Bill May: Progress
Editor's note: This is the final installment in a four-part series of classic Bill May writings. The series concludes today, as does May's weekly column, which has been published in various forms in the Pilot since at least 1989. The entire Steamboat Pilot & Today community wishes to thank May for his years of colorful writing and his tireless dedication to preserving the history of Northwest Colorado. Bill May is truly one of a kind.
Bill May: Where the Old West skis
p>Yes, friend, I'm a native And I've sure seen some change In our old mountain village And out on the range.
Christmas Eve at the ranch
Christmas Eve here on Elk River.
Bill May: Zeb Wise
When I was a kid, it was a real highlight when Dad would sign my name as "agent for shipper" on the railroad cattle-shipping contract, which entitled me to ride (in the caboose) on the cattle train to Denver. In Denver I could take my contract to the office of the railroad agent in the Livestock Exchange Building and pick up a free pass to come home on a passenger coach.
Bill May: Meat for the miners
Tales from the ranch
The gold rush to the Rockies started in 1859 after the precious metal was discovered in the creekbed sand and gravel at the confluence of Cherry Creek and the South Platte River (the heart of present-day downtown Denver).
Bill May: Cowboy orders a bride
Tales from the Ranch
When I was a kid, I guess I wasn't any different than other kids of that day and age. I was enamored by cowboys. Oh, sure, there were plenty of "hands" that worked for Dad, but you know how it is, the ones from "across the fence" are always more glamorous. And, when I think back on it, I do believe that all of the cowboys of that period were more glamorous than any of the ones nowadays.
Bill May: Dead Man's Gulch
Until the winter of 1938-39, we had no car bridge across Elk River. In summer, we could go out through the hills with a car, but that route was closed in winter. If we went to town in winter, it was with a team and sled (or, of course, we could catch the stage, which was also sometimes a sled but usually a Model A pickup).
Bill May: Frank Groh's Oxen
After Frank Groh's first adventurous trip from Leadville to Egeria Park in Routt County, he made preparations as quickly as possible to return to the prettiest place he'd ever seen and stake a homestead.
Bill May: Mishap at Grand River
Here's another story that was passed down by that colorful old cowboy of Hayden, Charlie Temple. Charlie came into this country early - when it was all open range. The typical full-fledged cowboy of those days was apt to be familiar with ranges and cow trails from Vernal to Wolcott and from Rawlins to Rifle. Such was the case with Charlie; so his stories related to people and places all over Routt County, which at that time covered a big part of that 20,000-square-mile area.
LETTERS FROM THE RANCH
Not having water with which to make ourselves a pot of coffee, no water with which to wash our faces, none with which to brush our teeth or a sip to drink. We teachers were learning the importance of water.
Letters from the Ranch
Steamboat Springs Dear Bertha, I can hardly believe my month at Collum Creek is almost over; and yet all the adventures I've experienced here seem like twice as much as could be squeezed into a full year. And, there is still a whole heap I want to tell.
LETTERS FROM THE RANCH
Dear Friends, I am sure that I already told you how we started each school day by carrying our flag outside from our classroom. The pupils take turns at carrying the flag out and securing the base of the flagstaff in the socket, which our cowboy friends had made and nailed to the corner of our schoolhouse. Then, we saluted while we pledged allegiance to the flag and sang "America."
Letters from the ranch
Dear Denver Friends,
LETTERS FROM THE RANCH
Dear Friends, Just a few more notes on my stay at the Collum Creek School (camping there with my friend, Mrs. Keller -- who was the school's teacher).
LETTERS FROM THE RANCH
Dear Friends, As I promised more description of my Collum Creek School adventure -- when I spent a month at that school with my friend Lu Lu (the Widow Keller).
LETTERS FROM THE RANCH
Dear Bertha and Clyde, In regards to the month I spent with Lulu at the Collum Creek School, you asked what I did with my time while Lulu spent all day teaching school.
THE WAY IT WAS
Steamboat Masons and their families staged a "watch" party Sunday night lasting until after the new year arrived.
LETTERS FROM THE RANCH
Dear Bertha and Clyde, Yes, the sad demise of Antone Jacobs makes an interesting (though sad) story.
LETTERS FROM THE RANCH
Perhaps I should start this off "Dear Clyde" as I intend to send Fred's reply to at least some of the questions Clyde has had relative to subjects I have touched on in letters to you.
LETTERS FROM THE RANCH
Dear Bertha, Yes, you remember the "Cabin Hotel" correctly as the beautiful two-story, 100-room, resort complex at the west edge of town surrounded by a variety of mineral springs. The hotel was built soon after the railroad reached Steamboat (which was in 1909). Well, actually the rails reached Steamboat in Dec. 1908, but service didn't commence until the following spring.
LETTERS FROM THE RANCH
Dear Friends Halden, Well, last time I wrote, my letter ended rather abruptly. Fred was ready to leave for town, and I had indicated that I wanted to go along. So, where was I? Oh, yes, I was telling about getting REA, wasn't I?
LETTERS FROM THE RANCH
Hi Denver Friends, What joy to come home and find the old S Bar S Ranch joined to the "modern world" by both electricity and automobile access.
