Stephanie Waters - Colorado Legends & Lore: The Phantom Fiddler, Snow Snakes and Other Tales

Published by The History Press

Charleston, SC 29403

www.historypress.net

Copyright 2014 by Stephanie Waters

All rights reserved

Front cover, bottom: Sky Pond image courtesy of Mike Scalisi.

First published 2014

e-book edition 2014

ISBN 978.1.62585.013.3

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Waters, Stephanie.

Colorado legends and lore : the phantom fiddler, snow snakes and other tales / Stephanie Waters.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references.

print edition ISBN 978-1-62619-481-6 (paperback)

1. Folklore--Colorado. 2. Legends--Colorado. 3. Tales--Colorado. 4. Colorado--Social life and customs--Anecdotes. I. Title.

GR110.C6W38 2014

398.209788--dc23

2014024932

Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

To the last man standing

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I was thrilled and honored to write this book. Thanks again to The History Press, especially to commissioning editor Becky LeJeune, copyeditor Ben Ellenburg and the rest of the production team. Big thanks to friends and family, including my buddy Vanessa Rita Dolbow, who contributed illustrations, and my cousin Des Desperado Matthews, a professional artist. Even my late grandmother Mary Bryan Waters posthumously furnished artwork. My appreciation goes to Grandpa, Alpha Dog and Ranee Langlois for technical support. Id especially like to honor my fellow haunted history tour guides: Dean Weiler in Aspen, Gail Westwood in Breckenridge, Canon City Ghost Tours, Eric Bloomfield in Central City, Lori Juszak in Fort Collins, Dori Spence in Longmont, Roger Pretti in Leadville, Joel Chirhart in Morrison and Haunted Corazon Ghost Tours in Trinidad. Special thanks to the Cripple Creek Lawman and Jail Museum, Colorado Grand Casino, the Saint Nicolas Hotel, Glenwood Springs Colorado Hotel, the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Central City Historical Society, Century Casino, Easy Street Casino, Reserve Casino and the George Rowe Museum in Silver Plume. Id like to salute author Linda Womack and Ute Pass historian Jan Pettit (whom I always admired and met through writing this book). Thanks to the many folks I interviewed, including All Girl Paranormal Society; Boulders Spiritbear; Laura Westfall; Craig Cristophel; Michelle Mayer; Donnie Reed; the Spirit Chasers; Erica Leonis; Mike Coletta; Kris Tennatt; Wesley Waters; Darin Waters; Brett Leal; LeeAnna Jonas; Linda Volkens; RMRIPP; Devils Head forest ranger Billy Ellis; the forest ranger at Crack Cave; Judy at the UFO Watchtower; Pueblos Immortal Solstice dance troupe; Mr. Erik Swanson in Fairplay; and Mr. George Coal, who treated me to a private tour of the statehouse on my fiftieth birthday. Id also like to acknowledge the Gilpin County Historical Society, the Cripple Creek Victorian Society, Pikes Peak Library District, the Visual and Performing Arts Department at the University of ColoradoColorado Springs and the Colorado Springs Evergreen Cemetery Benevolent Society, Siddhartha, Mary Jane and Monkeys. Most of all, hats off to the historians who fostered preservation of our states fascinating heritage.

INTRODUCTION

Old-timers claim that once youve hung your hat in Colorado, it will always be home, no matter where you later roam. Colorado becomes a part of you, like the crystal-clear mountain waters we drink and the fresh air we breathe. Its indelible legacy is emblazoned in the red dirt beneath our feet and stained by the blood of proud Native Americans and pioneers. My passion for our states mysteries began when an elementary school teacher told our class a strange story that greatly influenced me. Mr. Borst said that in the mid-1970s, he and some friends were hiking in the mysterious San Luis Valley, when they spied several spaceships hovering over the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Furthermore, he claimed that unexplainable aircraft had been documented in the valley since the Spaniards first explored southern Colorado in the sixteenth century. Mr. Borst reasoned that they might have been camping near an ancient UFO landing strip! Then he launched into a lackluster astronomy lecture. We begged him to skip the small talk and tell us more about the UFOs, but he adamantly refused, joking that he wanted to see his name, and not ours, in the newspapers for making the discovery. He quipped, There is much more in the world that we dont understand than do.

Those intriguing words might have been what inspired me to become a rocket scientist, but I settled for being a professional storyteller instead. I had always dreamed of writing, so it was a godsend when The History Press made me an offer I couldnt refuse. Much to my delight, Haunted Manitou Springs was a huge success! Dozens of copies flew off the shelves, and I laughed all the way to the bank. Inspired by my success, I followed with two more blockbusters. Needless to say, I was perfectly content resting on my literary laurels, until fate threw the dice of destiny.

In the charming town of Salida, I spied a crumbling structure teetering on a mountainside and was curious about its origins. A waitress at the Boathouse Caf claimed it was an ancient mausoleum for a duke. Say what? European royalty buried on a mountaintop above Salida? This I had to see. After lunch, I hiked to the monument but didnt find the answers I hungered for. Intrigued by the mystery, I did some research and found an amazing story behind the lofty shrine. The titillating tale got me to thinking about local legends and lore; however, I was disappointed when I couldnt find much on the subject. I imagined a narrative book of short stories about treasure tales, tall tales, unsolved mysteries, holy miracles, local lore, Indian legends, folklore and ghost stories all rolled into one big enchiladain a nutshell, sugarcoated history.

After The History Press gave the green light, I began a thrilling yearlong journey of research and discovery. I thought it was hilarious that legislators seriously considered naming our state Lu Lu! I also learned that many different flags have flown over our land. Colorado has belonged to the Pueblo people, American Indians, Mexicans and Texan land-grant companies, as well as both Spain and France. Once trapping and prospecting came along, they brought hopeful adventurers from all over the world. It wasnt long before storytelling became an integral part of bonding and creating culturally diverse legends.

All of the stories in this book are about places that you can actually visit. After all, Colorado legends arent usually posted on signs, so reading this book will make you look like a smarty-pants in front of your campfire friends. Furthermore, most of these tales have only been written about in old newspapers. With the more familiar legends, I dug deeper into historical archives and found some really interesting details that were somehow overlooked before. I also included original newspaper headlines and quotes whenever possible because they are amusing and prove that the stories are based on facts. For example, on December 29, 1916, headlines in the Akron Weekly Pioneer Press screamed: GLASS EYE EXPLODES AS HE LOOKS AT PIE!

Needless to say, sometimes I laughed myself silly. But it wasnt just the kooky headlines that caught my eye. I was amazed to find bizarre tales like the one about a time warp tunnel discovered near Estes Park and another about a ghost that haunts an entire town. Now, hows that for an exciting cliffhanger? Calling myself the Galloping Historian, I went on several road trips for research purposes. Especially entertaining were the haunted history tours, where local guides were happy to share tainted tales of mystery and mayhem that still have me sleeping with the light on! So fasten your seat belts, my friends, its going to be a thrilling ride. I sincerely hope you enjoy reading this anthology as much as I did researching and writing it for your pleasure. Happy trails!