The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1914-04-02


Intelligent development In the Daw-
son district.
Captain D. F. Rockafellow and Z.
Ford Jewett went down Grape Creek
short distance and opened up the
FL Plomo property. which had been
worked about twenty years previt
Gus. Their Industrious labors brought
them good results and it seemed that
after years of patient waiting a sec
ond Cripple Greek had been uncov-
cred. But their endeavors did not
seem to be an example to others. All
along the creek bed claim stakes were
in evidence. But when this is said, It
is all said. Out OF the hundreds who
located claims 1t was only the hardy
few that did any development.
It was on April Fools day. 1899.
that the first severe accident OF the
Dawson district occurred. w. p. Nc
Giliiard. working on the Sentinel
claim. fell down the shaft and sus-
tanned a fracture OF his collar bone.
While Dawson was climbing to her
full height a rival town, Pike City.
sprung up a mile or two down the
creek. There was of course spirited
rivalry between the two and on the
night OF March 3ist the ill-concealed
feeling broke out afiame and open
war was declared when several min.
ers who had partaken too freely 3fI
the cup OF joy went down from the
upper town OF Dawson to work off
their spleen. They encountered the
family OF Harry Temple. who had
located and laid out the Hugo tun-
mel. 1t is not known what happened.
but developments indicated that the
happy ones met battle royal and
were sent on their way much the
worse for the intrusion upon the quiet
couple.
For brief year the light OF Daw-
son shone. Happy rumors tended to
bolster its existance up n bit from
time to time. but the space OF nine
months saw II on the wane. The own
ers of the Copper King sold an m
terest TO Mr.. Myers for $4,000 az
ter 1t had been reported that they
had refused fabulous sums. A mill
was constructed and a power line
built from Canon City. The Copper
King. Copper Boy and Sentinel
shipped a little ore. but II did not
last. Why. no one seemed to know.
only that energies seemed spent. The
prospectors staked their claims and
went on in search OF other finds.
The miners stayed on while the ex-
citement lasted and then gradually
drifted to newer fields. Slowly mine
after mine was abandoned. shacks
were locked or torn down and IN
ally as the population dwindlsd one
by one. the hotels and restaurants
closed their doors. In two years Daw-
son City was but little more than a
memory But there are good values
there and some day II viii be differ
ent
Today the site Of that mad scham-
BILE is again the play ground OF the
coyote and the mountain lion. The
squeaky bark OF the prairie dog can
be heard in echo down the gulch.
Those hotels OF a day have dlsap-
peared. The sheitering huts OF hope
ful fortune seekers have been torn
into nothlngness.
The large mill whose rattiIns
wheels and changing tables filled the
usual quiet mountain fastness with
disturbing eruption is stilled and
the structure has gone the way OF the
hotels and the little homes. Up on
the side OF the hill Is stiil the shaft
house Of the Copper King. The
hoisting machinery is siill in place,
but covered with rust amid the neg