For the next few weeks, the Independent will explore the series of history stories written by C. Frost Liggett, the first newspaper man in the county when it was just beginning in the 1880s. Liggett began to write his memories of the original people who came to this area some fifty years later. He then published those stories in the Kiowa County Press in the years 1939 through 1943.
The Kiowa County Historical Society in collaboration with the Eads School District joined with 32 other Colorado institutions who received grants in May of 2000 for participation in an innovative collaboration called the Colorado Digitization Project (CDP). The CDP created a “virtual collection” of Colorado’s historic and cultural collections to make them universally accessible via a sing Internet portal.
The grant from the CDP was used to digitize the writings of local newspaper editor and prominent political figure, C. Frost Liggett. The writings, which were published in the Kiowa County Press from Liggett’s reminiscence of the original people, places and incidents of Kiowa County and surrounding areas. The project will also digitize photographs and documents which correspond with Liggett’s writings.
Note: obituary with references to early environments and historical events.
There was recently published in the Kiowa County Press a short reference to the death of Walter K. Dudley, who died last month at his home in Pueblo, aged 74 years.
Mr. Dudley merits more than passing notice by having come to Kiowa County a young man in the early history of the county and having been County Clerk of the county. He came from Kentucky about the year 1887 and took up land near Galatea. About the same time Raymond Miller came to the county from Georgia and filed on land in the same vicinity. Dudley and Miller became pals, and this friendship endured through more than half a century.
It was not long thereafter that these two established a local newspaper, called the Galatea Courier, which was supported by the land office patronage of the Lamar land office. This paper was run a short time and publication was suspended.
At about this time Jefferson Davis Shuford came out from Leon, Kansas, where he was a clerk in the T. C. Chenoweth’s grocery store. After looking over the situation at Sheridan Lake, he conceived the plan of making Sheridan Lake the County Seat; the legislature being in season, was engaged in splitting up several counties. Kiowa County was carved out of old Bent County. This season was known as the “Robber Seventh,” spring of 1888.
Shuford gathered up all the funds that he could from the citizens around Sheridan Lake, laid out Shuford’s Addition to Sheridan Lake, went up to Denver to trade Shuford Addition Town lots for the designation of Sheridan Lake as the temporary County Seat.
Soon after this a general election was called to elect officers and name the permanent county seat. Shuford became the leading man in naming the officers, and grave irregularities were charged in this and subsequent elections, until Shuford a few years later was named livestock agent for a railroad and left the county. Raymond Miller was elected as County Treasurer, and thereafter this “leadership” fell to Mr. Miller.
When Mr. Miller went to Sheridan Lake as County Treasurer, Mr. Dudley, who was a very able clerical man went along, Mr. Miller being a rather passive and suave gentleman. Mr. Dudley was elected County Clerk and served well in that office.
Subsequently Mr. Miller was appointed as Register of the U.S. Land Office of Pueblo, through Hoke Smith, who was then Secretary of the Interior Department. Mr. Dudley went along. Pueblo petitioned and fought against an outsider being given the office, but the appointment stuck.
After Miller’s term expired, Mr. Dudley having been a clerk for Miller in that office, secured a clerkship in Alva Adams’ Pueblo Savings Bank, where he has by faithful services and merit been promoted to one of the important officers of the Banking Institution, and was holding this position when he died; through more than 40 years of meritorious service.
By reason of his position and through the confidence and high esteem of his employers, the Adams, he was able to do many a good turns for his friend Miller. Alva Adams has been Governor of Colorado, as has his brother, “Billy.” It is believed that “Billy” Adams has the most political prestige of any Democrat in the state.
Mr. Dudley has resided in Pueblo since first going there and has married and leaves a wife and daughter. Mr. Miller lives at the Brown Palace Hotel in Denver, never having married. He retains a suite of rooms where his friends are made welcome. While Mr. Miller has had these rooms for perhaps more than 25years, he still holds his voting residence in Kiowa County, by reason of his interest in the A. F. Wenger sheep ranch near Galatea.
A few years ago, Mr. Miller made a trip “Around the World” and collected quite a number of “trophies” gathered on his travels, which he is pleased to exhibit to his friends. By the way, he is now taking another short vacation trip, traveling abroad.
In those days there lived a Captain Hutchcraft, who had come from Fleming County, Kentucky, and built a home about a mile north of the town of Galatea. Capt. John Glaspie, a retired railroad locomotive engineer, came up from Cowboy, Kansas, and with his wife established a hotel in the town, which was a good one, noted for the good eats and good service. Hutchcraft was early elected County Judge and served the county as such for many years. Both Judge Hutchcraft and Capt. Glaspie belonged to the same political party, to which they claimed allegiance, but there sprang up a feud, that lasted during the rest of their lives, and there was hardly a political primary in which they did not engage in a scrap. They were naturally antagonistic and constitutionally unsuited as neighbors.
Dudley and Miller made their home at the Glaspie Hotel (Windsor) while they remained in Galatea, but their duties took them to the county seat, where most of the time was spent while the residents of the county. While Dudley and Miller held to different political faith from Glaspie and Hutchcraft, they were both entertained as welcome guests in home of both Glaspie and Hutchcraft and retained the personal friendship for both families. Both the Hutchcraft and Glaspie families have passed away, taken by the grim reaper, and only Glaspie’s daughter, Mrs. Edith Muriett, remains and still carries on as the principal merchant of the town.
Mr. Dudley’s steadfastness and loyalty to his friend is most commendable. Whatever may have been the political differences of the writer and Mr. Dudley as possessing many sterling qualities and our sympathies go out to the bereft wife and daughter.
