INSTALLMENT #3, Seven Generations In Victor, Colorado and The Mining District—The Way It Was as Remembered by Eleanor Musser Baker (1920-2003).

Tish Allen with her mother, Eleanor Baker, January 2000.

Installment #3. SEVEN GENERATIONS IN VICTOR, COLORADO AND THE MINING DISTRICT--The Way It Was.

Memories of Eleanor Musser Baker (1920-2003) and her mother, Sadie Alstrum Musser (1890-1965).

Installment #3 submitted (March 2018) by Tish Allen--daughter of Eleanor Musser Baker, granddaughter of Sadie Musser.

My Mother, Eleanor Musser Baker, loved Victor. She was a 2nd generation Victor Native and lived 83 years loving Victor. Her mother, Sadie Musser, was born here in 1890. Both recorded years of memories of the area. They always recalled old friends, old experiences, and old places. Below is the THIRD INSTALLMENT of notes my Mom recorded. Most come from mom after 1920, but some were recorded by my grandmother after 1890. [Click the highlighted links if you wish to view the FIRST INSTALLMENT or the SECOND INSTALLMENT of their memories before proceeding.]

Once there were four large round drinking fountains along Victor Avenue--all removed in the 1930's & 40's. Shown here next to the Gold Coin Cafe is the fountain on the NE corner of 3rd & Victor Ave. Originally constructed as the Bank / Post Office Block, this building was renovated in 1997 to provide offices for the Cripple Creek & Victor Mining Company. Photo courtesy of LaJean Greeson.

Installment #3 Starts Here

ELEANOR BAKER (1920-2003) & SADIE MUSSER (1890-1965) REMEMBER WHEN ...

There were four large round drinking fountains in town—really nice ones for public drinking, convenience for holidays, and when a person went up town to shop and such. One was on the corner of Victor Avenue by the Victor Hotel, one was across the street by the Corbin’s Drug Store [now the Fragile Edge], one was on the corner of S. A. Hackley [now the Lowell Thomas Museum], and one was by the Victor Bank Building [later occupied by the Gold Coin Cafe and now used for offices by the CC&V Mining Company]. It was really cold water and a treat to have your Mother or Dad lift you up and be able to get a drink out of one of those fountains. In the late 1930’s they took the ones on the south side of Victor Avenue out. And in the 1940’s they took the two on the north side of Victor Avenue out. [Note from Tish--Look closely at the photo postcard. It shows the drinking fountain once located on the NE corner of 3rd St & Victor Ave.]

Diehl's Liquor occupied the small storefront with round-arched windows facing Victor Ave -- part of the Bank / Gold Coin Cafe Building. Marie Dustin's Bar occupied the one-story building to right. The Cripple Creek & Victor Mining Company now owns both buildings. Photo by Shirley Beach.

Diehls had a liquor store on Victor Avenue. [Note from Shirley Beach--The Diehls Liquor Store occupied the SE corner shop of the Gold Coin Cafe / Bank Block. Their round-arched clerestory windows faced Victor Avenue. In 1997 the Gold Coin Cafe / Bank Block was renovated for adaptive reuse by the Cripple Creek & Victor Mining Company--primarily for office space.]
Marie Dustin had a bar two doors east of the Gold Coin Cafe on Victor Avenue. [Note from Tish--Marie Dustin's bar was located in the one-story building east of the Gold Coin Cafe / Bank Block. In the 1980's this building was restored by George & Shirley Foote for use as their Victor apartment and artist's studio. The Cripple Creek & Victor Mining Company now owns this building and uses it for storage.]

The ISIS Theater at 109 S 3rd Street in Victor was built after the Great Fire of August 21, 1899. The building was occupied by a variety of theaters featuring burlesque, vaudelville, silent movies, and talking movies. Photo from the 1940's shared by Betty Kennedy.

