Wetmore-Hardscrabble Genealogical & Historical Society

Wetmore-Hardscrabble Genealogical & Historical Society

Welcome to the Wetmore-Hardscrabble Genealogical and Historical Society located in Wetmore, Colorado.

Our mission is to provide a means for individuals and organizations to discover, share and preserve the history and genealogy of Wetmore and the Hardscrabble area.

For more information, please e mail

[email protected]

Those in the photo: From left to right...Margaret Walters...Dr.J.W.Walters...unknown...Fred Walters(Dr.'s Son)...One of Dr. Walters Son's from previous marriage to Rhoda Hickman while they lived in Missouri.

-Supplied by Jim Walters, descendant of the J. W. Walters family

 

The Wetmore-Hardscrabble Genealogical and Historical Society meets the 2nd Saturday of the month, April-November.

Our May meeting will be May 10, 9:30 am at the Wetmore Community Building.

Dave Alexander and Kathy West will give a presentation about their Wetmore family histories.

Be sure to follow us on Facebook 

 

McKenzie Junction Rock Slide

Just before 3pm Sunday 12/29/24 Custer County received 911 calls regarding a rock slide at the intersection of Highway 96 and Highway 165.

Responders determined there was a continued high risk of additional rock slides and closed the highway.

January 2 update from the Custer County Sheriff's Department:

Langston's had made tremendous progress in clearing the rock slide at H96 and Mackenzie Junction.

We met with Mike Langston this morning. So far he's filled 288 trailers with roughly 25 tons of debris per trailer. So over 7,200 tons of rock moved so far.

It takes about a minute for two loaders to fill one trailer

-photos shared on the Custer County Sheriff's Department Facebook Page

January 6 update from the Custer County Sherrif's Department: Hwy 96 reopens!

Final Close Out Mackenzie Junction Rockslide.

We wanted to share the final stats for the rockslide cleanup. CDOT is planning additional rock fall mitigation measures at this site at a future time. CDOT will coordinate with the county regarding impacts to highway traffic when this occurs.

Langston Concrete performed the debris removal. They moved 678 truck loads of approximately 25 tons of debris per truck. They moved a total of 16,950 tons in just 3.5 days.

During some time periods they were sending a loaded truck down the hill every two minutes.

You can hear an interesting interview with local geologist Jay Temple about the geology and circumstances that led to this rock slide.

This interview was by Gary Taylor as part of the weekly KLZR Radio Valley Views.

Click HERE to hear the interview

Wetmore Community Building-Veterans Day 2024

WHG&HS Tours the Beulah Cemetery

 

WHG&HS Tours the Beulah Cemetery in June!

From the Beulah Historical Society's website:

"Beulah Cemetery was established in 1869 with a half acre donation of land by John Jacob Sease in honor of his niece Mary Sease, who was the first person to be interred at the sunny site located on the north side of Signal Mountain. Official latitude = 38.04.24N 104.58.02W, or more locally known as Cemetery Road (County Road 233).

Suffering from tuberculosis, Mary Sease lived in Mace's Hole (changed to 'Beulah' in 1876) for five years before her death. A worshiper of nature's beauties and possessing poetic fancies, Mary often went to a sunny slope which lay in the southeast end of the valley. It was her custom to sit there as she watched the ever-changing panorama of the earth and sky. In her love for the spot she requested that she might be buried there and Mr. Sease, who owned the land, assured her that it would become her last resting place. 

A landmark of interest is the stone marking her grave, with its inscribed epitaph expressing the thoughts of her dear ones.

 

Mary Sease
Born Jan 28 1851
Died June 30 1869
"Let me die the death of the righteous,
And let my last end be like hers.
Her body rests beneath the sod,
In Colorado's soil.
Her soul's in Heaven with her God,
By death she's gained great spoils.
(Mace's Hole, The Way It Was To Beulah, The Way It Is)"

We had a great tour given to us by Kris Allen, Caretaker of the Beulah Cemetery.

You can see some of the photos we took in the Beulah Cemetery Album HERE

 

 

WHG&HS Tours the Dotson Cabin in Beulah

Members of the WHG&HS took a tour of the Dotson Cabin in Beulah for our July 2023 field trip.

Built in the 1870s and located originally on the 3R Ranch, the Dotson Cabin was rediscovered, moved in pieces, and carefully rebuilt in its new location near the Beulah School. All thanks to the Dotson Cabin Preservation League. A truly special place and is open to visitors Saturdays 10-2. Visit here for more info: https://dotsoncabin.org/

Afterward, we had lunch at the Stomping Grounds in "downtown" Beulah!

Check our photo gallery HERE for more pictures of the Dotson Cabin.

 

Siloam Plaque Rededication by E Clampus Vitus

Great News!

Do you remember, back in Sept 2016, when the Siloam plaque located at Siloam Rd and Hwy 96 East of Wetmore was involved in a high-speed car chase, & the foundation was destroyed?

The plaque was initially installed by the historical preservation society E Clampus Vitus in 2001.

 It's been a long haul, but the plaque has been reinstalled, and E Clampus Vitus held a dedication ceremony on June 23, 2023.

The Siloam Plaque is not back where it belongs!

Thank you to E Clampus Vitus!

The base was reduced to rubble after the high-speed chase in 2016. 

E Clampus Vitus recovered the plaque from the rubble in early 2017.

Jennings School Snakes

Jennings School Snakes

Kayoed by Mrs. Peavy

"The Western country teacher is a paradox; a combination of mother, doctor, philosopher, and of necessity, a student of zoography."

