A battle, unfortunately, way too familiar.

By Rob Carrigan, robcarrigan1@gmail.com

Fighting fire is something I am familiar with. My dad fought them all of his life. My younger sister spent time battling them for the United States Forest Service. I mark various watershed events in my own life by the experience of fire.
"Andrew Zajac was a well-liked and active student at Downers Grove North High School, where he played football, performed cello in the orchestra and signed up for exciting trips abroad with fellow classmates," writes Annemarie Mannion and Gary Gibula of the Chicago Tribune.
"As news spread that Zajac, 26, was one of the three firefighters with the U.S. Forest Service killed this week while battling a fierce wildfire in Washington state, friends, family and former acquaintances in the west suburbs mourned the loss of a local kid who grew up to do heroic work," said the Tribune story last week.
"Zajac and two other firefighters — Tom Zbyszewski, 20, and Richard Wheeler, 31 — were killed and four others injured when what authorities described as a “hellstorm” of flames driven by shifting winds overtook their crew Wednesday after they crashed their vehicle while fighting a wildfire in north-central Washington."
Almost 30,000 firefighters are taking on 100 large fires in drought-stricken, and heat-ravaged Washington, California,  Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and other parts of the West.
The three, took their last firetruck ride along Twisp River Road,  as hundreds in smoke-stained Nomex removed their hard hats to honor the procession for the fallen — before heading back to the fire lines.
I noted, (not for the first time) that there is connection among those battling blazes. 
An unlucky 13 firefighters have been killed fighting Western fires this year.
Locally, Divide Fire Protection District, North East Teller County, and perhaps others, each have sent trucks west to fires.
The 13 recalls the South Canyon Fire on Storm King near Glenwood Springs in 1994 unfortunately, and makes me recall the 14 killed there.
Prineville Hotshots: Kathi Beck, Tamera Bickett, Scott Blecha, Levi Brinkley, Douglas Dunbar, Terri Hagen, Bonnie Holtby, Rob Johnson, Jon Kelso.
Missoula Smokejumper: Don Mackey
McCall Smokejumpers: Roger Roth, Jim Thrash.
Helitack: Robert Browning, Jr., Richard Tyler.
Five firefighters died from injuries sustained from a June 21, 2002 traffic accident en route to the Hayman fire in Colorado from Oregon: Zach Zigich, Retah Shirley, Jacob Martindale, Danial Rama, and Bart Bailey. I will never forget the disconsolate, but determined, looks on firefighter's faces when they announced those names at a Lake George fire briefing, then.
It is important to remember — always, I think.

Photo information:
The lone helicopter on the South Canyon Fire on Storm King Mountain, shown here before the blowup on July 6, 1994, shuttled the Prineville Hotshots from Canyon Creek Estates to the fire. Courtesy of Bowman Museum.

History woven into fabric of Monument post office

"Abstract anger is great for rhetorical carrying on. You can go on endlessly about the post office, but it doesn't mean you're mad at your mailman."
__ P.J. O'Rourke

 First called Henry's Station before the first trains rolled through in 1872, but Henry, himself, is given credit for changing the little burg's name to Monument

By Rob Carrigan, robcarrigan1@gmail.com

In places like this, the post office is part of the fabric that holds the town together through time and history. The story of the Post Office seems to be a twisting and turning tale here locally in Monument. David McShane, who built the old stone fort near the edge of Monument and Palmer Lake, was of course, the first postmaster. But Henry Limbach, was the second.

"The first post office in this vicinity was in 1869, and was located on the David McShane ranch. David McShane was the first postmaster. Mail was brought to the office twice a week, if the weather permitted, by hack or saddle horse," records historian Lucile Lavelett.

Limbach made his first payment on for land in Monument on Oct. 1, 1870. The land was patented to Maria Linder, Henry's mother in law, who came over from Germany.

"Caroline Linder Limbach was born in Hilburghausen Saxony, on May 22, 1842. She came to America with her mother, Mrs. Linder in May, 1872. They stopped temporarily in St. Louis, Missouri. There by pre-arrangement, she was met, and married to Henry Limbach, who had been a companion and schoolmate of her childhood and early youth in Germany. Immediately after their marriage, she came with her husband; her mother accompanying them to his ranch, that had been made a station called Henry's Station on the D & R.G. railroad just then built," wrote Lucille Lavelett in 'Through the Years at Monument, Colorado.'