Pearl and Merle Kessey owned the Isis Theater. Pearl took the tickets and sometimes sold the popcorn. Merle was friendly and good to the kids. On the night of the movie, before it started, he would give the first kid that came around a megaphone and the kid would go up and down every street announcing the name of the show and who played in it as well as the news reel and the coming shows. “Tonight at the New Isis Theater, Clark Gable and Jean Harlow in (whatever movie was showing) …. also a news reel and comedy announcement.” Then the kid would get in free to see the show. That was good cheap advertising. You would be surprised how the people would wait to hear what was showing that night and then, if they thought they would like it, they would go. They always had a newsreel, comedy, and the main feature for ten cents—TEN CENTS!

The ISIS Theater in Victor is the only surviving original theater in the Mining District. Movies were still shown at the Isis into the 1970's. Betty Kennedy acquired the Isis Theater building in 1985 and reopened it as a free museum with unique movie memorabilia, vintage clothing, books, collectibles and antiques for sale. The old theater seats, stage, and carbon arc movie projector remain in the building (which is now for sale). Photo 2013.

In the early years the Isis Theater had an orchestra pit up front. Ella Grimes would play the piano. When there was a mystery on, or something scary, she would play the loud keys as hard as she could. Ella Grimes played there for years. They were not talkies, they were silent movies. The picture would come on and then a square with the words in it.
Each Friday night, the Kesseys would have a talent show on their stage at the Isis. Then they would have a drawing for someone to win a kewpie doll.
In 1924 the Isis Theater had a baby contest. Helen Brown won first and Eleanor Musser [Baker] won second. Eleanor's brothers put her on their shoulders and carried her to the stage. She also had a glass slide that they showed on the screen. The prize was donated by Corbin’s Drug Store [SE corner of 4th and Victor Avenue]. In later years they had a cash drawing and sometimes it would get up to $200.

Cherry Hunter's 2002 painting of the railroad car that became a neighbor's house. Photo of original painting shared by Liz Hunter-Ball and Linda & Michael Lyons.

The Catholic Church would play a hymn from their chime tower each evening. Father Kavanaugh also started evening messages on the corner of Victor Avenue & 3rd Street once a week. [Note from Tish--The church chimes were probably installed in the late 1940's and removed by 1952.]

In the late 1940's Mr. Oliver moved their house from the Ajax hill to south 3rd street. A few years later an old railroad car was moved and placed just above it. A. W. Oliver was a big man in the mining field. His wife wife worked in the Court House and part of her duties were to handle the welfare and state pension department. [Note from Tish--Few people today could identify that old house (now with several additions at 217 S 3rd), or the old railroad car (that was moved from Bull Hill and converted to a house at 211 S 3rd St). When the structures were moved and put in place, they didn't have modern equipment and it was quite an ordeal. Lots of people gathered to watch. In 1983, Cherry and Ed Hunter acquired and renovated that house. The old railroad car that became a home was recently acquired and remodeled by Linda and Michael Lyons.]

House moved from Ajax Hill to 217 S 3rd St had several additions when it was acquired by Ed & Cherry Hunter in 1983. Photo provided by Liz Hunter-Ball.

1983-84: Before (photo left) & After (photo above) the Hunters commenced renovating the home which remained in their family for 35 years. Photo provided by Liz Hunter-Ball.

Railroad car adapted to become a home at 211 S 3rd St. Photo (2018) provided by Karen Morrison.

S. A. Hackley had a furniture store and hotel. He had rugs on display. They would hang on the wall from ceiling to floor. [Note from Tish--The Hackley Hotel & Store was located on the SE corner of Third & Victor Avenue. As shown in the photos below, it was also known as the Victor Dry Goods Company. In earlier years the building was occupied by Tomkins Hardware, and in later years by Rounds Arapahoe Grocery. Today the building has been restored for adaptive reuse as the Victor~Lowell Thomas Museum.]

