The Senior Voice - October 2007

The Senior

I O C V E October 2007

Local Attractions • Scenic Places • History • Money • Health • News

The Ghost Tetons Mountain Town Settlers in In Northern Jackson Hole Colorado

Fort Longs Collins Peak

First Soldiers atPioneer the Fort

Climbers

Butch Outlaws Cassidy In Early In Early Wyoming

Colorado

Estate Skiing Steamboat Planning Springs

Health & News

2 • October 2007 • The Senior Voice

Medicare Changes Hospital Payments M

edicare will no longer pay hospitals for “preventable errors” such as treating staph infections acquired at the hospital, leaving an object inside a patient during surgery, giving the wrong blood during transfusions, and numerous other procedures required to treat mistakes made at hospitals. Medicare official Herb B. Kuhn said, “If a patient goes into the hospital with pneumonia, we don’t want them to leave with a broken arm.” He believes Medicare can save millions of dollars— and thousands of lives—by making hospitals more responsive to patient safety. Patient advocates agree with the new guidelines that, they say, simply require hospitals to do what they should be doing anyway—like controlling bedsores or pressure ulcers, avoiding patient injuries from falls, and avoiding infections caused by extended use of catheters in blood vessels. Hospitals agree, to a point, but say more tests will be required when patients are admitted to determine what problems they already had; so the hospital isn’t blamed for something patients came with. The change might, in some cases, prompt unnecessary tests and cause hospitals to become overly defensive, making some things inconvenient for both patients and family members. Analysts say it’s likely that other insurance companies will follow Medicare’s lead and also refuse to pay for preventable errors—what Medicare officials call “conditions that could reasonably have been prevented.” Medicare spends more than $400 billion a year on care for people over age 65. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that hospital patients develop 1.7 million infections a year and that those infections result in nearly 100,000 deaths a year—nearly 300 a day. “Hundreds of thousands of people suffer needlessly from preventable hospital infections and medical errors every year,” Consumers Union executive Lisa McGiffert told the New York Times. “Medicare is using its clout to improve care and keep patients safe. It’s forcing hospitals to face this problem in a way they never have before.” ■

Jackson Hole Pioneers

The Senior Voice • October 2007 • 3

The Senior

VOICE Published Locally Since 1980 VOL. 27, NO. 11

www.theseniorvoice.net PUBLICATION INFORMATION The Senior Voice newspaper has been published locally the first of each month since 1980 for 40,000 residents age 50-plus. ADVERTISING Advertising is sold by fractions of a page: One full page, 1/2 page, 1/4 page, etc. Ad deadlines vary for publication the first of each month. Discounts for multiple issues. For rates, call:

The Moulton family barn. Mountains above were obscured by a snowstorm when photo was taken. From the book “Legacy of the Tetons.” Photo by Olie Riniker. By Bill Lambdin

I

f you want a good book on Jackson Hole and the Grand Tetons in western Wyoming, get Candy Moulton’s “Legacy of the Tetons.” Some of her husband’s family were pioneers in that area, and she has unusual first-hand research from early interviews with settlers’ families. The book also covers explorers and mountain men like John Colter, who discovered what later became Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park. The area was named for David E. Jackson, probably the first white man in the region and a trapper with the Rocky Mountain Fur Company in the early 1800s. He came west with famous mountain men Jim Bridger, Jedediah Smith and William Sublette. In the 1870s, numerous horse thieves operated in the area, and one named Harvey Gleason was said to have shot several lawmen who tried to capture him in Jackson Hole. The place was so remote and wild that few settlers ventured into it until the late 1800s. One of those settlers was Thomas A. Moulton, an early relative of Candy Moulton’s husband. Thomas’s family had come west in 1856 with the famous Willie Handcart Company, a group of Mormons who headed for Salt Lake

City and lost several of their members in a winter storm in western Wyoming: “…they camped in the willows along the Sweetwater River,” said Candy. “That night 18 inches of snow fell, scattering the last starving draft animals in the storm. Dawn broke with five fewer people to struggle on. The ground was hardfrozen, so digging graves was an impossible task. Instead, they buried the dead in a snowdrift…” More than 60 members of that group died before reaching Salt Lake City. The Moulton family survived and later became pioneer settlers in Jackson Hole. Candy gives extensive information about them and other settlers. The book offers a unique look at the trials and triumphs of pioneer life. The Moulton family barn still stands in the beautiful valley below the Teton mountains, and photographs of it have circulated worldwide. In fact, the most popular photograph bought by tourists today in Jackson shows the barn below the mountains. The federal government bought out the Moulton homestead and other farms when Grand Teton National Park was created, said Candy. The National Park Service was going to let the homestead buildings decay in accordance with its policy of returning the land to its natural state.

But in the 1990s, the Moulton family obtained permission from the National Park Service to refurbish the old barn. That was a major accomplishment for Candy and her family, allowing them to save a long cherished link to their heritage. Soon other families from pioneers in Jackson Hole were allowed to do the same. This was a reversal of the National Park Service policy that previously condemned historic buildings to destruction. Now many of those pioneer structures can be saved. Much of the credit for that change goes to Candy Moulton. While writing this book, she worked tirelessly with various state and federal agencies to get historic designations and save structures in Jackson Hole. Her 186-page book with photos is available for $18.95 from the University of New Mexico Press, www.unmpress.com (email [email protected]); 1312 Basehart Rd. SE, Albuquerque, NM 87106. Candy Moulton has written several other books on the history of Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska and other areas. ________________ COVER PICTURE: The Moulton family barn below the Teton Mountains. Courtesy of Candy Moulton. ■

Wolfgang Lambdin Advertising Director Associate Publisher Fort Collins (970) 229-9204

SALES OFFICES:

Ft. Collins and Greeley (970) 229-9204 Loveland and Estes Park (970) 482-8344 EDITORIAL DEADLINE Announcements and stories must be received by the 10th of the month. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Senior Voice welcomes readers' letters and contributions. Enclose a self-addressed envelope and return postage to: The Senior Voice, 1471 Front Nine Drive, Fort Collins, CO 80525, or email [email protected]. Typed, single-spaced manuscripts are preferred. Manuscripts will be treated with care, but The Senior Voice assumes no responsibility for damaged or lost material submitted by readers.