LETTERS FROM THE RANCH
Dear Bertha, When we returned from our winter in Arizona, Elmer had a major surprise awaiting us. Frances and Elmer expected to buy the Antone Jacob's place where they were living so you can imagine what a blow it was when Mark Whitmer bought the place for his daughter and son-in-law Mary and Mike Mosher.
LETTERS FROM THE RANCH
Dear Bertha, So much has happened over the past year that I have totally lost track of what events I have told you about and (and what events I have not told you about) so, I'm afraid that as I try to catch up, there may be things I will still miss; and some degree of repetition as I try to tie events together. So, here goes I'm sure I told you that in June of 1936 our daughter, Frances, married our range rider, Elmer Dorr. And that their first summer together was spent at Cow Camp, riding range for the Big Creek Cattle Association.
THE WAY IT WAS
Our house was built on a rock-bar by Buck (Sam) Buchanan, the former owner of the place. Buck reasoned that the rock-bar was of no use for any other purpose, so you can see Elmer had a good supply of rocks close at hand for filling the five crib piers.
LETTERS FROM THE RANCH
Hi Denver Friends, Well, it didn't take Fred more than a matter of a few seconds to approve both proposals.
LETTERS FROM THE RANCH
Dear Friends Halden, I've already told of events up through the summer of 1936, including Frances' marriage to Elmer Dorr the Big Creek Association range rider.
LETTERS FROM THE RANCH
Dear Denver Friends, As we finished our Arizona Odyssey in mid-April 1937, we found the footlog just ready to go out and Elmer was afraid that the car might get stuck in one of the several holes along the pasture road.
LETTERS FROM THE RANCH
How time does fly! I have totally lost track of what I have or haven't told you, regarding conditions and activities at the S Bar S Ranch. Well, I'll make a few notes to bring you up to date (without details).
LETTERS FROM THE RANCH
Dear Friends, Halden, Well, Clyde, I'm glad you liked the history of our footlog. Fred had suggested I send the footlog story, as he thought you'd like it. And, yes, you're right about not being bothered with many salesmen.
LETTERS FROM THE RANCH
Hello Bertha and Clyde,
LETTERS FROM THE RANCH
Hi, Friends Halden, It looks as though one of our fondest dreams may soon materialize. Well, within the span of a year's time, anyway. Our dream? our own automobile bridge across Elk River? Why now, when we've managed to get by for the past 10 years without? Well, yes, we have managed to "get by." But, can you imagine yourselves in our position?
LETTERS FROM THE RANCH
Dear Bertha, You're letter with information about Black Scotch, Black Irish and Scotch Irish verified a lot of information I had come up with since I last wrote you.
LETTERS FROM THE RANCH
Dear Bertha, In your last letter, you asked if the Jim Bowie of the Alamo was a relative of my grandfather?
LETTERS FROM THE RANCH
Dear Bertha, You asked what was meant by "passage in steerage." Passage merely means buying tickets to travel or, for that matter, perhaps to travel with or without a ticket. Steerage is the least accommodating (below deck) but least expensive transportation offered on a ship.
LETTERS FROM THE RANCH
Dear friend Bertha, Well, in my last letter, I told of Will Bowie, my father, leaving Scotland to seek employment in the coal mines of Cincinnati, Iowa; and upon hearing of his father's death in 1886, how he wrote to his mother, telling her to prepare the six family members including herself, remaining at home in the Peace and Plenty Cottages to move to America for he had saved the cost of fare by steamship.
LETTERS FROM THE RANCH
Dear Bertha, Yes, Eileen and her mother (my father's sister) were having quite a marvelous adventure in Great Britain.
LETTERS FROM THE RANCH
Dear Bertha, I've been sending stories about my Scottish relatives as these stories have been told to me by my cousin, Eileen Woodburn. Eileen taught school in Scotland for a year as part of her study of relative aspects of school systems in the United Kingdom and the United States, for her university matriculation (for her master's degree in education).
LETTERS FROM THE RANCH
Dear Bertha, Here is Cousin Eileen's account of Saxone Shoe Co.'s annual outing or company sponsored "holiday" as they term it.
LETTERS FROM THE RANCH
Dear Bertha, In my last letter I was letting Cousin Eileen Woodburn, my Aunt Jennie's daughter, talk about accompanying her mother, Aunt Jenny, on a trip back to what had been Jennie's childhood home in Ayrshire, Scotland. I'll just let Eileen continue:
LETTERS FROM THE RANCH
Dear Bertha, To continue quoting my cousin, Eileen, who had taught school in Scotland for a year, her mother, my aunt Jennie, had spent part of that year with Eileen, and together they had enjoyed "re-discovering" scenes from Jennie's girlhood.
LETTERS FROM THE RANCH
Dear Bertha, During that year that Cousin Eileen taught school in Scotland, she had her mother (my Aunt Jennie) with her.
LETTERS FROM THE RANCH
Dear Bertha, Not able to work in the mines on account of TB, Davie had to do something to keep busy and so took up knitting. He became so expert at knitting that he made petticoats and even underwear for his sisters.