Signs on building read: Hackley Hotel, The Victor Dry Goods Co, S. A. Hackley Furnishes The House Complete, New and Second Hand Goods Bought Sold and Exchanged, The Dependable Store, Dry [Goods], Shoes, Skirts. Click photo to enlarge.

This 1905 photo shows the interior, display cases of inventory, and staff of the Victor Dry Goods Company Store located on the ground floor of the Hackley Building. Hotel rooms were available on the second floor.

Photo caption: "A Bunch of American Beauties at the Victor Dry Goods Co, Victor Colo. 1905." Notice the heating stove (left foreground}, shelves of inventory (background), and the impeccably dressed, coiffed staff. Click photo to enlarge.

Before Hackley's Hotel & Store, Tomkins Hardware (notice sign, left) occupied the building. Early photo from Emma Langdon book shared by LaJean Greeson. Click to enlarge.

Victor~Lowell Thomas Museum now housed in the restored building once occupied by Tomkins Hardware, Hackley Hotel & Store, and Rounds AG.

While originally constructed as the Mint Bar, for many years businesses selling and repairing automobiles have located here -- Steiner's Garage (1930's), Orr's East End Garage & Orrmint Pontiac (1940's), & others. Jake Baker's JET Service moved into the building in 1965--originally J was for Jake, E for his wife Eleanor, & T for their daughter Tish. Now JET Service is run by another generation of their family and T is for Travis (son of Tish & husband Dewey Allen), J is for Joanne (wife of Travis), & E is for Erin (their son). Photo shared by LaJean Greeson.

The East End Garage was owned by Al Orr. He was also the Orrmint Pontiac Dealership. There was square dancing in the East End. Al & Mylia Orr called the dances. [Note from Tish-- The East End Garage was on the NW corner of 4th & Victor Ave where my son Travis Allen’s JET Service is now located. This was the site of the Woods Family's Original Victor Hotel that burned in the Great Fire of August 21, 1899. The East End / JET Service building was constructed in 1907-08 for the Mint Bar.]

Mint Bar (painting from old photo, by George Foote) eventually became a garage (now JET Service).

JET Service (left), previously Steiner's Garage, Orr's East End Pontiac Garage, originally the Mint Bar.

Boston Clothing Building, at one time became the Johnson Apartments, now called Victor Mall Hotel.

South 4th Street -- Early photo from a Lowell Thomas Collection at Marist College. Left to right--Champion Blacksmith Shop (1920's) / later Laughlin Garage / now Victor Laundromat; Harrington Law Office; next building now gone; Masonic Lodge building; Victor Record building; buildings beyond now gone. Far right--roof line of the Baptist Church. Click photo to enlarge.

Johnson Apartments (all rented) were located on the SW corner of 4th & Victor Ave. [Note from Tish-- Bus and Clara Johnson had the old Boston Clothing Building (now known as the Victor Mall Hotel) across from JET Service today. Their building had really nice and busy apartments upstairs and down.]
In the 1930’s and 1940’s some of the teachers boarded in the Victor Hotel. There had been doctors offices there previously--same with the Gold Coin Cafe Building.
We always had big crowds at the Gold Bowl for the baseball games. The bleachers would be full and the spectators would spill out on the hillsides to watch the game and cheer.
Phil Champion was a long-time blacksmith for the mines around the camp and also around Climax. His wife was a sister to Judge John White’s wife. The two families lived in the 200 block of 2nd street. Phil had a blacksmith shop on S 4th street [where the new laundromat is now] and later he was at the Ajax blacksmith shop. [Note from Tish--Phil Champion was a family friend. Momma (Eleanor) had taken him and my grandma (Sadie) to a funeral in Canon City. A terrible storm came in and they had a car accident on the way home. Phil was killed. Grandma had every rib broken two or more times (floating ribs). This was in April 1958 before there was any ambulance in the area and Grandma came back to the Cripple Creek hospital in the back of the Mueller Ranch hay truck.]

