"The Only Swedish Grocery Store in Victor”: The J.A. “Joseph” Beckman Family in the Cripple Creek Mining District of Colorado, 1896-1915. By Richard "Dick" Markley, great nephew.
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The “Only Swedish Grocery Store in Victor” was the claim made by J.A. “Joseph” Beckman when he advertised his “Star Grocery” store in the Denver Swedish newspaper “Svensk-Amerikanska” in April 1900.
His advertising in English in a local newspaper proclaimed: STAR GROCERY & MARKET
We Sell Everything in the Grocery Line Family Liquors, Wine and Beer Free Delivery to Any Part of the District Phone 585 217 North Fourth Street, Victor |
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A Swedish immigrant, Joseph Beckman became a successful businessman who owned grocery stores in Victor and Goldfield, Colorado during the boom and bust days of the Cripple Creek Mining District. A successful businessman he was, but his success did not happen overnight. The Joseph Beckman story began in southern Sweden.
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Joseph, born in Tang, Skaraborg Sweden in 1867, was the youngest son of Sven and Johanna Beckman. After Johanna died in 1874, widower Sven Beckman and his five children immigrated to the United States.
By August of 1876 the family was living in Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa. It is not known what Sven’s occupation was, but he may have been a merchant as that is the business in which his three sons – Peter, John and Joseph became engaged in America. As fate would have it, their business interests took them to the gold fields of Colorado and the Cripple Creek Mining District in the 1890’s. At the age of 25, Joseph Beckman married Swedish-born Ada Peterson in 1892 in Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa. Not long after, the lure of the West led Joseph and Ada to move to the mining boomtown of Cardiff in Garfield County, Colorado. Cardiff was known for its many “coke” ovens that produced coke from coal that was mined in the surrounding region. |
J.A. Beckman( 25) and Ada Peterson (21) married in the First Evangelical Lutheran Church of Ottumwa, Iowa April 18, 1892.
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Coke was used in silver and iron smelters. Early accounts of Cardiff mention the persistent pall of smoke over the town that literally blotted out the sun. Joseph and Ada were living in Cardiff by 1893 as the local newspaper mentioned that they attended a social affair held in town. Their first child, daughter Helen Cecilia Beckman, was born in Cardiff in 1894.
Cardiff coke ovens. Photo from Glenwood Springs Historical Society.
Perhaps it was the bad air of Cardiff or the lure of gold, but by 1896 Joseph, Ada and little Helen had relocated to the Cripple Creek mining district where Joseph opened the “Star Grocery” at 217 North 4th Street in Victor. The family lived in the upstairs rooms above the store.
City directories indicate that Joseph also owned a grocery store in neighboring Goldfield on the corner of 9th and Portland Avenue. That store was owned, at least for a few years, in partnership with T.O. Henley and managed by John S. Beckman, Joseph’s older brother. A third brother, Peter, was listed in the city directory as “bookkeeper” for J.A. Beckman. By 1900 all three Beckman boys were living and working in the Cripple Creek district. Other Beckman relatives followed the boys to the Cripple Creek district and some would find employment in the family grocery stores. For example, the 1900 Cripple Creek Directory lists August Peterson, clerk, for J.A. Beckman. August Peterson was Ada Beckman’s brother. Ada’s father Johannes also lived in Victor until his death in 1932.
City directories indicate that Joseph also owned a grocery store in neighboring Goldfield on the corner of 9th and Portland Avenue. That store was owned, at least for a few years, in partnership with T.O. Henley and managed by John S. Beckman, Joseph’s older brother. A third brother, Peter, was listed in the city directory as “bookkeeper” for J.A. Beckman. By 1900 all three Beckman boys were living and working in the Cripple Creek district. Other Beckman relatives followed the boys to the Cripple Creek district and some would find employment in the family grocery stores. For example, the 1900 Cripple Creek Directory lists August Peterson, clerk, for J.A. Beckman. August Peterson was Ada Beckman’s brother. Ada’s father Johannes also lived in Victor until his death in 1932.
Joseph Beckman’s older brother John, wife Ida and children taken around 1911. Photo from Ancestry.com
The 1900 Cripple Creek Directory also includes a long list of employees who worked at either the Victor or Goldfield stores. The listing includes W.H. Moore, driver; Z.F. Pattison, clerk; C.O. Harnes, clerk; H.E. Swan, clerk; Miss Lola Stage, bookkeeper; Henry Summer, clerk; Max Flatry, driver; Chas Mattern, clerk; J.W. Fitzgerald, clerk; A. Drain, driver; W.C. Drain, clerk; Thomas Lyons, clerk; E.W. Hamlin, clerk; M.R. Hamlin, clerk; Geo J. Richardson, clerk.
