In 1866, one of the Ute Indians had visited Fort Union to repay Captain William Moore for bringing him back to health with several pieces of rich copper float. Since copper was in demand, William Kroenig, Captain Moore and several others sent a man back with the Indian to see where he had found the copper. The Indian had led him to Mount Baldy. Immediately, Mr. Kroenig and Captain Moore had sent Larry Bronson, Peter Sinsinger, and a man named Kelly to stake out the claim.
On the first night, while Bronson and Sinsinger set up the camp equipment and cook, Kelly went and started panning in Willow Creek. With a yell from Kelly, Bronson and Sinsinger went to see what was going on...Kelly had found GOLD! Since winter was coming upon them, the three men marked a tree (Discovery Tree) and headed back to Fort Union until the spring. All were sworn to secrecy.
When spring came about, the men returned, along with other prospectors. By 1867, Captain Moore had named the town after his infant daughter, Elizabeth. When the town began, it was attached to Mora County. By 1869, Colfax County was detached from Mora County and Elizabethtown became the first county seat. Elizabethtown had reached a peak population somewhere between 5,000 and 7,000. There are two different numbers. Most research found it to be 5,000.
Since public transportation was non-existent, Theodore Cannard's white horse, Old Chalk, became an important factor in the mining industry. People would rent the horse, and load up their equipment. Once they reached their destination, they would unpack the horse, turn the horse around, give it a little slap, and Old Chalk would find his way back home. Now Old Chalk was known to every prospector in the valley.
In 1868, Obadiah J. Niles, a wagon maker from Illinois, migrated to Elizabethtown. He was one of the first justice of the peace, and did much to help establish law and order. The town did have problems with problems. But I can't figure out what happened to Mr. Niles in 1870, when the town was given it's first serial killer, Mr. Charles Kennedy.
Charles Kennedy lived between Elizabethtown and Taos, giving weary travelers a place to stay for the night. Now there are two different stories, but the one I'm writing about seemed to be the one the came up the most. It seemed, Mr. Kennedy's Ute Indian wife stumbled into a saloon one night frightened by what she had witnessed. She had escaped the house through the chiminy, while Mr. Kennedy was drunk. She informed the customers of the saloon, that he husband and killed a traveler and her baby son. Officers had gone to arrest Kennedy and began searching their home. In their search, they had found a partially charred human bones burning in the fire, and unearthed two skeletons beneath the house. There are two different stories on the circumstances surrounding Mr. Kennedy's break away from custody: 1) When the rumors began swirling around that Kennedy's lawyer was going to buy his freedom, a group of men, led by Robert Clay Allison, snatched Kennedy out of custody, threw a rope around his neck, and dragged him through the town until he died; and 2) While the men were waiting for the judge to come to town, a group of men came and snatched him. Either way, a group of men hung Mr. Kennedy. Allegedly, Mr. Allison had cut off his head and placed it on a post outside of town; and it remained there for a couple of weeks until it disappeared.
By 1871, the prosperity began slacking. And about the turn of the century, Elizabethtown felt the gold activity starting up again. Since panning was a slow process, the Oro Dredging Company, headed by H.J. Reiling, brought in a big dredge, also known as "Eleanor", to help with the process. The dredge cost $100,000.
By 1903, the town was thriving when a fire broke out. It had started in the second floor of the Remsberg's store. The losses proved to be a hard blow to Elizabethtown, in which the town never fully recovered. The United States Postal Office that opened in 1868 closed in 1931.
So what happened to Elizabeth. Well, she was schooled in Elizabethtown and later taught one year in Willow Creek Canyon. But a young man, Joseph Lowrey, came courting. Joseph was born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1840 and later moved to Canada. He ran away from home and rafted on Lake St. Croix for a while, where he finally worked his way down the Mississippi River. He fought the South in the Civil War. When the War ended, he headed west looking for a new adventure. He became a popular miner in Elizabethtown, and later grazed cattle on 140 acres of land leased from the Maxwell Land Grant. Elizabeth stayed involved in education, as she served for years as a school trustee. Their daughter, May, was in the first high school graduating class in Elizabethtown.
There is a lot more information on this town. I just captured the jest of it. If you would like more information, please let me know if there's anything specific you are looking for. During the summer months, there is a museum opened. During the rest of the year, you can call and make an appointment.
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