Nancy & Chris Hanks acquired the endangered building at 106 S 4th St, preserved the footprint and sidewalls, and constructed a new historically compatible storefront for their modern Victor Laundromat building. This was once the site of Phil Champion's blacksmith shop and Jack Laughlin's garage.

Jack Laughlin had a garage and repair shop just below Victor Ave on S 4th street. Even though there were not many cars in those days, he was busy all the time. [Note from Tish--Jack Laughlin's garage was in the same building where Phil Champion once had his blacksmith shop (and now that is where the new Victor Laundromat is located). Lil Clark, co-owner of Gold Coin Cafe, did not drive but always had a new beautiful vehicle. My Mom (Eleanor Baker) used to drive Lil to Colorado Springs or wherever. After Mom started working in the post office, Lillian Titmas would drive Lil. On one trip in the early 1950's, Lil Clark bought a raffle ticket on a new car and won. She gave the car to Lillian. But when Lillian found out how much the taxes and license fee was, she parked the car in this garage and never drove it. When Lillian passed, her nephew Don Titmas sold the car. It had never been used.]
Dan Harrington's Law Office was on S 4th St. [Note from Tish--Dan Harrington had his legal and real estate business north of the Masonic Lodge building on S 4th Street. Now there is an empty lot above the Masonic Lodge and then the Harrington Law Office building (currently vacant) just below the new Victor Laundromat.]

Eleanor Baker and her mother, Sadie Musser, also opined that "Probably More People Would Remember ..."

The City Clerk, Victor Police, and Fire Department all in the same building--and a Dog Pound on the west side of the building. [Note from Tish—In early days the city council chambers, courtroom, and firemen’s dormitory were located on the second story. Firefighting equipment was housed in the bay behind the large wooden garage doors. On the ground floor there were also offices for the city clerk and treasurer, as well as facilities for the police department and jail. Today the firefighting and emergency response equipment is located next door in a building constructed in 1977 with money from Rudie Balke's Estate.]
Ripley’s had the Store on Victor Avenue east of City Hall. [Note from Tish--Don Ripley lived upstairs and had a shop below in the building where Kat House Liquors & Splendid Pleasures is now located (between City Hall and JET Service). In the 1940's a mine engineer (Hemkee) had it. In the 1950's Wallace and then Waddington had a little lunch room there. In the late 1960's & 1970's Lester Mundy was Superintendent of Schools and his wife had a clock and antique shop there. In the 1980's & 1990's shops located there included Motherlode Antiques & the Phantom Canyon Apothecary.]

City Hall once housed the Clerk's Office, Fire Dept and Jail. Lehr photo from LaJean Greeson. Click to enlarge.

Balke Building (left) now houses Victor Fire & Emergency Services equipment. Click to enlarge.

Kat House Liquors now in building previously occupied by Ripley's & many other businesses.

Family friends, Phil Champion (left) and Gus Swanson, in front of the first JET Service business on N 4th St. Photo from Tish Allen.

The Southern Colorado Power Garage was located on the SW corner of N 4th & Diamond Ave. [Note from Tish--The garage for the power company line truck was eventually moved to the Southern Colorado Power Company Office building behind the Elks Lodge on Diamond Ave. Jim Watson now has a machine shop in the old Southern Colorado Power Company garage building.]
Art Borgenson's Garage and then JET Service were on N 4th St. [Note from Tish--When Jake & Eleanor Baker (my parents) started the JET Service it was located just south of the Power Company garage . This is where Art Borgenson once had a garage and towing service. In 1965 the JET Service moved to Victor Ave and my son, Travis, now has the JET Service towing lot at the original N 4th St location. When my folks started their business the JET name came from--J for Jake, E for Eleanor, and T for Tish. Today it is still JET--now J for Joanne (Trav's wife), E for Erin (their son), and T for Travis.]
Mrs. Pierce's Apartments were on N 4th St. [Note from Tish-- Just south of the Borgenson / JET Service Garage was Mrs. Pierce's Apartments and Furniture Store. This building was just recently restored by Barbara McMillan for an antiques shop at the street level and apartments upstairs. An early photo below shows this building with a sign advertising the "Princeton Rooms".]