Once settled in Victor, Joseph and Ada’s family grew. Daughter Ethel Alvina Beckman was born in 1897 and daughter Edith Annie Josephina Beckman was born in 1900. A fourth child, a son Glenn Leonard Beckman Sr. (my uncle) arrived in 1908. Around 1900, Joseph moved the family into a new home at 411 Spicer Avenue in Victor. Brother John, his wife Ida, and their five children lived at 1106 Independence in Goldfield.
Once settled in Victor, Joseph and Ada’s family grew. Daughter Ethel Alvina Beckman was born in 1897 and daughter Edith Annie Josephina Beckman was born in 1900. A fourth child, a son Glenn Leonard Beckman Sr. (my uncle) arrived in 1908. Around 1900, Joseph moved the family into a new home at 411 Spicer Avenue in Victor. Brother John, his wife Ida, and their five children lived at 1106 Independence in Goldfield.
Brother Peter lived for a time above the Star Grocery but later moved to Goldfield. Brother-in-law Ollie Peterson also lived for a time in the Spicer Avenue home according to the 1900 U.S. Census.
Unfortunately for Joseph, tragedy struck on August 21, 1899 when the great Victor fire burned the Star Grocery and their upstairs apartment to the ground. The Victor Morning News reported that Beckman’s loss was $8,000 (around $250,000 today) with only half covered by insurance. Not defeated, the Victor Morning News reported that Joseph was seen dispensing groceries out of a small wooden shack on North 4th street the next evening. Within months, the Star Grocery was rebuilt. This time it was constructed of fire resistant brick as was required by the city. The accompanying photograph of the store was likely taken around the time the new store opened for business.
Unfortunately for Joseph, tragedy struck on August 21, 1899 when the great Victor fire burned the Star Grocery and their upstairs apartment to the ground. The Victor Morning News reported that Beckman’s loss was $8,000 (around $250,000 today) with only half covered by insurance. Not defeated, the Victor Morning News reported that Joseph was seen dispensing groceries out of a small wooden shack on North 4th street the next evening. Within months, the Star Grocery was rebuilt. This time it was constructed of fire resistant brick as was required by the city. The accompanying photograph of the store was likely taken around the time the new store opened for business.
Star Grocery photo taken soon after the store was rebuilt following the fire of August 21, 1899. J.A. Beckman is believed to be the tall hatless man standing in the doorway. Note the name and date on the parapet of the newly reconstructed building. Photo shared by Richard Markley from the Beckman Family Collection.
The Star Grocery storefront photo is interesting in several respects. First, it shows a tall, hatless, man standing in the doorway on the left. The man is believed to be J.A. “Joseph” Beckman. Second, the photo gives a glimpse of the rear of the Gold Coin apartments (far right) that fronted on N 5th Street. That view was possible since the brick building at 219 N. 4th Street had not been built yet. Third, the photo shows a portion of the building at 215 N 4th Street which was the “Economy Market” (far left). Lastly, the plate glass windows of the Star Grocery show a reflection of the buildings behind the camera which include the tall, cross-timbered, headframe of the Mary Cashen Mine.
The next photo shows some of the commercial buildings that lined the west side of the 200 block of N. 4th Street circa 1905. J.A. Beckman's Star Grocery at 217 N. 4th Street can be identified by its distinctive parapet. It has a white awning and the sign in the window advertises "Fresh Fruit". To the left, at 215 N. 4th Street, is the Economy Market with the name faintly lettered at the top of it's white awning. Notice the horse-drawn wagons moving up N. 4th street in front of these stores. In the background is the Gold Coin Club, also rebuilt after the Great Fire of August 1899, and several houses on N. 5th Street.
The next photo shows some of the commercial buildings that lined the west side of the 200 block of N. 4th Street circa 1905. J.A. Beckman's Star Grocery at 217 N. 4th Street can be identified by its distinctive parapet. It has a white awning and the sign in the window advertises "Fresh Fruit". To the left, at 215 N. 4th Street, is the Economy Market with the name faintly lettered at the top of it's white awning. Notice the horse-drawn wagons moving up N. 4th street in front of these stores. In the background is the Gold Coin Club, also rebuilt after the Great Fire of August 1899, and several houses on N. 5th Street.
View of stores on the west side North Fourth Street, circa 1905. The buildings with white awnings are the Economy Market (left, at 215 N 4th) and John Beckman's Star Grocery (right, at 217 N 4th). Behind these buildings, to the left, is the Gold Coin Club. Photo shared by La Jean Greeson.
