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Looking for a little nostalgia? Take a look around the site and see what you recognize! I have taken the liberty of using any and all names and pix I find. If you have an objection to a name or pic please let me know and I will remove it promptly.

******************************************* Keeping the Sopris Spirit Alive

Legacy of an Italian Coal Miner by Lou Fantin. Lou and Jenny Ann (wife), WWII years

Stories have it that Sopris was the name of a Civil War General, Eldridge B. Sopris. That may be the case before he came to Trinidad but I found out that he was a Trinidad business man and the town was almost certainly named after him. He acted as agent for the purchase of coal lands for the Denver Fuel Company. The origin of the town is a tangled story but I have been able to piece it all together fairly accurately from the beginning. It starts with A. M. Holt who was deeded the land by entry men under the terms of the Preemption and Homestead Acts that had its origin just after the Civil War. He secured 2,229 acres west of Trinidad which is the area that became Sopris. The land passed from Holt to George M. Converse, a local gambler nicknamed "Texas George." How this took place is unavailable to me. The land then passed on to Charles D. Chase and if there were any interim owners between Converse and Chase I don't know. Now the Denver Fuel Company enters the scene. One of the directors was Dennis Sullivan who on April 1887, acting as agent for the company, purchased the land from Mauricio Lindsay after his partner Chase executed a quit claim to Lindsay. Eldridge B. Sopris, the Trinidad business man arranged the sale from Lindsay to Sullivan for which he received a sizable commission plus a share of all profits from the property. This was recorded on August 11, 1887. The actual price is unknown but it is reported between $40 to $50 dollars an acre. Five months later Sullivan conveyed the "Sopris Lands" to the corporation in return for stock in the corporation. 550 shares of preferred and 5,500 shares of common stock. As agreed previously, these securities were distributed among the board of directors of the Denver Fuel Company.

Now the U.S. Government enters the picture challenging the validity of the titles. In the local newspaper the Trinidad Daily Advertiser of December 7, 1886, and for some time after, the General Land Office published a notice of it's intention to bring suit through the Department of Justice to cancel patents for the so-called "Sopris Lands." The Denver Fuel Company probably knew that the government was challenging the acquisition according to Henry Hobson, the federal prosecutor and in the petition filed on July 27, 1887 charged that the participants conspired to obtain by fraud some 14 tracts known to contain coal deposits. Apparently the parties who sold the property to the Denver Land Co. had claimed to have obtained it from people who did not exist or at least could not be found. This fact was cleverly hidden and the government was unable to prove that the present purchasers were aware of that fact. The court later ruled that since the buyers were not aware of this fact they had done nothing illegal. The prosecutor continued to believe that Sopris was a shrewd manipulator and had covered his tracks well. As a result the case died right there. It sounds to me from what I have read that Eldridge B. Sopris stole the Sopris lands for Denver Fuel Company and got away with it.

The first mine was opened in Sopris on November 1887 with the completion of 100 beehive coke ovens on September 1888. A man named Kebler was the first supervisor of the mine. The Sopris mine remained in the possession of the Denver Fuel Company until April 1889 and was then sold to the Colorado Fuel Company for $1,091,000 including other lands in Las Animas County.

The town was nestled in the valley along side of the Purgatory river five miles west of Trinidad. The streets in Sopris were lined with trees on both sides. All the trees were the same size and it is obvious that the town was systematically planned. Remembering those tree lined streets leaves me with a deep sense of nostalgia. There was no ring nor sidewalks but the space between yards and trees was, in effect, a wide shaded promenade. For its day it was an exceptionally active town. Outlying areas such as Jerryville and St Thomas were developed haphazardly along the river with no rhyme nor reason that I could tell. Today these areas would be a planning commission nightmare. We had no town officials and no one ever indicated that the town was incorporated. I have since been led to believe that incorporation papers did exist. Everything was run by the county. For all intent and purposes Pete Salvatore was the mayor without portfolio. I still wondered why we didn't have a town council. We certainly had enough people, probably close to a thousand..........................

(exerpt by permission of Lou Fantin)

This book is really a wonderful piece of work! If you lived in Sopris anytime after the 1920's you'll love it.

"Legacy of an Italian Coal Miner" by Lou Fantin can be purchased directly from Lou. Contact him at: nitnaf@comcast.net

Developed in l887, Sopris, CO was a thriving community until the late 1960’s, when the last residents moved out of the community because of the building of the Trinidad Dam. The “People of Sopris” accomplished much, even though there were many sacrifices. They courageously survived with a forward vision from the prospecting days, World War I, The Depression, Mine Explosions and Accidents, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and many labor strikes. With each of these time phases, the “People of Sopris” always joined together to help each other and did what was required to support and help each other. That was their way of life. With all of the hardships and obstacles many families had, they managed to be able to provide schools, activities, sports, teaching, church services, and values for their children so that they could enjoy a better life. This resulted in many of their children attending college, becoming teachers, nurses, doctors, business men and women, mechanics, engineers, truck drivers, miners, and pilots. Family life was important for the people of Sopris.

Even though the physical town of Sopris no longer exists, the memories of Sopris are still very much alive. Former residents have kept the spirit alive with reunions held in l970, 1980, 1990, 2000, and 2005 at the Trinidad Lake, the site of their former home. The next is planned for 2010.

Recently, the Trinidad State Nursing Home, Trinidad, Colorado, renamed the “South Wing” the “Sopris Wing”. This renaming also honors the “People of Sopris”. These two events are quite significant given “Sopris” no longer exists, but the memories and history continue to live. Copies of the book have been donated to the, Trinidad’s Carnegie Library, Trinidad State Junior College Genealogy Department, the Trinidad History Museum and Denver Public Library.

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Coal camps have come and gone, and each was unique in its own way. The days of laughter and tears too soon fade into memories. As it was then it is now; time will take its toll, for none of us were promised a rose garden. Sadly ---so be it for Sopris.”

* For a copy of "Echoes of Yesteryear" Pat Donachy book Vol I & II. In the back of the book it states "MAIL ORDERS ACCEPTED"- WRITE TO----ECHOES OF YESTERYEAR, P.O. BOX 966, TRINIDAD, COLORADO. If that doesn't work, try calling the public Library 1-719-846-6841.

In addition, please check ALL pages for accuracy and submit any changes to: Brunosok@aol.com

Bill Brunelli
2306 Frances Dr.
Loveland, CO 80537

or e-mail to:

Brunosok@aol.com

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