We have Tally here! Tally and I hang out together and do FUN Tally and Boomer stuff!
All the time!
We also work.
We go with Dad and Mom and irrigate.
Mom and Dad change the water and Tally makes sure the water goes down the rows.
I look for NEWS!
I LOVE news.
Tally is here until the weekend. It’s her week with Dad, Mom and ME!
I LOVE having Tally here!
Boomer
A one-time opportunity to view and handle the famous historic Sharps rifle, which ended the historic exploits of the McCarty gang in 1893 took place on Saturday, July 9th, at the museum. The 1874 Sharps rifle was on special display and was available for close-up viewing and, under close supervision, we also allowed the rifle to be handled by the public. Appropriate protective gloves provided by the museum were required, and we did not allow anyone to dry-fire the rifle. A photographer was on hand to take photographs of anyone wishing to have a permanent memento of handling the rifle.
The Sharps rifle was temporarily removed from the permanent bank robbery exhibit so that close-up, detailed photographs could be taken of the markings on the rifle. This had been done years ago, but with photographic quality so much better now, we decided to update our documentary photos. With the rifle out of the exhibit, the Board of Trustees decided to use it as a draw for an open house, and a $10 admission fee was established for the event.
The robbery of the Farmers and Merchants Bank in Delta took place on September 7, 1893, when brothers Tom and Bill McCarty, along with Bill’s son, Fred, encountered the marksmanship of W. Ray Simpson, a hardware merchant who was in his store across Main Street from the bank, when he heard two shots inside the bank, one of which killed bank cashier, Andrew Blachly. Simpson, with his single-shot Sharps rifle in hand, ran over to Third Street and was approaching the alley when the three McCarty outlaws galloped past him as they sought to escape toward Second Street through the alley. Tom McCarty was in the lead, followed by Fred and his father, Bill. Simpson’s first shot removed the top of Bill’s head, and he dropped just behind where the present-day museum is today. Fred made it to the end of the alley when Simpson’s second shot hit him in the head, and he died against a fence then at Second Street. Tom McCarty escaped from Delta only to disappear into history. When, where or how he died is a mystery to this day.
Also present at the open house were four descendants of Tom McCarty, the great grandfather of all of them. Tom McCarty was the only McCarty who escaped the marksmanship of Ray Simpson that day in 1893. The four McCarty descendants, all cousins today, took the occasion to have a small McCarty reunion in Delta, since they had traveled from distant homes in Utah and Texas for the occasion. Only Kristi Johnson, from Utah, great granddaughter of Tom McCarty, had ever been to the museum.
All brought photos and other family memorabilia relating to the McCarty legacy which few have ever seen. This was a unique opportunity to visit with related family members of the (outlaw) McCarty lineage, and it was truly a momentous occasion.
The Sharps rifle, along with the pistols carried by Bill and Fred McCarty, are on permanent exhibit at the museum. A book about the bank robbery, Banks, Bullets and Bodies; a Failed Robbery in Delta, Colorado, written by curator Jim Wetzel, is also available at the museum.
The bank robbery guns. Ray Simpson’s 1874 Sharps rifle on top, Bill McCarty’s Colt 44 Peacemaker at left, and Fred McCarty’s Colt 41 New Navy pistol at right.
MUSEUM DIRECTOR / CURATOR: Jim Wetzel 835-8905
MUSEUM: (970) 874-8721 deltamuseum@aol.com
DELTA COUNTY MUSEUM Delta County Historical Society
Quarterly Newsletter Issue No. 87 July – September, 2016
NEWSLETTER EDITOR: Jim Wetzel
Linda
How often do any of us get a chance to rub elbows with history? I hope that makes sense. I’m referring to the opportunity to meet real historic, but not necessarily famous, people. I had occasion to do just that, when four Tom McCarty descendants descended on the museum for our open house. While the open house was originally for the purpose of allowing the public to see and handle the famous 1874 Sharps rifle with which Ray Simpson shot Tom McCarty’s brother and nephew during their hasty retreat from Delta following their 1893 bank robbery here, it seemed to be more about the McCarty legacy and their family stories of this past century. While the rifle was certainly an attraction, the McCarty descendants were equally in the spotlight.
Tom McCarty was married twice. His second marriage to Christina Christiansen in 1873 resulted in three children; Leonard, Lewis, and Dora. Our four McCarty visitors were all from the Lewis McCarty lineage, Tom McCarty being their great grandfather.