© Copyright 2007 The Senior Voice EDITORIAL OFFICE:

1471 Front Nine Drive Fort Collins, CO 80525 (970) 223-9271 www.theseniorvoice.net No material may be reproduced by any means without permission of the publisher.

Dr. William Lambdin, Publisher

4 • October 2007 • The Senior Voice

First Soldiers at Fort Collins EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was written recently for The Senior Voice by Laird Crocker, whose great grandfather was with the first army troops who came to Fort Collins. By Laird Crocker

M

y great grandfather, Henry

Brandley, immigrated from Switzerland with his parents in 1850 at the age of 12. The family lived for some years in Ohio and later in Indiana. After becoming an adult, Henry and his two brothers homesteaded in Chase County, Kansas, which was just being organized. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Henry walked 30 miles to Emporia, Kansas, to enlist with the Lyon County troops, which later, by consolidation, became Company B of the 9th Kansas Cavalry. On June 1, 1862, the 9th Kansas Cavalry started to Utah by way of Fort Laramie, Wyoming, as an escort for General Harding, who was scheduled to be the replacement for Brigham Young as governor of Utah. Needless to say, this never

happened for reasons not clear to me. Probably Brigham Young was too entrenched as leader of the Mormons to be displaced by a mere U.S. Government appointee. From Fort Laramie, Gen. Harding proceeded to Salt Lake City by stagecoach and the 9th Kansas Cavalry was sent to garrison the new post named Camp Collins, along the Poudre River about six miles northwest of what is now the city of Fort Collins. The Kansans, including Lt. Henry Brandley, were assigned to protect the emigrant trails west to Salt Lake City and California, and to construct log stables and prepare living quarters at Camp Collins by moving together existing houses that had been deserted by their previous owners. Although the troops were originally told to prepare quarters at Camp Collins for winter, they were actually stationed there for about three and a half months before being relieved by troops from the Colorado volunteers commanded by Captain Hardy. The Kansans were then ordered to proceed to Fort Halleck, 131 miles farther northwest on the Overland Trail west of what later became

Laramie, Wyoming. Soon after the Kansans arrived at Fort Halleck, a band of Ute Indians drove off some of the horses at the fort. Lt. Brandley led a detail hoping to recover the stolen stock. In a skirmish with the Indians near Elk Mountain, the lieutenant was shot in the left arm and shoulder by an Indian hiding in the brush and was unable to continue with the chase. Later, other troops led by Capt. Asaph Allen, left Fort Halleck and continued the chase. By this time, the Indians were far ahead and the stock was not recovered. Lt. Brandley and Company B of the Kansas Cavalry were at Fort Halleck for about 11 months and then were ordered to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, after the Quantrell raid, arriving at Fort Leavenworth in November, 1863. Lt. Brandley was in charge of Company B in Kansas City and later was promoted to captain and sent to Brownsville, Arkansas, where he was in command of the post there until he was mustered out of the service in August, 1866. He returned to his claim in Chase

Henry Brandley in the 1800s. County, Kansas, where he became a successful business man and eventually married and raised a family of eight children, one of whom was my grandmother, Mrs. Edward G. Crocker. ________________

Laird Crocker is retired from the U.S. Bureau of Mines and lives in Fort Collins; email him at [email protected]. ■

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The Senior Voice • October 2007 • 5

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Loveland pioneer David Barnes. Loveland Public Library. Editor’s Note: Lena Barnes was the daughter of Loveland pioneer David Barnes, and she wrote about the town’s origin years ago. By Lena Barnes

I

t was 1870 when my father, David Barnes, purchased 320 acres from the railroad company on the bluff north of the Big Thompson River. We were living in Golden at that time. So in 1873 we moved up here, then a bleak prairie, nothing in sight but prairie dogs, rattlesnakes and hoot owls. We commenced in earnest to farm, plowing and fencing and sowing our 320 acres. In 1873 we had one of the most beautiful fields of wheat, oats and buckwheat I have ever seen. Then the grasshoppers came from Kansas in such hordes that the air was so full of them that we couldn’t see the sun all day. By that night, our beautiful field was as bare as the road. The grasshoppers laid their eggs, and when the crop came up the next spring, the young hoppers took that also—so we planted three crops before we realized any profit from the farm.