The Star Grocery catered to the large population of Swedish immigrants living in Victor. The 1900 U.S. Census lists 658 Swedish–born residents among Victor’s population. “The only Swedish grocery store in Victor” proclaimed ads placed by Joseph in Denver’s Swedish-American newspapers. An interior photo of the Star Grocery (below) shows packaged goods stacked nearly to the ceiling, along with bins and barrels of grocery essentials on display.
Interior view of the Star Grocery in Victor taken around 1900. Joseph Beckman is believed to be the man on the right. Photo shared by Richard Markley from the Beckman Family Collection.
Just what Swedish delicacies the store offered is not known, but standard “American” products were also offered as Joseph proudly advertised that he was a dealer of Chase & Sanborn Coffee. The three mustachioed gentlemen in the Victor store interior photo are believed to be Joseph and his two brothers, John and Peter.
Little is known about Joseph’s store in Goldfield. No exterior photos of the building have been located. However two photos in possession of the Beckman family may show the store’s interior and perhaps the early Victor store that was destroyed in the 1899 fire. The two photos below are of different stores, and differ also from the interior photo of the Star Grocery built in 1899.
First interior view of either the pre-fire Star Grocery in Victor, or the J.A. Beckman Goldfield store. Photo shared by Richard Markley from Beckman Family Collection.
Second interior view of either the pre-fire Star Grocery in Victor, or the J.A. Beckman Goldfield store. Photo shared by Richard Markley from Beckman Family Collection.
According to the Aspen Daily Times of April 26, 1908, the Goldfield grocery store was the scene of a tragic accident involving the Goldfield city marshal. The Times headline read “City Marshal Victim of His Own Carelessness”. Apparently on the evening of April 24th, Marshal Richard Smith entered the grocery and meat store of J.A. Beckman and reached over the counter for some meat for his dog when his revolver fell from his pocket and discharged when it hit the floor. The bullet hit him squarely in the forehead “and he fell to the floor in a dying condition”. He was placed in a passing electric car and rushed to the Sister’s Hospital where he lay dying “with no hope for survival”.
After the fire of 1899 burned the Star Grocery Store (which also served as their home), Joseph Beckman and his growing family moved to 411 Spicer Avenue in Victor. It was a small wood frame home which Joseph may have built around 1900.
Color slide of J.A. Beckman’s 411 Spicer Avenue home taken in 1958 by his son Glenn Beckman. Photo shared by Richard Markley from the Beckman Family Collection.
The name J.A. Beckman pops up in conjunction with some of the most significant events in Cripple Creek District history. For example, when the large and sometimes violent strikes by miners hit the Cripple Creek District mines in 1894 and again in 1903-04, Joseph’s name appears in newspaper coverage of the time. During the 1903-04 strike, apparently Joseph’s support for the miners may have been enough to get him arrested. On the night of September 22, 1903, J.A. Beckman and two other men were reportedly arrested by military authorities sent to the District by the Governor in support of the mine owners. Newspaper accounts indicate that the three men were later released for lack of evidence to hold them. The Victor Morning News in 1903 mentioned that in anticipation of a settlement of the strike, Joseph and another businessman were selected to lead a fund raising effort for a “grand jubilee” in celebration (by both sides) of the end of the strike. Unfortunately, the celebration never happened. The strike turned violent and by 1904 the union had been broken, and union men driven out of the District. Apparently, through all the violence and turmoil, Joseph managed to gain the respect of both sides of the strike, or so it would seem.
The Swedish population of Victor was made up of a large number of followers of the Lutheran faith and in 1905 they built the Swedish Lutheran Church (now the Victor Community Center) on 2nd street. Joseph and family apparently attended the church and may have played a role in its construction. Included among the Beckman family photos is an old photo of the church taken around the time of its construction. Interestingly, when my Uncle Glenn visited Victor in 1958 he took a photo of this very church from the same vantage point.
Swedish Lutheran Church at the corner of Portland Ave & S 2nd St soon after its construction in 1905. Photo shared by Richard Markley from the Beckman Family Collection.
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Swedish Lutheran Church. Photo taken by Glenn Beckman (J.A. Beckman's son, Richard Markley's Uncle) during a 1958 trip to Victor. Photo shared by Richard Markley from the Beckman Family Collection.
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Although my uncle Glenn Beckman only lived in Victor until he was 7 or 8 years old, he had fond memories of growing up in Victor. He shared some of these memories with me in the late 1950’s during family visits to his and his wife Lillian’s home in Los Angeles. I recall he told me that his father operated a successful grocery store in Victor that catered to the local miners. From time to time his father would trade groceries for shares in gold mines and would grubstake prospectors. My uncle said that his father owned the Lucky Gus Mine at one time. I have found references to the Lucky Gus indicating that it had a series of owners including Porter & Associates, Macklin & Associates, and Hall & Associates. Possibly Joseph was an “associate” or partner with other investors in the mine. The area of the mine, once located on the southwest slope of Bull Hill, has been extensively impacted by surface mining in recent years so the old underground mine no longer exists.