"The country around was still unsettled, only a few ranches near and the bride still unable to speak a word of English. She commenced her new life in a new, strange and barren-looking country. Caroline Limbach was the first white female resident in Monument. Her eldest son, Ed Limbach, was the first child born in this town."

According to the lore, though it was first called Henry's Station before the first trains rolled through in 1872, but Henry, himself is given credit for changing the little burg's name to Monument, after the nearby rock formation.

Henry himself, had arrived in this country as early as 1866, when he served in the Eighth Cavalry. He enlisted to take part in the Indian War and served as Captain.

"Later he became a true friend to the Indian. He and Chief Ingacio were very close friends," Lavelett wrote.

In January of 1874, Charles Adams and Henry Limbach filed a plat statement of the town encompassing about 60 acres in the North half of the South east quarter. 108 lots were platted with Limbach owning 36 and Adams 72. Adams and Limbach, with others, would later file two more additions by 1879, and be involved with more in the 1880s.

Mount Herman, West of Monument, was named after one Herman Schwanbeck, who homesteaded right about where Village Inn is now. A relative of his, Charles Adams, was both instrumental in the development of the town, and much of early Colorado, though Adams never lived in Monument, staying in the Manitou Springs much of his life, and died in fire and explosion at the Gumry Hotel in Denver in 1895.

"Charles Adams was born Karl Adams Schwanbeck in Germany in 1845. He came to the United States as young man and served in the Union Army during the the Civil War (as did Henry Limbach) and afterwards was a cavalryman on the Western Plains. He was appointed Brigadier General of the Colorado Militia in 1870. Later he was an Indian agent , a special agent in the post-office department and Minister to Bolivia. After the Ute outbreak in 1879 he distinguished himself by entering the territory of the Indians and persuading them to release their white captives. He was married to an English girl who did not like the German name of Schwanbeck, so had it changed to Charles Adams," according to Lavelett's history.

From 1869 to 1959, the Post Offices in Monument were located in stores or private homes. In 1959, for was the first time, Monument had it own new building for a post-office. It was dedicated April 24, 1960 with Lucille Lavelett as postmaster.

A new and larger office was constructed on Front Street in 1975 to accommodate growth related to development in Woodmoor, (the building surrounded by controversy recently regarding a possible Methadone clinic,) across from Limbach Park.

And finally construction of the current building, on Third Street, across from the old Schwanbeck homestead, began in 1998.

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Photo Information:

1. David McShane, first Monument-area postmaster.

2. Henry Limbach, second postmaster.

3. Caroline Limbach.

4. Charles Adams, with Ouray and Chipeta

5. Lucille Lavelett.

6. Limbach's house in 1880.

7. Limbach Saloon.

8. Caroline Limbach's Millenery.

Name, and interest in cars, shared

Here is where the two Durant stories converge

By Rob Carrigan, robcarrigan1@gmail.com

Our differences don't always drag us apart. But things we share, often bring us together.
Donald Durant says he has always liked cars. Perhaps the longtime Monument resident came by it naturally, showing the same interest as his mom, Anna Houser? Maybe it was linked to his surname? With a name like Durant, it is possible that it was predestined.
William Crapo "Billy" Durant, the co-founder of General Motors, founder of Frigidaire, partner to Louis Chevrolet. and probably the most pioneering visionary in early days of the car industry,  standing next to the likes of Henry Ford, developed Buick, Oldsmobile, Cadillac. He was also the founder of Durant Motors, Flint, and Eagle — maker of the Durant automobile line.
Here is where our story of the two Durants converge.
Local Donald Durant, while growing up and living in the Tri-Lakes area, always wanted to own a Durant automobile. Guess it was a name thing? In fact, he and his mom Anna Houser were involved with the purchase of at least three of the vehicles over time. But it was difficult to find one complete, with all things in working order, original equipment, all the pieces and parts. After all, they only manufactured them 1921 to 1931.
But the Stars aligned in 1998, when Durant and Houser discovered — hiding in a garage for 20 years in Kansas —  a 1928 Durant Model 65, that had been driven in to garage after its first owner died. Its series number is in the 4,000s. Story was, the first owner was a politician, maybe State Senator from somewhere over on the Western Slope (though some of the details of who and where from,) have been lost over time.
"It is pretty much exactly as we found it," says Donald Durant. "Aired up and balanced the tires. Worked on the carburetor, 12-volt electrical system. Worked on radiator. Really just a lot of simple stuff."
Durant is a heavy equipment operator by trade, so he had some exposure to mechanics.
"We thought it was a good vehicle," said his mom Anna Houser, and she thinks they paid somewhere about $12,000 to $15,000 for it back in 1998. She has owned a few interesting cars living here in the area since 1958. Among them, a '56 Jaguar, a '58 and '60 Edsel, and a Hudson Hornet.
This year it was entered into the Monument Fourth of July Parade.
"Driving it in a parade is really hard on it, because of the way it is geared and the clutch." But they got through it, and relished the opportunity to display the car.
"Billy" Durant's last car company failed in 1933. In the 1920s, heavily involved with Wall Street, he joined with members of the Rockefellers and other financial giants, after the Crash of 1929 to buy large quantities of stocks, against the advice of friends to demonstrate confidence in the market. His effort proved costly and failed to stop the market slide. By 1936, the 75-year-old Durant was bankrupt. After the fall of Durant Motors, he and his second wife, Catherine Lederer Durant, lived on a small pension provided by arranged by Alfred P. Sloan at $10,000.00 a year on behalf of General Motors. He suffered a stroke in 1942, leaving him with physical challenges and only able to find work managing a bowling alley, where he finished his life slinging hamburgers in Flint until his death in 1947.

Responsibility: Duty without pain

Pueblo reporter perishes in the flooding waters

 By Rob Carrigan, robcarrigan1@gmail.com

Ben Franklin, an old newspaper man himself, noted that is “It is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority.”
 In the midst of questioning authority, and generally bringing useful information to public,
"Public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy. Ethical journalism strives to ensure the free exchange of information that is accurate, fair and thorough. An ethical journalist acts with integrity," according to the Society of Professional Journalists.
I have always considered it a noble profession with a lot of responsibility.
It can also be dangerous. I was reminded of that recently researching the story about the 1965 floods in this area. One of the first reported deaths during that crisis was James Osnowitz.
"James Osnowitz, 23, a Pueblo Star-Journal and Chieftain employee, died when his car crashed thru  the barricade at the scene of flooding, near Larkspur, south of Denver," said the Chicago Tribune on June 18, 1965.
 His obituary in the Colorado Springs Free Press on June 18, 1965 headline read:
"Pueblo Newsman Drowns in Flood Near Larkspur." It goes on to report.
"The body of a 22-year-old Pueblo newsman was pulled from his submerged car near Larkspur, Douglas County, Thursday. James Edward Osnowitz, a summer employee of the Pueblo Chieftain and Star-Journal, was found by skin divers. Because officials of the Douglas County Sheriff's Office could not reach the area, Sheriff Earl L. Sullivan of El Paso County ordered the body brought out. The body was taken to St. Francis Hospital and then to the Law Mortuary pending transfer to Pueblo. Osnowitz was born on Jan. 9, 1943, at Sioux City, Iowa. He was a recent graduate of Southern Colorado State College at Pueblo and held a scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania School of Journalism. The Osnowitz car apparently crashed through a barricade and he was trapped inside by flooding waters Wednesday, according to the report."
The Committee to Protect Journalists identifies 1,134 journalists killed, just since 1994, when it started keeping records. Other ways of making a living, and just living itself, of course can be dangerous.
For example, Jessica Ghawi, an aspiring Colorado sports reporter who barely missed a deadly Toronto shooting a few days before, was among those killed by a crazed gunman at an Aurora theater, just going to movie on her off time.
And the Alan Berg killing, June 18, 1984, was a stark reminder that certain crazy people can take offense from things you might say, and even the way your say it.
Berg was an American attorney and Denver talk show host notable for his largely liberal, outspoken viewpoints and confrontational interview style. Berg was gunned down in the driveway of his Denver town home by members of the Order.
All of us know of more tragic examples that burn uneasy concern in our operating plans. Journalists, and of course everyone's, primary responsibility is to try to stay upright and breathing in the line of duty and danger.
Sam Clemens, or Mark Twain by the name he developed writing for the Virginia City Territorial Enterprise, had perhaps the correct take.
“Do something everyday that you don't want to do; this is the golden rule for acquiring the habit of doing your duty without pain."
To emphasize: Duty without pain.