We had to haul our grain to Longmont by team because there was a mill there. In the spring of 1877, the Colorado Central Railroad decided to put a line through to Fort Collins. We were all very happy. They found their best grade would be through our wheat field. Father gave the railroad the right of way. They commenced that fall to lay out a town (Loveland), and in the spring of 1878 building commenced in earnest, father giving every other block to the railroad company. Mrs. Blinn built a boarding house south of 4th Street. Mrs. Hopkins built a boarding house, and Dr. Taylor had a drug store next to Mrs. Hopkins. After the town was laid out, father went down on the Platte River and had two car loads of cottonwood trees sent up and set them around each block. Some of them happened to be the cottonbearing trees, and some people today are making a fuss about them, and having them chopped down. If they are considered a nuisance now, they were a Godsend then. They were all the shade we had. ■

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6 • October 2007 • The Senior Voice

Greeley Named for a Famous Man By Peggy Hunt

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orace Greeley, for whom the town of Greeley was named, was a keen observer of early Colorado. He was here in 1859 during the gold rush and wrote several articles about Colorado as editor of the New York Tribune. He was then one of America’s most influential journalists. He said of the area around Greeley: “Farming in the right localities at the base of these mountains, even with the help of irrigation, will yield...richer rewards than elsewhere

on earth. Everything that can be grown here will command treble or quadruple prices for years (by selling to gold miners). “The cottonwoods...grow large and stately, some of them 60 to 70 feet high...There seems to be as rich and deep soil in some of the creek bottoms, especially those of the South Platte, as almost anywhere.” Greeley also commented on the buffalo herds that roamed the plains of what later became Weld County: “While a stray buffalo, or two or three, may linger in some lonely valley for months...the great herds which blacken the earth for miles

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The town of Greeley’s namesake, Horace Greeley. Hazel Johnson Collection. cannot afford to do so. “They are so immensely numerous and find their safety in traveling so compactly that they must keep moving or starve. Avoiding so far as possible the wooded ravines of the slender watercourses, where experience has taught them to dread the lance-like arrow of the lurking Indian, they keep to the high divides or only feed in the valleys... “I cannot but regard with sadness the inevitable and not distant fate of these noble and harmless brutes... continually hunted, slaughtered, decimated by the wolf, the Indian, the

white man. “They could have stood their ground against all in the absence of firearms, but villainous (guns are) too much for them. They are bound to perish.” Greeley was right. Within a few years after his visit to Colorado, the great buffalo herds, once numbering in the millions, had been wiped out. He was also right about the prospects for farming in the area. After the town of Greeley was settled in 1870, Weld County became one of the richest agricultural regions in the entire United States. ■

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The Senior Voice • October 2007 • 7

PERA Should Not Help Terrorists By Scott Renfroe Colorado State Senator

S

everal states are currently considering legislation requiring their public pension funds to divest of all holdings in companies doing business with Iran. Colorado should follow suit. Colorado’s Public Employees Retirement Association (PERA) must take a hard look at where they are investing their dollars. They should not be investing in companies that bolster the economy of nations dedicated to the annihilation of the United States. In a report from August 2004, the Center for Security Policy—a nonpartisan, non-profit, national security think-tank—stated that PERA invests over $2.8 billion in 112 companies with ties to such terrorist-sponsoring nations as Iran, North Korea, Syria, and the Sudan. This accounts for roughly 18% of the fund’s total holdings. Clearly this is not an insignificant sum. No less than 14 other states have initiated similar anti-Iran divestment campaigns. In Florida, freshman Republican Gov. Charlie Crist signed the first Iran-divestment bill into law earlier this month Pending legislation in some states calls only for a divestment in companies dealing with the energy sector in Iran, but to truly have a serious effect, all companies that do business with Iran should be targeted and eliminated from Colorado’s public pension funds. The California Assembly unanimously passed legislation obligating the state’s two gigantic pension funds to divest their Iran-related assets. These funds are estimated to have over $30 billion invested in companies that deal with terrorist-promoting countries Other divestment campaigns have proven their effectiveness in the past. Two decades ago, a similar type of public-sector divestment dealt a critical blow to the apartheid regime in South Africa. The campaign also demonstrated that pension funds can absorb the targeted companies that conduct business in Iran and other terrorist-sponsoring nations. This issue is bigger than a political party and it is more important than investment yields. Although the rate-ofreturn of public pensions should be an

uppermost priority to lawmakers, there is a more fundamental issue at hand. Missouri Treasurer Sarah Steelman, an early vocal proponent of divestment, says she has proof that fund performance doesn’t suffer. According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Steelman unveiled a “terror-free” fund a year ago to benefit cultural activities. In the first eight months of existence, the fund yielded a 27 percent return. Steelman has contacted all 49 other state treasurers to discuss divestment. PERA beneficiaries should not be forced into choosing between a secure retirement fund or investing in a terrorist regime. PERA should be able to invest shrewdly, with the interests of its beneficiaries in mind, and conscientiously, with the interests of our nation in mind. ________________ You can call Sen. Renfroe in Greeley, 970-356-8449, email swrenfroe@ aol.com. ■

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8 • October 2007 • The Senior Voice

Money Questions By Scott Burns Financial Writer Q: I am retired and have lived in my home for 30 years. When I decide to sell it, the tax exclusion would be $250,000. The estimated selling price would be about $550,000. From what I understand, Congress eliminated the one-time, tax-free sale of a home in 1997. I’m hoping you will tell me I am wrong. A: The old laws for the taxation of gains in residential real estate allowed two things. First, you could roll over all gains to another property of the same or greater cost tax-free. Or you could have a one-time exclusion of $125,000 if you were 55 or older. The law was changed in 1997 to allow an unlimited number of $250,000 gains for a single return, tax-free and without any age limits. Those filing joint returns could realize $500,000 in gains, tax-free. The only requirement is that you must have lived in the house as your primary residence in two of the preceding five years. As a consequence, you will pay less in taxes, not more, when you sell your home. Under the revised laws you’ll have the same cost basis plus a $250,000 exclusion, leaving only $143,000 subject to capital gains taxes (currently 15 percent). The taxes you will pay will be at least $18,750 lower than they would have been under the old law. You should also know that