Family history, when it includes historically famous bad guys, is often not passed forward, and our visitors encountered some of their parents / grandparents, etc., who never spoke of this element of their history. Thus, some of our questions to them were also their questions. Nevertheless, they came with numerous photos, pedigree charts (genealogy charts), and oral history to satisfy our interest in the McCarty legacy.
Our thanks go to Kristi (McCarty) Johnson of Sandy, UT for contacting her (McCarty) cousins; Tillma Giesse of Laramie, WY, Jim Whitteker of Logan, UT, and Robert Whitteker of Sweetwater, TX. The occasion was also like a family reunion for the visitors, and we were most honored to be included in some of their discussions. All things considered, they were lots of fun to mingle with, and there was no shortage of laughter among them.
I took the group on a walking tour of the places where the bank robbery events took place, followed by a drive past the residence which used to be the Farmers & Merchants Bank – moved there in 1908, and then a visit to the cemetery and the McCarty grave.
Lots of photos were taken – many from cell phones and ipads, but photos were also taken by a young lady hired for the occasion. Kaylee is a recent graduate of Delta High School and will be studying photography in college. She has a real gift for the art and her work is already of professional quality.
Photographs are the life-blood of documenting history. It is easy to alter history just by telling a story differently, but a photograph captures the moment and preserves it forever. I love Main Street parade photos, not just for the image of the float or key object / person, but for the background; the store front of that time, or a building no longer there, or for many other reasons.
I am reminded of the famous photos of the McCarty outlaws taken against what looked like the side of a barn, where previous historians claimed it was taken in front of a similar structure in the alley behind the museum. While it made sense that the photo could have been taken there, a careful examination of the building compared to the photo showed that it was not the same structure.
Delta’s Main Street as it appeared in 1893. The Farmers and Merchants Bank would have been on the left, out of sight in this photo. Photo courtesy of the Delta County Historical Society Museum.
Jim
MUSEUM DIRECTOR / CURATOR: Jim Wetzel 835-8905
MUSEUM: (970) 874-8721 deltamuseum@aol.com
DELTA COUNTY MUSEUM Delta County Historical Society
Quarterly Newsletter Issue No. 87 July – September, 2016
NEWSLETTER EDITOR: Jim Wetzel
Linda
The last time I saw a real Suit of Armor was in one of the New York City museums when I was a kid. Like the King’s Clock, a Suit of Armor is sort of out-of-place in a western museum. I suppose if it was Spanish in origin and related to the early Spanish soldiers in early western history, it would seem more normal. Our suit of Armor, oddly enough, was purchased in Spain by Dorothy Darrow, wife of long-time Delta attorney, Nick Darrow (both now deceased). For many years, this Suit of Armor stood “sentry” in Darrow’s law office in Delta. When he retired and closed his office, he donated the item to the museum. It came complete with a 48 inch sword, though due to the inherent risk, it is not part of the exhibit. The name CARLOS V is engraved on the sword, probably referring to the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V, who lived and reigned in the early 1500s.
Though purchased in Spain, this armor is believed to be a reproduction of early 16th century English or Spanish armor, and itself is over 100 years old. In all likelihood, this Suit of Armor is the only complete set of its kind on the Western Slope, and maybe all of Colorado.
DELTA COUNTY MUSEUM (970) 874-8721
Delta County Historical Society
Quarterly Newsletter Issue No. 87 July – September, 2016
NEWSLETTER EDITOR: Jim Wetzel
MUSEUM DIRECTOR / CURATOR Jim Wetzel 835-8905
Linda
As the Spanish-American War came to an end in 1898, a group of Delta businessmen thought it would be a good idea to have a flagpole in the center of town. So Delta erected a 75-foot tall flag pole in the center of the intersection of Main and Third Streets and proudly displayed a giant 45-star US flag.
In August 1898, an 86-foot tall tree was cut and hauled off of Grand Mesa to Delta. The Delta County Independent noted that several Eckert residents had reported seeing the giant pole being hauled down the Surface Creek road.
Businessmen Frank Dodge and Frank Sanders volunteered to see that the pole was properly placed. The Town of Delta built a band stand around the flagpole “for the benefit of the band boys.” Unfortunately, the affixing of a pulley to the top of the flagpole was an afterthought. The newspaper noted that “the pulley was so far down the pole that the flag flies constantly at half-mast,” leaving everybody asking, “who is dead?”