Photo info: Aerial photo of Lowell Ranch, taken by Hank Kimbrough, Douglas County Commissioner, June 17, 1965. Douglas County History Research Center

Legacy of tradition, local activism and reaching out

For the the Searles, the trail always leads back to legacy, tradition, local activism, and a history of reaching out.
This week is no different.
Wednesday night, August 5, the Tri-Lakes Chamber of Commerce Concerts in the Park series is extended with what Charlie Searle calls a "Shelleybration." in honor of his sister Shelley Searle Barber, (1958-2015) and a fundraiser for Open Arms Pregnancy Resource Center in Walsenburg. Naturally, Charlie's band, the ASHToNZ, are performing in Limbach Park in Monument, starting at 7 p.m.
Then Friday and Saturday, August 7 and 8, the Searles host 2015 Rocky Mountain Select Texas Longhorn Sale & Rendezvous at Latigo Trails Equestrian Center, not too far from Searle's Cherry Springs Ranch. That gathering, of course, has a philanthropic element benefiting the Semper Fi Fund for disabled veterans.
Longhorns, rendezvous, music, stock sales and the entertainment trail for the Searles is a long one.
"In 33 years of putting on Texas Longhorn Sales, we've learned that the most successful ones offer good cattle and a memorable social experience," says Stan Searle, Charlie's father.
Stan (and the rest of the family, as a result) have been involved in the Longhorn business since the early 1970s and formerly founded and published the Texas Longhorn Journal. Charlie worked as editor, and Shelley worked alongside. Stan's wife, and Charlie and Shelley's mom Lorna, was Ad Manager.
For the last 13 years, it has been a local Longhorn operation out at Cherry Springs Ranch (with other grazing ground out in Ellicott) on the former site of Gwillimville. Founded in 1869 by Gwillim R. Gwillim, originally from North South Wales, and six miles east of Monument on Highway 105.
"The cabin and hay shed in the bottom of the pasture dates back to the time of the town," noted Stan in recent tour during a Chamber event. Gwillimville was never incorporated. In its heyday, a cheese factory, creamery, store, blacksmith shop, several saloons, a post office, school, church and worker's quarters sprang from the earth around Cherry Springs and the source of Cherry Creek. The Gwillimville School was eventually moved to Monument, becoming Sunday school for the Presbyterian Church and in the 1980s, the former Tri-Lakes Chamber of Commerce building on Highway 105 in Monument.
In January of 1880, a Diphtheria epidemic broke out affecting brother of the founder's family Richard Gwillim's two daughters.
"In spite of all efforts, the two little girls passed away within a few days of each other. These girls are buried in the Spring Valley Cemetery," wrote Lucile Lavelett in her Monument's Faded Neighboring Communities. "Avery strange and sad coincidence happened that two children in every family in the neighborhood died of Diphtheria during that epidemic."
In 1895, Richard Gwillim's home burned, pretty much spelling the end of Gwillimville.
Stan Searle's career in the media business was not confined to Longhorns however and had fingers reaching out in several directions. Locally, he was the founder and manager of Tri-Lakes Cable, which was sold to Adelphia in 2000, (later becoming part of Comcast) and managed other trade magazines related to cable and other business.
Named among the top 100 Pioneers of the cable industry, Stan's heart however, was in the cattle business. Suggesting that some of his inspiration comes from legendary trail founder Charles Goodnight, Stan co-founded International Texas Longhorn Association and is a recipient of their prestigious "Charles Goodnight Award. The Goodnight-Loving Trail beginning with the "Gather" in Texas after the Civil War, goes through Monument, on into Denver. Charlie, a noted musician, photographer, writer, began his musical career at Alamo Village working for Happy Shahan, former partner of actor John Wayne in development of Alamo Village for the film.
Legacy, tradition, local activism, and a history of reaching out.

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