some of that gain came from the tax reduction itself. Making gains on homeownership virtually taxfree for most Americans increased the value of owning a home relative to other assets. This effect is called “tax-capitalization”— reflecting the fact that an asset with low taxes will be worth more than an asset with high taxes. Bottom line: You should thank your senators and representative. While they were busy creating a capital gain on your house and lowering the tax you’ll pay on it, they were preparing to do really nasty things to the young. In the process of buying your vote with a prescription drug plan in 2003, for instance, they added $8 trillion in new unfunded liabilities to federal commitments, all to be paid for by taxes on the young. Many of those young people will never be able to afford a home. Q: Would you discuss ways to reduce the tax liability caused by the required minimum distribution (RMD) from an IRA? The tax due on the distribution itself cannot be avoided, but the kind and amount of taxable earnings outside of the IRA will increase the taxing effect of the RMD. A: The RMD could cause a portion (as much as 85 percent) of your Social Security benefits to become taxable. This could create a high marginal tax rate. I suggest a visit to a CPA to explore options such as a major Roth conversion or creating a charitable gift fund. ■

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n obscure, new federal regulation could cause some Medicaid (not Medicare) patients to have trouble getting prescription drugs they need. The rule says doctors must write Medicaid prescriptions on “tamper-resistant paper” to prevent forgery (like paper used for bank checks). This supposedly would keep people from using fake prescriptions to obtain illegal drugs. But pharmacists are upset because they won’t be reimbursed

by Medicaid if they fill prescriptions not written on the required paper. There is no penalty for doctors who don’t use the paper, only for pharmacists—and only for written prescriptions. Those phoned in or faxed are not affected. Pharmacy owner Laird Miller in Georgia anticipates “a lot of confusion” and predicts some prescriptions will not be filled. Several groups are trying to delay implementation of the regulation. ■

The Senior Voice • October 2007 • 9

Information on Estate Planning By Ron Rutz, Attorney Legal Correspondent Q. Both my insurance agent and my financial advisor refuse to designate my estate as the beneficiary in my investments and in my insurance. In fact my financial advisor questioned whether you knew what you were talking about. A: Let’s review the fundamental concerns surrounding beneficiary designations (often referred to as payable on death (POD) or transfer on death (TOD)) coming back to the estate. In most states, a person’s estate should not be named as the beneficiary, since it might trigger a complicated and expensive probate, increase the amount of fees taken by the attorney and the personal representative, or might subject the proceeds to extra taxation. None of those problems should be of concern in Colorado. Whereas probate in most states should be avoided, that is not necessarily the case in Colorado. Probate here is easy, inexpensive and efficient, whether an attorney is involved or not. Attorneys and personal representatives are not allowed to charge a percentage fee—only a reasonable sum for the time expended. Thus, the funds flowing into the estate would not increase estate expenses. In some states, bringing the proceeds back to the estate might trigger additional taxes, but that is not the case in Colorado. An asset with a beneficiary designation is already subject to tax exposure, if the asset was owned by the deceased. Thus this is yet another example of estate planning rules applicable in most states not necessarily applying to Colorado. In Colorado we often have proceeds payable to the estate, despite the general rule. But why not just name beneficiaries and have it done with? Doesn’t that seem more straightforward than running the sums through probate? Often the residuary estate clause set out in a Will differs from the various beneficiary designations. Since the beneficiary recipients take priority over the Will, the intent of the deceased may be short circuited if

POD or TOD proceeds flow in directions that are contrary to the deceased’s intent as reflected in the distribution in the Will. If a beneficiary is not living, it is often assumed that his or her share will flow to his or her descendants. But occasionally in some investments, the deceased’s share will revert to any other named beneficiaries and will not flow down the family line, unless specifically stated in the beneficiary designation. Thus the deceased’s intent is defeated and a family line is prevented from receiving its share. If a beneficiary predeceases, often a beneficiary wants his or her spouse to receive that beneficiary’s share

before the children. But writing that out on the POD or TOD form could be hard to do. I have run into a number of situations where there are only just so many spaces allocated in the beneficiary designation, and what is needed to be written exceeds the available space. The Will already is set up to handle all of the foregoing. It acts as the collecting reservoir for all of the assets flowing into the estate and sees to it that the assets are correctly disbursed the way the deceased intended. But even in Colorado, there is at least one major exception to naming the estate as the beneficiary. Anything that is tax deferred should usually

name the spouse, not the estate, so that an income-tax deferred roll over of the proceeds into the surviving spouse’s IRA can be done, thus avoiding income tax. Insurance agents and financial advisors need to understand that an attorney is the estate quarterback, who is looking at the big picture and also the details, in making decisions so that the overall estate outcome blends together with asset ownership and beneficiary designations. ________________ Attorney Ron Rutz will answer questions sent to 2625 Redwing Road, #180, Fort Collins, CO 80526, email [email protected], phone 2238388. ■

10 • October 2007 • The Senior Voice

The Wild Bunch in Early Wyoming By Peggy Hunt

I

n 1899 members of Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch robbed a train southwest of Casper, Wyoming. The outlaws blew up a boxcar in order to get to a safe guarded by a railroad employee named Woodcock. They then saw another train approaching and were told it contained soldiers. The Wild Bunch took their money, split up and headed in several different directions. That incident was depicted many years later in the movie “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford. The movie was historically accurate about some things, but it didn’t reveal what actually happened immediately after that robbery. Two Casper newspapers reported the story, the Natrona County Tribune and the Wyoming Derrick.