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My uncle Glenn had a fondness for the Model T Ford. He was born in 1908, the same year the “Tin Lizzie” debuted. He told me stories of how steep some of the streets were in Victor. Some streets were so steep that the Model T Fords with their gravity feed fuel system had to back up the street or the engine would starve for fuel. He also said the Model T Ford reverse gear was lower which made climbing steep hills easier.
A family photo of Glenn when he was a teenager shows him standing proudly beside a Model T jalopy. It has no body, just a hood and two fenders, and a wooden crate for a seat. |
Glenn Beckman, J.A. Beckman’s son, standing next to his Model T Ford around 1925.
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An old photo shows a Star Grocery Store delivery truck on the street in Victor. The address for the Star Grocery written on the side of the truck is 201-203 N. 4th St. That reflects the fact that the store moved down 4th street around 1912 to the Hunt Building. The city directory for 1912-13 lists the Star Grocery at 201-203 N. 4th St. with C.A. Owig manager. The delivery truck just happens to be a Model T Ford circa 1912.
Star Grocery Model T Ford delivery truck circa 1912. Signage on the side of the box say "Star Grocery, 201-203 N. Fourth St". Photo shared by La Jean Greenson.
By 1910, the population of Victor had begun to decline as the mines began to play out. Joseph may have begun to start looking elsewhere to move because in 1909 he reportedly purchased a ranch near Delta for the princely sum of $15,500 (over $500,000 today). He still owned the store in Goldfield but by 1911 he had taken in a partner as the Cripple Creek Directory lists Beckman & Shoecraft Grocers in Goldfield. Interestingly, the same directory also lists W.H. Shoecraft as the City Treasurer of Goldfield.
Brother John Beckman continued to manage the Goldfield grocery store for several more years as the Directory for 1912-13 lists him there along with son Francis who worked as a clerk in the store. By 1915 John was out of the grocery business and selling insurance in Goldfield. By 1917, the Goldfield store was a grocery and meat market operated by T.W. Hatcher. During WWI, John Beckman served as the Teller County Draft Registrar. His son Oscar worked at the Vindicator Mine before entering the armed forces, serving in France, and returning home in 1919.
Oscar Clifford Beckman’s 1917 Draft Card was signed by his father, John S. Beckman, the Teller County Draft Registrar.
By 1916, Joseph and family were living in Denver and he was in the real estate business. The decision to move may have been prompted by yet another fire that burned down the Star Grocery around 1912. The decision to move may also have been helped along by a 1912 lawsuit brought by the State of Colorado against the Colorado Grocery Owners Association for price fixing and unlawful business practices. The State contended that all such associations of business owners were unlawful. J.A. Beckman was specifically named in the suit that was won by the State. Joseph may have been an officer of the association and that led to him being named in the suit. However, no records of the association have been found to date. Nevertheless, 1912 was a tough year for J.A. Beckman.
J.A. “Joseph” Beckman, photo taken around 1920. Photo shared by Richard Markley from the Beckman Family Collection.
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Joseph and family eventually left Colorado for California where he and his son-in-law Robert Round (daughter Ethel’s husband) opened a furniture store in Los Angeles in 1922. Beckman-Round furniture flourished during the 1920’s but the Great Depression took its toll on the business. Joseph died in Los Angeles in 1936 at the age of 69. My uncle Glenn took over the business and ran it until it closed during WWII.
During Glenn Beckman’s 1958 visit to Victor, he took a series of color slide photographs of the town and surrounding country. The slides show the Swedish Lutheran Church, a number of downtown businesses and homes, and some of the old mines in the area. Glenn was not just a casual visitor to Victor. This was his birthplace, his hometown. The slides capture images of places of family importance including the remnants of his father’s Star Grocery, his Uncle John’s home in Goldfield, and his childhood home at 411 Spicer Avenue. They may also include images of the Lucky Gus Mine, and other locations significant in the Beckman’s family history. |
John S. Beckman home at 1106 Independence in Goldfield as it appeared in a color slide taken by Glenn Beckman in 1958 and shared by his nephew Richard Markley.
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John S. Beckman home at 1106 Independence in Goldfield as it appears with an addition in 2022. Photo taken by Richard Markley.
