William M Pierson I of IV

Pueblo, while not a representative Western town in these respects, yet in its early days presented some curious combinations, most of them growing out of the heterogeneous human mixture that attempted to form a settlement.

Colorado in the Civil War

On February 28, 1861, the Colorado Territory was established.In March of 1861, Abraham Lincoln was sworn in as the 16th President of the United States; and the 11-state confederacy was formed. The Colorado Territory was not strategically important in the Civil War.

The Frenchmen of Butte Valley - Part III of III

LOCAL HISTORICAL LOREThe Frenchmen of Butte Valley - Part III of IIIOfficers Quarters Ft Union 1870’sThe two ragged, but heavily armed survivors of the Reynolds gang arrived at Butte Valley. The men purchased $55 worth of goods and continued on their way.

The Frenchmen of Butte Valley - Part lI of lll

By the fall of 1861, or the spring of 1862, depending on the source; the Frenchman determined the water supply was insufficient at Hardscrabble and relinquished their claims to a man named Vicroy. They moved further south to farm near the settlement of Butte Valley.

The Frenchmen of Butte Valley - Part l of lll

The tiny community of Butte Valley, located at the base of Huerfano Butte, was one of the earliest settlements in Huerfano County.

The George William May Family

Although members of this family moved in, and out of the Rye area; one of the children married into a long-time local family and recorded the area’s history.George was born in 1899, in Missouri, the oldest son and third child of Amos and Sophenia Morrow May.

History of the Valley

LOCAL HISTORICAL LOREThe Augusta-Keating High Country Homestead District - Part II of IIIn 1890, Edwin Drake was appointed the first postmaster of Augusta. The mail came to Augusta through a few different circuitous routes, until the post office was closed in 1902.

The Augusta-Keating High Country Homestead District - Part I of II

The Augusta-Keating High Country Homestead District is located on both sides of Colorado Highway 165 going south from McKenzie Junction. It starts at Mile Marker 1 and continues to Ophir Creek Road.

Kouba Family

LOCAL HISTORICAL LOREAfter his homestead in Yuma County was awarded in 1916, Reuben took Julie and David to the Apache Valley, in Huerfano County. Reuben operated a dairy farm and ran cattle. He used a green wagon with red trim and yellow painted spokes, to take the milk to Rye every day.

Kouba Family

Richard Bigelow remembered the first vehicle to cross the new bridge, over Greenhorn Creek on Boulder Avenue, after the 1947 Flood. Reuben Kouba, a Czech, who was known to locals as ‘a horse expert’, had one son who lived out near the Clennin Ranch.Mr.