They said railroad officials wouldn’t reveal exactly how much money the outlaws got, but estimates ranged from a few thousand to $60,000. Two days after the robbery, a sheepherder spotted two or three of the outlaws in an abandoned cabin about six miles west of Casper. He told Sheriff Joe Hazen, who organized a posse and set out after the outlaws. The posse located them but were turned back by gunfire, and Sheriff Hazen was killed. The posse returned to Casper, and another group was organized to hunt the outlaws. That group consisted of several soldiers, a U.S. marshal, and a well known man hunter named Joe LeFors (also mentioned in the movie). LeFors knew the Hole-inthe-Wall country northwest of Casper well, where the Wild Bunch sometimes hid out. He thought they were headed in

Why drive across town when you can walk across the hall?

A Casper street in 1890, a few years before Cassidy robbed a train west of the town. Wyoming History Museum. that direction, but a railroad agent in charge of the posse thought the trail lead elsewhere and would not follow LaFors’ advice. LaFors, who was probably correct, quit the posse and went back to Casper. As a result, the posse did not find the outlaws after searching for nearly three weeks. A year later, the gang robbed another train west of Rawlins, Wyoming, and got away with an estimated $40,000. After that robbery, one of the gang members, Charles Woodard, shot and killed Casper sheriff Charley Ricker. The outlaw was later captured, tried and sentenced to be hanged. He was granted a stay of execution at the last minute, after the hanging scaffold had already been built. The people of Casper were angry because sheriff Ricker had been very popular. A vigilante group stormed the jail in the middle of the night, got the outlaw, took him to the scaffold

and put a rope around his neck. The outlaw was wearing nothing but a flannel shirt. A newspaper reporter watched the incident and later wrote: “All was ready for the springing of the trap, but none of the men seemingly understood the mechanism… Being unable to spring the trap, several strong arms seized the half nude body and cast it over the rail surrounding the scaffold. Then ensued a most horrible sight. On the rope coming to full tension, every muscle in the suspended man’s body was convulsed while a horrible choking sound emerged from his throat.” The outlaw slowly choked to death. The vigilantes then pinned a note on his shirt that said: “Notice, process of law is a trifle slow. So this is the way we have to go. Murderers and thieves beware.” That was the first hanging that took place in Casper, and the reporter who watched it said he never wanted to see another one. ■

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Legislation

The Senior Voice • October 2007 • 11

Top rate. No fees. No kidding.

By U.S. Senator Ken Salazar

R

ecently I took part in a hearing conducted by the Senate Special Committee on Aging examining unscrupulous marketing and sales tactics used by financial advisors to mislead retired Americans into purchasing costly financial instruments. The information collected at this hearing will help identify the most effective policy solutions to protect consumers who have fallen prey to financial scams. It will also provide policymakers with a better understanding of how to improve education and outreach efforts to retirees on this matter. I look forward to working with my colleagues in this Committee and the U.S. Senate to address this and a whole host of other important issues affecting mature Americans in the months to come. Access to affordable and quality health care is undoubtedly one of the

most important issues currently facing our nation. That is why last month I wrote a letter to U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Michael Leavitt asking that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid begin their certification process so that the Pikes Peak Regional Hospital can open in October 2007, as planned, and bring much-needed services to an underserved portion of rural Colorado. The hospital, once opened, will serve as one of the only providers of emergency services and medical care to those living in Teller, Park and western El Paso and southern Douglas counties. I intend to continue in the fight to secure quality, affordable and accessible health care for all those who need it and can benefit from it. ________________ You can call Sen. Salazar ’s Fort Collins office at 224-2200. ■

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Help With Medicare Part D Medicines By Michael Hollis Social Security Manager, Greeley

T

he high cost of prescription drugs can be a burden on people with limited income. Extra help—available through Social Security—might pay part of your monthly Medicare Part D premiums, annual deductibles and prescription co-payments. The help could be worth more than $3,300 per year. To determine if you are eligible, Social Security needs to know your income and the value of your savings, investments and real estate (other than the home you live in). To qualify for extra help, you must be receiving Medicare and have an annual income limited to $15,315 for an individual or $20,535 for a married couple living together. If your annual income is higher, you still might be able to get some help with monthly premiums, annual deductibles and prescription copayments. Some examples where income may be higher include: if you or your spouse receive support from

other family members who live with you; have earnings from work; or live in Alaska or Hawaii. You must also have resources limited to $11,710 for an individual or $23,410 for a married couple living together. Resources include such things as bank accounts, stocks and bonds. We do not count your house and car as resources. Social Security has an easy-to-use online application that anyone—family members, friends and caregivers—can complete. You can find it at www.socialsecurity.gov. To apply by phone or get an application, call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-3250778) and ask for the Application for Help with Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Costs (SSA-1020). Or go to the nearest Social Security office. To learn more about the Medicare prescription drug plans and special enrollment periods, visit www.medicare.gov or call 1-800MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227; TTY 1-877-486-2048). ■

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12 • October 2007 • The Senior Voice

Rocky Mountain Travel King

Colorado Crosswords By Tony Donovan

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ACROSS

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6. 12. 13. 14. 15. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 25. 28.

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39. 40. 41. 43. 44. 46. 48. 51. 53. 54. 55. 56. 57. 59. 60. 61.