Far right--Mrs. Pierce's Apartments on West Side of North Fourth Street with "Princeton Rooms" sign (next door to first location of JET Service--which is not shown in photo). Click photo to enlarge.

East Side of North 4th Street (left to right)--Union Hall that became the Victor School Gym, Norden Plumbing, Rosser's Pool Hall / Olympia Hotel, Victor Hotel. Photo from a Lowell Thomas Collection at Marist College. Click photo to enlarge.

Western Federation of Miners Union Hall (circa 1903) was acquired by the Victor School District in the 1920's. The second story WFM offices and ballroom were repurposed for use as a gymnasium with a basketball court and a stage for performances.

The Victor School Gym was located in the old Western Federation of Miners Union Hall Building. [Note from Tish--Following the demise of the WFM Union, the building was acquired by the Victor School District in the 1920's. The second floor was used as the school gymnasium with a basket ball court, dressing rooms, and a stage for performances. Other portions of the building were used for manual training programs. In the 1970's the building was acquired by private interests and used for a dinner theater. After standing vacant for many years, the building was in the process of being restored when it was struck by lighting and burned in July 2014. The exterior walls still stand, but much of the interior was destroyed.]
Norden Plumbing Shop was between the Victor Gym and the Olympia Hotel building. [Note from Tish--Gene Norden owned the plumbing shop and was a cousin. Gene and his brother Bunny and sister Elsie were raised by my Grandmother Sadie. They were children of Sadie's sister who passed when they were young. The Norden Plumbing building has been vacant for many years and is now used for storage.]

Old H.H. Rosser Pool Hall, Candy & Cigar Shop now known as the Olympia Hotel with rooms for rent upstairs and the Prospector's Pick Antique Shop at street level. Photo 2013.

H. H. Rosser (Henry) owned a pool hall, candy and cigar store on 4th street next to the Victor Plumbing Shop. The Rosser family lived upstairs in the apartment. Mr. Rosser was very strict and his wife wore hi-buttoned shoes and long black drab dresses. When she was in the store, not many wanted to go in. Rosser sold penny candy and in those days they had penny licorice babies about an inch tall. They were one cent each and boy were they good. Kids would stand at the candy case and point to what they wanted—one of these, and one of these, and one of them. Sometimes Rosser would accidentally drop a piece of penny candy and he would stoop over, pick it up off the floor, wipe it off on his apron and put it in the sack. (In those days they wore aprons and half sleeves to keep their shirtsleeves clean.) Guess it made the kids healthy, but boy Eleanor’s Mother was mad when she was told about it. She didn’t like kids to be mistreated in any way. Rosser also had punch boards and if you got a certain number you would win--maybe one, two or whatever extra candy bars. One Easter May Connor (Wing), May Arnold (Hansen), Renee Bulger (MaCrame) and Eleanor played the punch board and won so many marshmallow cups they got sick from eating too much candy. Eleanor's mother was thoroughly disgusted with them. [Note from Tish--Today Rosser's building between the old Plumbing Shop and the Victor Hotel is known as the Olympia Hotel. At the street level is the Prospector's Pick Antiques Shop and upstairs are period furnished rooms for rent.]

Dr. Denman had an Office and Living Quarters in the Old Gold Coin Club building [on Diamond Ave between 4th & 5th St]. [Note from Tish--Dr. Denman and his wife, Wilhelmina, bought the Gold Coin Club in the 1930's. "Willie" was an interior decorator from Denver and "Doc" was a graduate of the University of Colorado School of Medicine.]

Gold Coin Club, 2014

Book about Doc Denman is available from Victor~Lowell Thomas Museum.

Another Installment of this "Remember When" Series as recalled by Eleanor Baker and her mother, Sadie Musser, will follow soon.

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