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Photo postcard of crew stacking hay near Hotchkiss, CO, ca. 1904 – 1918.

This crew is stacking hay using a horse-powered hay derrick featuring a swivel post and boom to lift and place hay onto the stack.  The two horses facing the camera are probably the ones powering the lift.  Perhaps the two men at the back with the white shirts are controlling the lateral movement of the boom and, on a signal from the man on the stack, pulling the trip line to release the load of hay from the sling.     

Hay derricks have been an integral part of alfalfa farming, perhaps as far back as the mid 1800’s, in the semi-arid, irrigated lands of the Intermountain West  (i.e.,  from the front range of the Rockies in the east to the Cascades and Sierra Nevada ranges in the west).   They are also referred to as Mormon derricks, perhaps because Mormons, who arrived in the Great Salt Lake Valley in 1847 were the first Anglo Americans to plant alfalfa on a large scale in the west.    Hay derricks have traditionally been homemade, with the farmer perhaps using a neighbor’s derrick as a model and relying on the services of a blacksmith  to fabricate the needed metal parts. 

Hotchkiss, in Delta County, sits at an altitude of 5,351 feet on the north fork of the Gunnison River.  It’s located west of the Gunnison National Forest and north of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, in an area known as the North Fork Valley.  This valley is sometimes referred to as “The Golden Triangle,” with the towns of Hotchkiss, Crawford and Paonia making up its three points.  It’s a well-watered region rich in coal and agriculture, home to ranches, farms, wineries and fruit orchards.    The valley is topographically diverse.  It sits at a pitch, and even though it contains much tillable land, it also can be quite rocky.  The valley contains over 30 mesas, which have been described as  “flatter than a mountain, larger than a butte, smaller than a plateau, (and) higher than a valley.” 

The town of Hotchkiss was established in 1881 and named for settler Enos Throop  Hotchkiss, originally from Pennsylvania, who came west to Colorado Territory in the 1850’s.  He had explored the North Fork Valley in 1880 and returned in 1881, along with 200 head of horses, David Platt, Samuel Wade, Samuel Angevine, William Clark, and brothers George and William Duke, all from the Lake City, Colorado, area.   (Lake City, located in the San Juan Mountains, was a mining town at the time.)  These men constituted the North Valley’s first white “legal” settlers, as defined by the federal government, following the government’s forced removal of the Utes from the area.   The afore-mentioned Duke brothers established a bank and a mercantile store in Hotchkiss and developed most of the town lots.  George Duke was the first mayor of Hotchkiss and was responsible for naming the town after Enos. 

By the time he settled in what would become the town of Hotchkiss, Enos had already made a name for himself with his discovery of gold in the San Juan Mountains in 1874.  He and his party made the discovery while under contract to Russian-born Otto Mears to survey for a wagon toll road  connecting Saguache with what is now the Lake City area.   (Over a period of 20 years, Mears financed the construction of nearly 300 miles of toll roads connecting Silverton, Ouray and Lake City.) Out of this discovery would come the Golden Fleece mine, which some say led to the birth of Lake City.    I was astonished to read that it was during this surveying trip that Enos and his party came upon the murdered and partially cannibalized remains of five men, all part of a stranded, pitifully-provisioned party of gold seekers trapped by harsh winter weather.  The sixth and only surviving member was the now infamous Alfred Griner Packer, who was convicted of murdering the men and who admitted to partially cannibalizing their remains. 

Enos prospered in his new namesake town, establishing a mercantile store in the Hotchkiss Hotel building, which he built and owned, pursuing gold mining, acquiring land, starting a cattle ranch and, probably to the great distaste of other cattle ranchers, even tried his hand at sheep ranching.  By 1883, he was a Delta County commissioner.   Given his status as an original settler turned-land-owner-rancher-merchant and county official, it’s probably safe to say he carried a pretty high profile in the area.  His high profile, and the potential for conflict over claims to this newly available land, may have made him a target, rightly or wrongly, by disgruntled folks with an ax to grind over property.    This prospect presented itself when I came across a letter to the editor of the  “Delta Chief”  newspaper in Delta, Colorado, in March of  ‘84 from an individual identifying himself as Frank Drummond.  He wrote:

“Since the first settlement of the valley a certain lawless clique have held high carnival here, introducing bull-dozing, and in several instances driving from the country peaceable and law abiding citizens.  And in several other instances they tried the same game on men of nerve who didn’t run worth a cent.

Last October (1883) I located on the North Fork, upon an almost inaccessible mesa, upon which a single location had never been made. I proceeded to improve my ranch by building houses, also plowing and locating and surveying a ditch eight miles in length, and building three miles of the same.  It has cost me over one thousand dollars. 