Eagle County rail intensive town below Battle Mountain Early Colorado mountain man and guide “So Long,” to Jose’ Use ebay, maybe Mrs. Chaplin Tom or Diane Suffix for many ores Tulowitzki of the Rockies Ferrier’s concern Oil controllers Use a Singer Small amount or a Greek letter Ostrich relative Burns out of control Long ___ Reservoir opened in 1930 and stores water from the Grand Ditch in the Never Summer Range Wapiti County between Mesa and Gunnison counties Military tactic in early warfare This river flows 1450 miles from above Leadville into the Mississippi near Little Rock, Arkansas Power source for F.O. Stanley and his autos “Let’s make ___ ___” Matsui of the Rockies, familiarly “This shouldn’t be happening!” “___ Opera House” in Leadville Site of the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens O.K. Corral survivor Priestly garb Dress worn in #29 down, perhaps Clapton, for one “It’s a sin to tell ___ ___” Make an inquiry Northern Ohio port city Denver mayor from 1983-1991 Very small amount Ached or yearned (for)

ANSWERS

1.

2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 13. 16. 24. 26. 27. 28. 29. 31. 32. 34. 35. 37. 38. 39. 42. 45. 47. 49. 50. 51. 52. 55. 56. 58.

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Mt. ___ is second only to Mt. Elbert in Colorado in elevation ___ Springs Indian chief also known as “Left Hand” Mr. Potato Head part Type of tax Robert LeRoy Parker alias Bread or whisky type Measles, to a child This flows through #46 across Plenty, to a poet A first for Kroc or Bradbury You can hike up to this body of water from Bear Lake Rd. NW of Sprague Lake in RMNP Weld County site on Hwy. 76 near Keenesburg Be in debt Foote of the Stanley Cup Champion Avalanche Lioness in “Born Free” CLXVIII x III = ? Locale’ of a famous mausoleum in India This might be found in earlier homes behind plaster Town about halfway between Dillon and Steamboat “...or to take up arms against ___ ___ of troubles” (Hamlet) Rural skyline feature “Eloise” author Thompson or vocalist Starr ___ Ears Pass Early prairie home material In northern Colorado, it might begin with 8052, 8053 or 8054 Play a fish Former Nugget player and coach Colorado Crush play this type of football Successful hitchhiker “Shake ___ ___ (Hurry up!) ___ Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park Imitate Saddle maker’s tool Conclusion for photo or special

Colorado Crosswords are created exclusively for The Voice by Tony Donovan, who lives in Loveland.

Pioneer Home Remembered By Arlene Ahlbrandt

N

ear the little town of Deer Trail on the plains east of Denver, there is a historic log house built in the 1880s by homesteader Joe Clark. Later the Brand family bought the house, and in the 1920s the Brands’ daughter, Hilda, married A. Earl Mitchell. The young couple lived with her parents in the house the first year of their marriage. Their first child was Margaret Marie, who was born in the upstairs bedroom of the house. In 1939 the Mitchells moved to Aurora, and three other daughters and a son were born. Margaret Mitchell Griffith has fond memories of visiting Grandma Annie and Grandpa Val Brand at the homestead. Hanging in her Fort Collins home is an oil painting of the homestead at Deer Trail, painted

by her mother’s sister Loretta Brand Starr. The old log house was moved to Centennial Park in Deer Trail in 1998, where the local historical society restored it. The floor plan was interesting. On the first floor was a kitchen with a coal stove and a cistern with a hand pump. On the back porch was an ice box and cream separator. During summer months, a screenedin kitchen was used, especially for canning. Vegetables were kept in a root cellar near the back door. There was no electricity; only kerosene lamps. In the dining-living room was a battery-powered radio, the family’s source of news and entertainment. The upstairs was one large bedroom. Margaret will be writing the history of the homestead, which will be placed in the house. She volunteered to be a hostess this year at Centennial Park. Deer Trail claims to be the home of the world’s first rodeo, held July 4, 1869. ■

Margaret Griffin points to upstairs room where she was born.

The Senior Voice • October 2007 • 13

Where Is The Best Place to Work?

I

n a recent state wide survey, Greeley-based New Frontier Bank was named the fourth best place to work in Colorado, according to the Society for Human Resource Management, which conducted the survey in cooperation with ColoradoBiz magazine. Earlier, a Greeley Tribune newspaper survey named the bank the best place to work in Weld County. The bank conducted its own survey concerning customer loyalty and found that over 85 percent of its customers would recommend the bank to family and friends, according to vice president Joe Tennessen. Bank president Larry Seastrom said, “We have a group of hard working people who check their ego at the front door in favor of teamwork. As a result, amazing things have been accomplished.” New Frontier has banks in Greeley, Windsor and Longmont with total assets of over $1.7 billion, according to Tennessen. The bank was established nine years ago. ■

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14 • October 2007 • The Senior Voice

Medicare Payments

I

nsurance companies participating in Medicare have kept millions of dollars that should have gone to Medicare beneficiaries, say investigators at the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). And federal Medicare officials have made few attempt to recover the millions, perhaps billions, in overpayments made to the insurance companies. This includes companies involved in the Medicare Part D drug program and companies involved in Medicare Advantage plans. Federal law says Medicare officials are supposed to audit the insurance companies annually. But Medicare officials have largely ignored that requirement, said GAO investigators. Instead of going after insurance companies, Medicare officials have gone after Medicare beneficiaries who owe money to insurance companies. Medicare has sent letters to over 135,000 beneficiaries who, say officials, owe money to insurance companies because incorrect Medicare premium amounts were deducted from their Social Security checks.