A fun and adventurous story of Mrs. Peavy, a teacher at the Jennings School north of Wetmore, and her students' quest to rid the schoolhouse of snakes.

You can read the full article HERE

 

Excerpt from an article written by Jack McFall about the history of Wetmore Schools regarding the Jennings School.

You can read the full article Here

Wetmore Halfway House, a Brief History

The Wetmore Halfway House, aka Jackson Hill Stage Stop, February 28, 2022

We'd like to share a brief history of the Wetmore Halfway House or the Jackson Hill Stage Stop, located at the top of Jackson Hill just outside of Wetmore, CO.

This history was written by Jack McFall in the 1970's.

Built in 1872-1873, the Halfway house is still standing and is now 150 years old!

Click Here to read a brief history of the Wetmore Halfway House

Photos by Anne Hayward

Wayfinding Kiosks, Helping Travelers Navigate Custer, Fremont, and Las Animas Counties

Wetmore Kiosk, Located junction of Hwy 67 and 96
Canon City Kiosk #1, Located across from Home Depot by the propane company, Hwy 50

Canon City Kiosk #2, Located by the Railroad Station, South 3rd StreetFlorence Kiosk, Located north side Hwy 50 going east from Canon City; east past Hwy 67’s stoplight

Silver Cliff Kiosk, Located at the tourist turnout off Hwy 96 on Oak Creek Grade

Trinidad Kiosk, Located on top of Raton Pass, north side

Other Las Animas County Kiosks are located in Trinidad, Cokedale, Branson, and Kim.

Kiosks in Huerfano County are located in La Veta, Walsenburg, and Stonewall.

If you're visiting any of these areas, please stop and take a photo of the kiosks.

E mail them to [email protected]

We'll share the photos on this page.

The Wayfinding Kiosks have been installed in Custer, Fremont, and Las Animas Counties!

After years of community input, planning, design and collaboration, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) Region 2 developed and installed a Wayfinding System for Southeastern Colorado that aids travelers in their destination decisions. This system was developed in partnership with the twelve counties in Southeastern Colorado that are actively promoting heritage tourism.  In establishing this Wayfinding System, CDOT has opened the door to help travelers to discover the hidden gems in Southeastern Colorado while also guiding additional customers to local businesses.

The Wayfinding System is comprised of two tiers of information – gateway installations and local kiosks. The gateways provide an opportunity to highlight regional histories and point out significant attractions. The local kiosks share stories most important to local communities. The information system encourages exploration as travelers navigate their way across the region.

-source: Wayfinding: an information system for travelers finding their way across Southeast Colorado. A Project of region 2, Colorado Department of Transportation 

Community and historical groups in each county were invited to help choose the content of each of the kiosks.

The Wetmore-Hardscrabble Genealogical and Historical Society was first notified of the kiosk to be placed in Wetmore by Custer County Commissioner Lynn Attebery during our monthly meeting in January 2014.

The first meeting for community input was held in June of 2015.  Subsequent meetings were held on July 16, October 8, and October 30, 2015.

Click HERE to view our posting of the first meeting in June.

We met again in August 2017 for a final review of the Wetmore, Canon City, and Florence panels.

The kiosks were all placed in December, 2020.

Thank you to all who participated in this long-term project!

If you're in the area, stop by and take a look at our kiosks!

Our Grandmothers' Cookbook

 

Our Grandmothers' Cookbook is hot off the press and available for purchase!

The cookbook includes recipes from Grandmothers, Great Grandmothers, and Great Great Grandmothers.

Each woman has a connection to our area and to our members.

Biographies of each of the contributors are included.

The cookbook measures 8 1/2" x 11", is spiral bound with a plastic cover with 10 pages of biographies and 59 pages of recipes.

Featured are yummy recipes for vegetables, salads, main courses, baked goods, condiments, desserts, candy, and beverages.

Cost is $17.50 ea. with all proceeds benefiting the Wetmore-Hardscrabble Genealogical & Historical Society.

If you're in the area, we can arrange to meet, or we can ship to you via Flat Envelope Priority Mail for an additional $7.75 ea.

Payment by check or Paypal. If you pay by Paypal, we'll add an additional $1.00 to cover the merchant fee.

Mailing address: WHG&HS, PO Box 141, Wetmore, CO 81253.

Be sure to include your shipping address, and the number of copies you'd like.

Get a copy for yourself.

Christmas will be here soon, and these will make great gifts too!

email:[email protected]

2022 Update: Cookbooks are sold out.

Thank you for your support.

Rest in Peace Irene Stearns

Wetmore has suffered another loss with the passing of long-time resident Irene Stearns.

Irene's funeral was Monday, June 29 at Holt Family Funeral Home in Canon City, and she was buried at New Hope Cemetery in Wetmore.

Obituary

Irene B. Stearns, 88, of Wetmore, passed away June 23, 2020 in Canon City.  She was born January 20, 1932 in Des Moines, Iowa, to Lawrence and Margaret (Gagen) Beard.

Irene was a member of the homemakers club in Wetmore for many years and enjoyed sewing, quilting, embroidery and crafts.  She was an exceptional cook who loved preparing meals for her family.  Irene enjoyed spending time in her yard and gardening.  She loved caring for young children and worked in a church school as a volunteer, assisting students.

Irene is survived by her children, Joseph Breece and Margaret Rose Hidlebaugh; seven grandchildren; sisters, Ruth Spaar, Eileen Dake; numerous extended family members and many friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents, three brothers, two sisters and two husbands.