Gunnison news-champion., 1923-08-10
Charley Adams Writes
OF Our Celebration

Of Leadville, which was then IN ths
very height Of excitement over ths
discovery Of placer gold in California
gulch.
In the led wagon was the familiar
figure Of Alonse Hartman, who set
tied in the Cunnison valley in 1872
and built the first cabin there down
near the river on the right Of the
automobile road that comes into Gum
nison from the west. lit can be seen
there. yet in the clump Of trees near
the beautiful Hartman residence that
was built some twenty years later
Seated At his aide was John B. Outcalt.
who came in 1873 with the old
Gunnison colony from Denver. headed
by Prof. Sylvester Richardson, father
Of Denver Richardson, who was form
erly well known railroad man on the
Western Slope, and who, by the why,
was the first white child born on the
townsite of Denver. The widow of
Prof. Richardson yet lives in Gunni-
son, and in quite hale and hearty for
one who has undergone the many
hardships that she endured during her
early life in Colorado. In her young
days she was very beautiful woman,
and Prof. Richardson ran q stopping
place q short distance out Of Denver
for freighters. It was familiarly
known as the pretty woman's ranch"
and there are likely pioneers on the
Western Slope who have stopped at
her place and partaken of her hos
pitality.
Lon Hartman has lived continuous
~ in the Gunnison valley for now 81
Nxsff hn Of Oh As-f
time he spent in the Paradox valley,
enterprise. John Outcalt has also
lived there for half century, ana
the important part they have con-
tributed in building up that splendid
empire is no small one. Everywhere
along the street the crowds of people
applauded these old timers as they
rode in prairie schooner together,
and doubtlessly chatted over the old
times, comparing the modern pro-
gress with the time when they built
the trails into that country-which
was almost thousand miles from
civilization.
Riding in one of the latest automo-
biles were the only living representa-
tives of the county government of
Gunnison county in l8S4-1SS5. They
were Mrs. Alonzo Hartman, who was
then Miss Lou Haigler, and doc" c.
w. Shores. Mrs. Hartman was depu-
ty county clerk and Doc Shores was
sheriff. While this parade an4 de-
monstration of pioneer days did not
compare with the wonderful pioneer
blowout engineered during the West
ern Slope fair at Montrose last fall
by Jay J. Ross, it was certainly a
creditable start, and ! heard talk of
pulling off big one there at Gunni-
son next, as Gunnison is the mother
of the Western Slope and she still has
many leading figures who would
stand out as monuments in any pio-
neer celebration.
The first days celebration drew a
good crowd for the opening numbers
but in the middle of the afternoon
heavy rain fell almost out of clear
sky and married the days sport to
considerable degree. But the ardor
of these intrepid boosters up there
was not soaked in the least, altho It
might have been dampened just a
trifle, and / understand the two days
following We're all right and fine
program was put on.
An interesting sidelight on the
sports is the fact that John b. Outcalt
has a daughter who is a wonderful
horsewoman and she walked away
with couple of prizes in the days
races and other equestrian events:
In pulling off the bucking and wild
horse sports, noticed new scheme
that could be practised by Montrose
in their fairs. When bucking num-
Der is to be put on, they drive one
of the wild horses out of small
pen in front of the grand stand into a
chute. This chute is just wide enough
for a horse to stand in it and give
room for putting on the saddle.
When the saddle is in place, the rider
mounts and the sides of the chute
being on hinge, open out and the
bronco is free to leap out onto the
race track and do his prettiest. II
is a safe and simple scheme for hand
ling the buckers and saves a mighty
lot of time, as there is no scrap with
the bronco while putting on the sad
die.
Gunnison is quite busy place this
summer, with the summer Normal
school of the Western State College of
Colorado in full blast and some 600
or 800 in attendance. Experienced
schoolma'ams and those in the en-
bryotic state are there in full swing,
getting the best to be had in scienti-
fic school quirks and putting Them
selves in better state to advance the
interests of young America.
The school is a beehive of activity.
Prof. VIM. Melcher Il one of the in
structors and Montrose has many
students in attendance.
The night in Gunnison I slept out
in the open on the summit of Normal
hill in my old Pullman bed in "Old
Herculese," my faithful Dodge car.
The breeze up there was exhilerating.
The only thing that troubled me at all
was the presence of SO many mosque
toes. They are fierce up there in
Gunnison-they are lie the Texas
mosquito immortalized in song
"They bite thru boot leg, sock and all
and don't mind that af all -