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Medicare officials admit that, in audits they have done, they found errors in over 20 percent of payments made to insurance companies. Medicare pays the companies a total of over $75 billion a year. The number of insurance companies audited by Medicare has decreased from 24 percent of companies in 2001 to 14 percent in 2006. The GAO says the millions of dollars the companies owe Medicare could be used to lower premiums for Medicare beneficiaries or provide additional benefits to them. Even when Medicare found errors in audits, it did not require the insurance companies to pay back the money, said the GAO. Medicare officials argue that they do not have the authority to make companies repay the money. GAO investigators say Medicare does have the authority. Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.) said Medicare is “not doing its job to protect beneficiaries.” The GAO reported that Bush administration officials say that federal laws requiring audits in such cases do not apply to Medicare payments made to the insurance companies. ■

Local Events and Exhibits Red Feather Lakes Library: • October 2, 9, 16, 23, beginning quilting class, 1-3 pm. • October 4, 11, 18, parenting basics class, 7-8:30 pm. • October 11, library volunteers workshop on “computer comfort,” 10-11 am. • October 13, teen movie afternoon “Eragon,” 2-4 pm. • October 20, writing workshop, 23:30 pm. • October 26, Halloween story hour for children in costumes, 10:30-11:30 am. • October 27, children’s movie, “Charlotte’s Web,” 2-4 pm. • October 30 and November 6, 13, 27, doll making class, 2-3 pm. • Ongoing events: knit and stitch; writers’ group; watercolor group. For information, call 881-2664. Greeley Libraries: • Free computer classes throughout October. For information on these and other events, call 506-8560. • October 5, film discussion group on “Milagro Bean Field War,” Farr Library, 7 pm. • October 8, discussion of “The Chronicles of Narnia,” Centennial Library, 6:30 pm. • October 10, bilingual book club meets, Lincoln Park Library, 7 pm.

• October 16, presentation on Mayan culture, Farr Library, 6:30 pm. • October 17, presentation and discussion on the stories of Rudolfo Anaya, Michener Library, 7 pm. • October 20, Susan Kaplan presents multi-cultural stories, Farr Library 1 pm. • October 22, knitting class, Centennial Library, 6 pm. • October 24, discussion of “Bless Me, Ultima,” Centennial Library, 6:30 pm. Civil War Discussions: • The Fort Collins Civil War Roundtable welcomes the public to discussions of the role of horses in the war, presented by Miriam Poole (October 1); Indian wars, by Robert Munkres (November 5); and Karl Marx’s influence on the war, by David Tavel (December 3). Meetings at the Presbyterian Church, 400 East Boardwalk, 1 pm. Call 226-2767. Climate Change and Conservation: • The Larimer County Jane Jefferson Democratic Club presents discussions and a documentary by people from the Colorado governor’s office and other groups, October 13, 8:30 am, the Cottonwood Club in Fort Collins, call 669-4307. ■

The Senior Voice • October 2007 • 15

BRECKENRIDGE By Sandra Dallas

G

old was discovered at Breckenridge August 10, 1859, when a party of prospectors picked Ruben J. Spalding, an experienced California miner, to work the first pan of dirt. He recovered 13 cents worth of gold. The second pan yielded 27 cents. Spalding traded his mule for two sacks of stale flour and 175 feet of lumber to build long toms. Wrapping his feet in pieces of saddle blanket, Spalding worked in ankle-deep water. The first day netted $10 and a bad cold. Even luckier was William H. Iliff, just across the river from Spalding. He scratched out $7,000 in gold from a patch 40 feet square. When Iliff told of his good fortune in Denver, some 2,000 men stampeded into the area. The placer mines lasted about three years. By 1868 when Samuel Bowles visited Breckenridge, it was a settlement of only 20 or 30 cabins, “scarcely habitable in winter,” Bowles wrote. By 1885 there were 2,000 residents, and the townspeople had begun to replace the log cabins with falsefronted stores, gingerbread-trimmed houses and commercial buildings dripping with carved wooden icing. One summer evening in 1898 a tough named Pug Ryan and a gang of henchmen robbed the patrons of the hotel. They quickly took the cash from the barroom till and relieved the customers of their money and jewelry. The robbers were tracked to a cabin, and in a bloody shootout two members of the gang and two lawmen were killed. Ten years after the robbery, school children on a picnic found part of the

loot, including a watch belonging to Robert Foote. When Foote heard of the discovery, he scratched in the dirt until he found his stolen diamond stickpin. Breckenridge was wide open. One evening, when Mrs. Gore was entertaining a church group, her daughter answered a knock at the door to find a drunk who lunged at her, saying, “I’ll take you, Katy.” The drunk, new in town, had asked directions to the whore house but had been pointed instead to the Gore house. Most of the whore houses were “over the Blue,” across the river to the west of town. The prostitutes kept to themselves. One madam agreed to sell a house she owned to a family with seven or eight children. But before the deal was closed, the husband died of flu. After the funeral, the madam quietly presented the deed to the house to the widow. Helen Rich, a reporter, and Belle Turnbull, a school teacher, moved to Breckenridge in 1938. They had a passion for the high mountains and the mountain folk, a love that shone through in their writings as they rejected the romantic and glamorous and wrote about the harsh reality of living too near the sky. In Rich’s novels, “The WillowBender” and “The Spring Begins,” and in Turnbull’s books of poetry, “The Tenmile Range” and “Goldboat,” they told of the mountains’ hold on the people, of prospectors whose search for gold was a sickness, of women who went crazy from the long winters and the loneliness. The “ladies of French Street,” as they came to be called, served what they called “drinkin’ whiskey” in

Mount Elbert, Colorado’s highest peak, is west of Breckenridge. crystal glasses to old miners, aging madams and visiting literrati. Like the people they wrote about, Rich and Turnbull could not leave Breckenridge for long. Their blood was too thin, and they developed a terrible longing for the mountains. When the financially precarious (mining) operations finally shut down during World War II, the brothels were

closed and the prostitutes moved on. Then in 1962, a ski area was opened on Peak Eight to the west of Breckenridge, and skiers swarmed into town. ________________ Sandra Dallas is the author of “Colorado Ghost Towns and Mining Camps,” one of the finest books available on Colorado. ■

