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i
In History
One of the earliest "Found-
ing Fathers" of the com-
munity of Nucla finlshed his
autobiography at about age
72. At that point, he was still
floundering around for a
title for his book. He finally
decided to call it "What Life
Has Taught Me". It is full of
"pearly words of wisdom".
The manseems to have been
an intelligent, sincere person
seeking eternal truths of on
sort or another.
The Rimrock Museum is in
possession of a copy of that
book, printed in Denver,
about 1900, by The Jno
Printing Company. Actual
final printing could have
been very. shortly after 1900.
It has 215 pages, several of
whictl deal with the early-
days of the Colorado
Cooperative Company and
the project of building the ir-
rigation system and the
founding of Nucla and the
surrounding community of
farms and ranches on Tabe-
quache Park.
At the time of his birth, in
St. Louis Missouri in 1828.
His parents had moved there
from Lexington. Kentucky, at
a time when St. Louis was "a
French village in the far
west". His father had ridden
horseback to the area on a
tour of inspection before the
move. They built a kind of
boat. having a sharp or
rounded prow with roof. They
piled all their worldly goods
in it and floated down the
Ohio River to its junction
with the Mississippi, and
from there up to St. Louis.
In his words, "steam boats
were not in fashion .... and
railroads only in the
inventor's dream". That
situation changed almost
overnight with the "grand old
river" double - engine steam-
"boats, manned by crews of
hardworking black men who.
after work, would make the
nighttime shores ring with
their boat songs. Gallatin's
account of those early days is
a gold - mine of information
for anyone doing research in
history.
He was the youngest of that
fairly large family. At age 17,
he hot a Job as an apprentice
to learn saddle - making.
After bucking against his
employer's unreasonable
prejudice against left handed
people plus other stumbling
San Mtuel Basin Forum, Thursday December I, 1994 - 5
E.L. Gallatin, Teamster and Saddle-maker
Betty Zatterstrom
blocks, he teamed up with
four friends, and together
they outfitted two four-mule
teams and loaded the wagons
with saddler and other items
deemed suitable in a mining
country. In short, they set
out on may 28th, 1860 for
Denver a part of a gold-rush.
They arrived thirty days later
on June 28, at "a wild, typical
mining town", in the middle
of no-where, thirty or forty
miles from rely self respect-
ing mining cmnp like Central
City. Black Hawk. Fairplay:
and some others tie men-
tioned. These areas has to
been initially, by-passed by
the ten-year earlier rush to
California.
On his Denver arrival, the
main occupation seemed to
be gambling, "in all its glory"
with the next best activity
being auctioneering. Blake
street was bedim of voices of
the auctioneers. Plus street
gambling of all sorts going
on.
The Gallatin party camped
under some large cotton-
wood trees about where the
Union Depot later stood.
They built and operated a
small store which did fairly
well. The wild. out-law early
days in Denver were colorful-
ly described in Gallatin's
book.
A slump in the mining busi-
ness caused a lot of the new-
comers to turn around and
go back East in the fall of
1860. But Gallatin doggedly
stayed on a very tough year
was 186 I. Governor by ap-
pointment was- William Gil.
pin who, without official OK
from Uncle Sam, lent his aid
to a bunch of volunteers in
the upcoming Civil War.
Camp Weld was established
about where Lakewood Road
crossed the Platte. Not being
recognized by the govern-
ment they had no uniforms,
and had very scanty
supplles's. Therefore, they
raided a merchant on Ferry
Street (Now 10th St.) and
demanded vouchers from
Gallatin to pay for the Stuff.
When he refused them the
vouchers, they turned
around and raided his store
with 100 men with guns. Gal-
latin and a helper were in the
store repairing harnesses for
a supply hauling transporta-
tion company at tile time of
the raid. He and his young
helper stood up to the
raiders, threatening bad
publicity. This made them at
least give him a receipt for
the stuff, for which tie was
never paid. A scoundrel
leader named Col. Slough
was leader of that mob. and
Slough was succeded by Col.
J.M. Chivington. of San
Creek Massacre "fame". Gal-
latin gave a brief but moving
account of that disgraceful
event.
By 1863. he bought out a
Francis Gallup. an a branch
firm of Gallup and Gallatin
was established at Nebraska
City. Nebraska. At the time it
became the principle team
freight exit fro the far west.
In the winter of 1864 he
trekked to Montana with two
loads of saddler. That. too
was very adventurous, but
won't be related here.
His book also contains
some very picturesque early
railroad history. And farmers
and ranchers, and their
centers such as Cheyenne.
Wyoming, and many impor-
tant Kansas and Nebraska
towns. And many of the well
established early businesses
were in operation at various
points in the mid-west and
west. His saddle-making ex-
pertise showed up in many
places. Just one instance, he
started the T.E. Meanea Sad-
dle Tree business which
come to be the only factory of
its kind between the Missouri
River and the Pacific Coast.
He made the claim that the
saddle tree factory product
was the best made in the
United States, for a stock
saddle.
But at the peak of his suc-
cess in the saddler business.
he was suffering so intensely
with acute rheumatism, that
he turned it over to his
nephew. F.A. Meanen.
In 1875 he and his wife
went out to California and
travelled by team through
twenty-two counties, visiting
friends and seeing the sights.
He saw it as beautiful
country, marred by greed
and monopoly "eating the vi-
tals of the masses of
hardworking, common folks
existing out bare existence in
a land of plenty.
It was the Centennial year,
1876 when they returned to
Denver. This was in the fall,
and times were still in an
economic depression. Then
Leadvllle opened up and
Colorado experienced boom
times a little ahead of the rest
of the nation.
Exchange Students'
Volunteer Rep Needed
ASSE International
{formerly American Scan-
dinavian Student Exchange)
is seeking an Area Repre-
sentative.
Area Representatives are
needed to interview
American students who wish
to.become exchange stu-
dents, to represent ASSE's
exchange program in their
community, to screen poten-
tial host families and to help
European youth adjust to life
in the United States. Area
Representatives are paid fees
for their services as con-
sideratlon for their time and
related expenses.
ASSE is a non-profit high
school exchange program
designated by the United
States Information Agency.
There are presently over 600
ASSE representatives in the
United States and there is a
need to expand their network
of volunteers. ASSE is espe-
cially looking for repre-
sentatives in your
community. Wouldn't you
like to have the opportunity
to meet outstanding
American and European
youth and establish lasting
friendships in your com-
munity and In Europe?
For more information on
the ASSE progranl and tile
Area Representative position
please call me collect: doyce
Remondinl 303-565.3944 or
our toll free number l-8OO-
733-ASSE.
Winter is here, and so is the mud I
Fill Pot Holes
Drainages
Back Hoe
Culverts
MOtor Grader
Pi! Run Gravel
v' Competitive Prices
v' Fast Delivery
West End Gravel
P.O. Box 848. Nucla 864-2177