Now one of the old settlers has changed his location so as to take in forty acres of my best land, and backed up and accompanied by a part of the aforementioned gang, in the darkness of the night, visited my house and ordered me to leave forthwith, and threatened to tear down my buildings, and me and my family with violence if I do not leave.

Now, as a stranger, I wish to know if this part of the country is to be governed by the officers of the law or by a mob who use the names of Enos Hotchkiss and other citizens as a shield to their lawlessness.  I am a law abiding man, and expect the law to protect my life and property.  If it is powerless to do so I will protect myself.  And I hereby give public notice to that mob if they come again, as they threaten, to offer violence to my property, myself, or my little ones, I will fight them as long as I have a drop of blood or a cartridge remaining.” 

I could find no evidence that Drummond’s allegations were ever substantiated or acted upon.  The only other articles I found that made reference to Drummond had to do with ordinary goings on in the area. 

Enos Hotchkiss died from pneumonia and heart failure at his farm in the North Fork Valley in January of 1900, aged 67.   It appeared he stayed active until the end, having invested as a one-third partner in the Bank of Hotchkiss just four months before his death.  His remains are interred at the Riverside Cemetery in Hotchkiss.

In closing, to provide a little texture of life in the Hotchkiss area in the 1880’s and 90’s, I’ve presented below a description of “Hotchkiss in the Early Days,” written by Tom Wills and Kathy Mckee, as posted on the Hotchkiss Chamber of Commerce website.  That is followed by a few news items from local newspapers.

Hotchkiss in the Early Days

“Most of the early homes were log and were cut from cottonwood trees.  The floors of the early houses were simple—sand and dirt mixed.  The cracks between the logs were filled with adobe mud, and the walls were covered with newspapers, sometimes put on upside down which made it hard to read them.  For light some of the old timers used coal oil, while other used candles of deer tallow.   House flies and mosquitoes were troublesome pests.  The housewife swatted flies with a box elder tree branch.  A smudge fire of rotten cottonwood oak took care of the mosquitoes.  Bedbugs were a constant nuisance, so they were doped with coal oil and cedar oil.  The Garrison Brothers, Charlie and Roy, lived in a log home that caught fire.  It was burning rapidly and Roy shouted to Charlie, ‘Let ‘er burn!  At last we sure will be rid of those bedbugs!’”

Newspaper items:

“The revival continues on Rogers’ mesa.  There have been some fifteen conversions and more are expected.  Among the old, hard-hearted sinners that have made a confession are Amos Reynolds, Jesse Davis, James Green and J. C. Heister.  The meeting has done much good in elevating and harmonizing the people, besides the good done in saving them from eternal perdition.”

J.B.M writes:  “Mr. Dick Rule has bought Fult Roberts’ place on North Fork, adjoining my ranch.  Mr. Rule’s family are old friends of mine, having went to school (with) me on the other side of the range, and it makes it pleasant to have them locate here.  I met Mr. Rule in Delta, not well pleased with that locality for a stock range, but on visiting North Fork, felt that he had found the “Garden of Eden,” and bought at once.  He returned on the 10th….with about three hundred head of cattle. We hope more such prosperous people will migrate to the N.F.” 

“Dr. Todd has secured two acres of fine land, covered with fruit trees, at Hotchkiss, and is building a first-class residence.”

“Dr. I. Hunter, of Delta, will be at the Hotchkiss hotel on Saturday, March 20 and will remain three or four days.  If you want any dental work done call on him.” 

“J.W. Frey, of Olathe, registered at the Hotchkiss hotel for a good dinner Sunday.” 

REFERENCES:         

  • “Colorado – A History in Photographs,” by Dan Klinglesmith and Patrick
    Soran, 1998, Altitude Publishing Ltd.
  • “The differences in the derricks!,” by Ida Chatter, September 24, 2008, Idaho Press at

https://www.idahopress.com/community/the-differences-in-the-derricks/article_e6168b87- d53-50da-805e-8741d2bfbdff.html

March 13, 1888, at https://www.newspapers.com/image/635947780/?terms=hotchkiss&match=1

June 23, 1897, at https://www.newspapers.com/image/635973092/?terms=hotchkiss&match

  • “Hotchkiss Hotel,” National Register of Historic Places Inventory—Nomination Form, U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service at chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/viewer.html?pdfurl=https%3A%2F%2Fnpgallery.nps.gov%2Fpdfhost%2Fdocs%2FNRHP%2FText%2F84000802.pdf&clen=205874  

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