When electricity came to Delta in 1900, the town thought it would be a great idea to hang a light bulb atop the flagpole (well, half-way up) to illuminate Main Street. The light bulb and wiring were attached to the flag pulley and hoisted half-way up the 75-foot pole. The pulley system was needed in order to be able to change the light bulb when it burned out. At that time, the city power plant was located at First and Main.
In 1898, traffic on Main Street, with few exceptions, was entirely horse-drawn buggies and wagons. However, within a few years automobiles were common along Main Street. The flagpole and band-stand became a frequent target of early motorists whose driving skills preceded the requirement for a driver’s license. The town enacted a 7-mph speed limit within intersections, but somehow a few motorists still managed to hit the flagpole.
By 1908, the Town of Delta condemned the flagpole and bandstand as “dangerous.” On April 9, 1908, the town took down the flagpole and replaced it with a smaller one. The small flagpole might only have lasted a year or two, as there are no known photographs featuring a smaller flagpole.
DELTA COUNTY MUSEUM Delta County Historical Society
Quarterly Newsletter Issue No. 87 July – September, 2016
NEWSLETTER EDITOR: Jim Wetzel
After a series of storms made it’s way through our area
We were left with a series of
RAINBOWS!
Ain’t Life Grand?!
Your friend on a western Colorado farm,
Linda
My days are pretty much just rolling along. We are starting to see little vines and flower buds on the pinto beans. I could care less, but Mom and Dad think it’s a HUGE deal. I just wag my tail and agree with them.
The baby corn is popping up on the corn stalks. If I move through the corn rows I come out will corn pollen on me. Dad says this is a scary time for corn, the deer like to eat the silk. If they eat the silk the corn won’t make. Dad always gets really worried about this time of year. Mom says it’s our 10% tithe.
The fox and the raccoon are helping Mom clean up all the apricots. Fox can climb trees, did you know that? So can raccoons. We have two trees they climb up, to the very top, and get those little apricot fruit Mom can’t reach.
Mom says we share here…works for her and works for them. Also works for me, because I get to sniff all the news when they are on the farm and in the farm yard!
Mom, Dad, Sammy-Sam, and I sit outside and watch all the hummingbirds every evening.
We have four pair of Rufus Hummingbirds this year…Mom is really excited. She says she counted about 30 little hummers. I don’t get Mom’s excitement, it’s just part of the birds who live on our place.
Now what I find exciting is FOOTPRINTS in the mud! THAT is exciting!
Boomer
Even if the Devil is loose in the world
Even though time will fade for each of us—
We have the sign of Hope!
I always love seeing Rainbows!
Your friend on a western Colorado Farm,
Linda
Our days are growing shorter.
Not so very long ago the little birds woke-up just before 5:00 in the morning. Now it is much, much closer to 5:30. Depending on the clouds it can even be closer to 5:45.
The sun sets around 8:35 or so in evening.
Our days are now 14 hours and 33 minutes long, loosing time every day, bringing on the the night faster and faster.
I love the twilight, but I guess you know that by now. I never feel a sense of abandonment or that elemental loneliness that some people feel as night rises from the earth. What I feel is a soundless singing — a hushed exultation as the earth rests and the nocturnal animals and bugs wake
The trees and plants sigh as they start their rest, while the air cools. Then moon breaks forth in silver light, and the stars fling wide and wild across a deep velvet sky.
From my world to your heart,
Linda
We’ve been living with heat for several, several days now.
Miserable heat, the kind that hangs in the air and never really seems to cool down. (Although, I will take this heat over winter any day!)
The weather people said we might have rain yesterday…so we waited.
Then last evening I could see rain playing around us on the Uncompahgre Plateau.
Rain chutes filled the sky looking toward Montrose and over toward the Peach Valley area; still the bumblebees and the hummingbirds never exhibited anxious hovering in the flowers like they do before a storm makes it’s way to us.
We set the last set of water in the glow of the Full Thunder Moon; the air more restless than early in the evening.
Then during the night the rains came! We woke to beautiful fresh air, the ghost of the storm hanging damply on each blade and leaf.
Today is alluring, with clouds moving in again, and the promise of POSSIBLY more rain. My garden, the farm, and myself are all doing the happy dance!
Your friend on a Western Colorado Farm,
Linda
Life on a Colorado Farm 