a stunning re-creation of time and place that I greatly enjoyed…as will everyone who reads it.”

This is about that time of year when spirits are raised by the news that Spring Training is under way and opening day is just around the corner. I usually infuse a host of new baseball books into the library’s collection, and take great pleasure in introducing some of them to you in this column. Well, sit back and relax, I’ve got one for you today. It’s a debut novel by a young man from Chicago named Billy Lombardo. It is being compared to Bernard Malamud’s The Natural in literary circles. It tells the story of Danny Granville, extraordinary young pitcher, and his fanatic father, Henry, who taught his son the game from almost the moment of birth. But there’s a special twist to this character of Danny, he can throw with equal effectiveness with either hand – he is a “switch-pitcher,” if you will. All great baseball novels open up new insight into the game, and this one is no exception. Speaking directly to fans of baseball fiction, you can’t go wrong with The Man With Two Arms.  Bob Costas: “A switch pitcher? A guy as good as Seaver righty and Koufax lefty? The thought intrigues as does Billy Lombardo’s touching and original debut novel.”

We’ll soon be looking to fill the Musician-in-Residence post here at the library, for the months of June, July and August. This will be our third summer of offering a residency to an artist, and the first time we’re looking for someone from the world of music. As in the past, we expect this person to “raise the consciousness of the people of Gilpin County” about his or her area of the arts. The residency pays an honorarium of $1,000 plus up to $500 for expenses and materials, all courtesy of the Friends of the Library. We at the library are proud to present this nationally recognized program of excellence for yet another year. Watch this column for more details and the deadline for applying. Applicants must be residents of Gilpin County. I’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have in the meantime. Just give me a call or stop by the library.

Every spring it’s fun to watch boaters in big yellow rafts take the plunge on Clear Creek. They float many other rivers, of course, but these are the ones we locals tend to watch. Some of these paddlers are overnight tourists, often from out of state. They stay in local motels and gamble in local casinos. These rafters leave some significant amounts of money behind too. The rafting industry is a major money maker state wide. Of course, state laws affect the industry directly. But there’s plenty of disagreement about just how much regulation there should be. Particularly “sticky” are the rules concerning rafters passing through private lands.

Kathleen Curry’s Bill Hits Rough Water

Folks often violently disagree about whether or not boaters have the legal right to float on Colorado waters. Last summer I heard a panel discussion featuring lawyers John Hill and Lori Potter on just those disputed legal points. Though that panel left the legal waters muddy, clarification may be on the way. This spring the Colorado General assembly is wrestling with a bill by Rep. Kathleen Curry, (who’s running as an independent this time, by the way). Her house bill 1188 floats briskly along so far and passed in the state house by a big majority. Today the bill is circling almost dead in the water in the state senate. That bill guarantees the right of people on guided river tours to float and touch the bottom, even portage if necessary. Those who argued for it saw it as common sense. But, not everyone agrees, particularly developers of big second home districts along rivers and a few tourist lodges by the rivers edges.

What The Heck Does The Law Say?

Lately boaters have at least felt safe from being cited for criminal trespass (if no one touched the bottom of the stream) under a ruling by the Attorney General. “Wrong!” Counselor John Hill stated flatly last summer. He thinks Attorney General Duane Woodard was dead wrong about criminal trespass. Woodard based his ruling on the definition of “premises” in state law. He didn’t see the water itself as actual premises, but rather public property hence there could be no trespass. To add to the confusion, just in 2001 a Gunnison court ruled that the premises definition cited by Woodward in criminal trespass is not a defense in a suit for civil trespass. Counselor Hill says Woodard’s ruling offers no bailing bucket to those boaters he tries to sink for civil trespass.

Deep In Legal Water

Attorney Lori Potter (of Kaplan, Kirsch & Rockwell) pointed out last summer that in some states there is a clear right to float. Utah and Wyoming are examples of that as is Montana. Still, as Lori reminds, things in Colorado are never clear and sometimes get ugly. In Grand County a boater stepped onto the river bottom and was arrested for civil trespass just last summer. Other boaters have encountered barbed wire strung across rivers and in a couple of extreme cases boaters have been given warning shots for “trespassing”.

She admits that 30 years ago the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that it is criminal trespass for boaters to touch the river bed or banks in a privately owned segment of non-navigable river. However, that is usually cited as a badly flawed ruling which failed to cite the basic constitutional provision that all the waters of Colorado are reserved to the people. Every other ruling has directly countered that 30 year old ruling.

Representative Curry’s bill would clear all of that ambiguity up for river guides. Under her bill guided trips could touch river bottom and banks and even portage around obstacles. But, her bill does nothing for the rights of ordinary canoe paddlers or an innocent fisherman floating down the stream, not to mention river guides licensed after 2010. A few who object in the Senate are on that “unfair to private parties” tack. Most objectors, however, are following the lead of John Hill who is famous for arguing landowner rights over streams and rivers.

Counselor John Hill Is Definitely Heard From

John Hill (of Bratton, Hill, Wilderson & Lock) is well known for representing landowners who do not cotton to river rafters. Currently he represents “Wilder on the Taylor,” a huge multi-million dollar second home development managed by a Texas development firm called Jackson-Shaw. Counselor Hill concedes that if rivers like the Taylor were navigable under federal law he wouldn’t have a case. But, says he, few Colorado rivers are a “continuous navigable interstate waterway.” Unless a river meets that criterion, it’s fair game for the civil and possibly criminal trespass actions he plans to vigorously pursue. Even if the legislature passes the Curry bill the state is liable for damages in his view. He’s ready for lots of tough litigation ahead.

Some Boaters Say, “Float Or Die”

Last summer Greg Felt said he’d rather die than give up his right to float. Felt is one passionate boater! He laments that despite the fact the state licenses river guides and the federal government issues permits on individual rivers, boaters still paddle under the legal cloud of civil trespass. Last summer he asked, “Do boaters have to become lawyers?” Greg tells some hair-raising tales, including being “sighted in” by a rifleman (who didn’t shoot). For now he’s going to keep floating, he says, no matter what. Said he, it’s “float or die”.

Gov. Gilpin and the Fundamental Right To Float

When it comes to rivers, our first Territorial Governor, Wm. Gilpin, is clear and so was our first territorial legislature. They based their river law on the water doctrine set up even before there was a territorial government, simply stating that all waters in Colorado are public. That law was enacted right along with Colorado’s basic water law of “first in use, first in right” by the Territory of Jefferson. The extra legal Territory of Jefferson was set up in the gold camps of 1859 in what became Gilpin County. “The waters of this great territory shall forever belong to the people of this land and may always be traversed!” That was our original Colorado doctrine as Gilpin so clearly put it.

Gilpin was ever the mystic visionary. He based his river doctrine on the abundant universe he saw about him, including abundant water. He foretold an unlimited supply of river water and unlimited transportation thereon. What else could be true in our blessed Colorado territory (where he was sure the “isothermal zodiac” transected the “angle of intensity”)? Suffice it to say he applied his view of river law to the 1.5 million acres of San Luis Valley land and miles and miles of streams he purchased from Charles Beaubien. As he assured us, the Territory of Jefferson, and later the Colorado Territorial Assembly, wasn’t about to abridge the right to float.

The Slow Floating Out of River Law

Law gets worked out anew in each generation and river law is no exception. The Curry bill now being debated in the CO State Senate is just one more part of that working out. Gilpin had great faith in the wisdom of “the Great Coloradoan people” to figure out these questions. If we ever do guarantee a right to float, old William Gilpin will be smiling down from the golden dome in Denver. He, at least, knew those boaters on Clear Creek have a right to be there.