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More research and detective work will be needed to identify the various buildings and locations depicted in the slide collection. Of particular interest is a slide of an older couple posing in front of the K-C Market located at 108 N. 3rd Street in Victor. Who is this couple? Another 1958 slide shows what may be this same man on the steps of the Kessey home on South 3rd Street. The people in the slides are not just strangers on the street. They are either friends or extended family members associated with the Kessey’s or the K-C Market. Maybe someone from Victor reading this has the answer?
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Unknown couple standing in front of the K.C. Market at 108 N. 3rd St. Identity? Photo taken in 1958 by Glenn Beckman & shared by Richard Markley.
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What eventually happened to the Beckman’s and their families who lived in the Cripple Creek District?
Richard “Dick” Markley
Gardnerville, Nevada
September 2022
- Joseph Beckman moved to Denver around 1916, then to Los Angeles in 1922, where he died in 1936. His wife, Ada Peterson Beckman, died in Los Angeles in 1925. Ada’s father, Johannes, died in Victor in 1932.
- Joseph and Ada’s children all eventually moved to California. Ethel, the longest lived of the children died in northern California in 1997 at age 100.
- By 1920 John and family apparently finally pulled up stakes and followed his brother to Denver where John died in 1951 at the age of 87. His wife Ida died in Denver in 1930 at age 66. Some of John and Ida’s children likely continued to live in the District but just where and for how long is a mystery.
- Peter Beckman returned to Iowa by 1920 where he died in 1942.
Richard “Dick” Markley
Gardnerville, Nevada
September 2022
The Only Swedish Grocery Store in Victor: The J.A. “Joseph” Beckman Family in the Cripple Creek Mining District of Colorado, 1896-1915 (submitted October 2022) by Richard "Dick" Markley, great nephew.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Richard "Dick" Markley, author of the story, explains: My interest in J.A. "Joseph" Beckman and the Star Grocery comes from the fact that I am related through my mother’s family to Glenn Leonard Beckman Sr., Joseph’s youngest son. My uncle Glenn, who was born in Victor in 1908, told me stories of the Cripple Creek district when I was a young boy in the late 1950’s. Recently, my cousin Tracy Beckman Ramos (Glenn’s grand-daughter) shared with me her collection of old Beckman family photos which sparked my recollections of Uncle Glenn and the stories he told me long ago.
With this rekindled interest in Beckman family history, I discovered the Victor Heritage Society webpage and connected via email with representatives who graciously provided me with historic photographs, maps, and information related to the Star Grocery and encouraged my research. With the easy access to historical information made possible by the Internet, and with help from my wife Gail and her genealogy research talents, I have been able to bring back to life the story of J.A. Beckman and his Star Grocery – “The Only Swedish Grocery Store in Victor”.
Thanks to Dick Markley for sharing his story about the J.A "Joseph" Beckman family as well as their business interests in Victor and the Cripple Creek Mining District.
Richard "Dick" Markley, author of the story, explains: My interest in J.A. "Joseph" Beckman and the Star Grocery comes from the fact that I am related through my mother’s family to Glenn Leonard Beckman Sr., Joseph’s youngest son. My uncle Glenn, who was born in Victor in 1908, told me stories of the Cripple Creek district when I was a young boy in the late 1950’s. Recently, my cousin Tracy Beckman Ramos (Glenn’s grand-daughter) shared with me her collection of old Beckman family photos which sparked my recollections of Uncle Glenn and the stories he told me long ago.
With this rekindled interest in Beckman family history, I discovered the Victor Heritage Society webpage and connected via email with representatives who graciously provided me with historic photographs, maps, and information related to the Star Grocery and encouraged my research. With the easy access to historical information made possible by the Internet, and with help from my wife Gail and her genealogy research talents, I have been able to bring back to life the story of J.A. Beckman and his Star Grocery – “The Only Swedish Grocery Store in Victor”.
Thanks to Dick Markley for sharing his story about the J.A "Joseph" Beckman family as well as their business interests in Victor and the Cripple Creek Mining District.
THE PAST MATTERS. PASS IT ALONG.
The Next Generation Will Only Inherit What We Choose to Save and Make Accessible.
Please Share Your Memories and Family Connections to Victor & the World's Greatest Gold Camp
By Contacting Victor Heritage Society, PO Box 424, Victor, CO 80860 or e-mail VictorHeritageSociety@gmail.com.
The Next Generation Will Only Inherit What We Choose to Save and Make Accessible.
Please Share Your Memories and Family Connections to Victor & the World's Greatest Gold Camp
By Contacting Victor Heritage Society, PO Box 424, Victor, CO 80860 or e-mail VictorHeritageSociety@gmail.com.