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Personal HistoriesThis section contains histories of our community as seen through the eyes of the participants (for example, real estate developer Don Weixelman), history as passed on through the family (for example Lee McConnell, grandson of the first district ranger), or through library research (e.g. the Batterson Barn and Homestead, prepared by Linda Adams) and oral history interviews by Linda Bell. Barker, Gene, came
with his family from Iowa to Red Feather Lakes in 1935, at age 11. His father
was in the wood industry, making the first milled house logs in Colorado. Gene
helped him and learned the business, so he has in turn had a saw mill, a
planning mill, a lumber yard, a construction business, and has built many
cabins in RFL. He also built and ran
a diamond sorting plant near former Sloan Ranch on 82E. He has just about done
everything including owning and operating a restaurant, working for The Red
Feather Lakes
Storage and Irrigation Company, and served three years in the marines. Batterson Barn and Homestead: Solomon (1830 - 1918, 88) and Mary (1833-1908, 75) Batterson were part of the Westward migration to California, but decided not to continue on. Like others, they first settled in Greeley (1870) until they could find a place to homestead, which they did in 1873, being one of the first families to do so in this area. The barn, completed in 1890, still stands and is used by the current owners, Judd and Linda Adams. Linda prepared this history from newspaper archives. The article has historic photos of the Battersons and current pictures of the barn and homestead remains. Dunning,
Ted, (1901-1989,
88), came from Nebraska to Red Feather in 1928, bought a store, and never left.
Then only about 100 cabins, only 25 people in the winter time, several hundred
in the summer. First post office in RFL was established in1934, and Ted was post
master from 1940 – 1968. He talks about his involvement in The Red Feather
Lakes Storage and Irrigation Company, CCC boys building the road, the Chief Red
Feather legend, Evelyn Foster Tamil named Princess Redfeather, cattle drives,
and more stories of the early days. Frydendall,
Dennis - water, is an interview by Linda Bell, focused on western,
state, and local water issues and early growth of Red Frydendall, Dennis - The Meadow Tour - is an interview by Linda Bell wherein Dennis recounts how he first read the Meadow by James Galvin and how his interest in the book turned into a Historical Society Tour. At the end of the interview is the map, along with photos, which should enable you to take a virtual tour. Grauberger,
Emma
and husband Arthur came to Red Feather Lakes in 1969. She is owner/manager of the RV park which you see as you turn off 74E
into the RFL Village. File has several historic photos of cabins. Higley family, Pat Clemens talks with Earl and Diane about their parents Ray and Beverley Higley who came to Red Feather Lakes and bought their first cabin in 1946. McConnell, was the first Red Feather Lakes Area Forest Ranger and built the ranger station at Manhattan in 1909. The article was written by Lee F. McConnell, his grandson and includes two historic photos of ranger station and trail construction, along with a location map. Miller, Lafi and Juliana, a Linda Bell article, reprinted from the North Forty News, February 1999, about the lives of Lafi and Juliana “Jo” (Sloan) Miller. Jo is a descendent of three Livermore pioneer families: Sloans, Swans and Roberts. The title of the article is "A love story, a feud, and ties to 100 years of Livermore history." Red Feather Greens,
by Jean Drake Emond, is
a story about a small business whose owners did not make a lot of money, but
whose efforts and dedication, as well as the involvement by others, enriched
the lives of many people in a mountain community and other nearby
communities.
Jean is the daughter of Bonnie
and Hugh Drake who came to RFL in
1924. In
the 1940s Bonnie began
making wreaths as a fund raiser for Trinity Episcopal Church in Reid, Margaret, her family bought a cabin in Red Feather Lakes in 1926 and she still lives here. In the interview Margaret tells what is was like to grown up in the community and see it change. Robinsons, Rick and Zella, uncle and niece, descendents of the Dayton Robinson family who came to Northern Colorado in 1882 – almost 130 years ago. They settled in the Elkhorn Creek Area. Family interests were ranching and saw-milling, and some prospecting. It is their family cabin in Fed Feather Lakes which is now a museum with historical artifacts. Tamlin, Evelin, born in Red Feather Lakes in 1926, perhaps the first, was legally named Princess Red Feather; she talks about life in the early days before modern conveniences. An interview by Linda Bell. Weixelman, Don, notes from the real estate developer who created Glacier View Meadows, Green Mountain Meadows, Crystal Lakes, and Beaver Meadows. |