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16 • October 2007 • The Senior Voice

Debbie Reynolds

By Lois Hall

D

ebbie Reynolds was born at El Paso, Texas, in 1932. Her father was a carpenter for the Southern Pacific Railroad, and the family moved to Burbank, California, when she was eight years old. At school, she excelled in several sports, earned 48 Girl Scout merit badges and won a “Miss Burbank” contest in 1948. As a result of that contest, she was hired by Warner Brothers motion picture studios. After 18 months of bit parts and frustration at Warner Brothers, she was fired but immediately hired by MGM Studios to play opposite Fred Astaire and Red Skelton in “Three Little Words” in 1950. She did so well in that film that MGM put her under longterm contract. In subsequent films, she appeared with Jane Powel, Lana Turner, Ezio Pinza and other stars. In 1951 she starred with Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor in “Singin’ in the Rain.” That was her big break as a leading actress and estab-

lished her as a major dancer and performer. Her roles also established an image of an all-American girl, lively and full of spirit. It was that spirit that prompted producers to cast her in the leading role of “The Unsinkable Molly Brown,” for which she received an Academy Award nomination in 1964. Considered one of Hollywood’s greatest musicals, the movie chronicled the rags-to-riches rise of Colorado’s most famous woman of the Gold Rush era. Molly Brown was scorned by Denver society but gained nationwide fame and respect after surviving the sinking of the Titanic. At the time of the movie, Reynolds reportedly was receiving $250,000 for a film but reduced her demands to $200,000 for “Molly Brown” because she liked the part so much and wanted it. She eventually appeared in over 30 motion pictures, numerous stage productions and made several hit records. At one time, she had her own company, Harmon Productions, which produced films and TV shows. She also

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owned a company that made women’s clothing and entered a land development business with her brother, Bill. She donated the profits from her autobiography, “If I Knew Then,” to her church and entertained troops overseas during the Korean War. Her 1955 marriage to singer Eddie Fisher resulted

in two children and a divorce when Fisher became involved with actress Elizabeth Taylor. Reynolds later married a wealthy manufacturer, Harry Karl, and retired from show business. At one time, she owned a small vacation home in Ouray, Colorado. ■

Research on Type 1 Diabetes

S

ome medical researchers think they might be able to find a cure for Type 1 Diabetes, according to a report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston are ready to test a three-drug regimen that might stop the destruction of beta cells and preserve the function of cells that metabolize insulin. They also discovered that inflammation plays a

major role in Type 1 Diabetes, and one of the drugs used appears to block the inflammation so cells can respond correctly to insulin. If the medicines work in humans, researchers hope that the diabetes can be controlled with brief periods of treatment. Type 1 Diabetes usually begins in childhood and causes the body’s immune system to attack insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. ■

Imported Food Inspections

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Actress Debbie Reynolds years ago. Maturity News Service.

Equal Housing Opportunity

N

early 99 percent of imported foods are not inspected by any U.S. agency, which may explain why 76 million Americans get sick each year from eating bad food, according to research by the Progressive Policy Institute. Contaminated food puts 325,000 Americans in the hospital yearly and results in at least 5,000 deaths, said researchers. “Americans are protected against tainted goods by a system of redundant, inefficient programs that let too many dangerous products through the cracks,” said the

researchers. Responsibilities are fragmented. Most of the food safety budget goes to the Department of Agriculture, but the FDA is supposedly responsible for the nation’s food supply. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) said more problems occur with foods from China than from all other foreign countries combined. The Progressive Policy Institute recommends that a single agency be responsible for inspections and that new, modern standards be established to protect the public. ■

The Senior Voice • October 2007 • 17

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18 • October 2007 • The Senior Voice

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Influencing Doctors

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sychiatrists receive more money from drug companies than any other medical specialty, according to a studies conducted by state officials in Vermont and Minnesota. Some analysts think that means psychiatrists are being unduly influenced to prescribe certain drugs. In 2006, Vermont psychiatrists received an average of more than $45,000 a year from drug companies. That was up from about $21,000 a year before. State officials said the more money psychiatrists earned from a drug company the more likely they were to prescribe drugs the company made. Many greatly increased their prescriptions for anti-psychotic dugs for children. Those drugs are known to be risky, and some are unapproved for children, said officials. An earlier study in Minnesota also showed that psychiatrists receive more money from drug companies than other specialists. Payments there ranged as high as $689,000 a year in one case. Not all states require drug companies to disclose such payments.

Minnesota does, but its law has not been enforced, said former state representative Lee Greenfield. He thinks it should be enforced. “Why do we want them bribing doctors to use what may not be the best or most cost-effective drug for the patient?” said Greenfield. Some other states are considering legislation, and U.S. Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) would like to see a federal initiative. He said, “A federal law requiring public disclosure of payments to doctors could be very effective if it was carefully monitored and consistently applied.” Vermont Attorney General William Sorrell said drug companies spent well over $2 million on payments to Vermont’s doctors, hospitals and universities in 2006. He believes that is only a fraction of the total amount drug companies spent on marketing in the state since it does not include salaries of sales representatives and other expenditures. Other researchers say drug companies typically spend twice as much on marketing a drug as they do on researching and developing it. ■

Exercise for Heart Patients

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eople know that exercise will keep the heart healthy, but most do not know that exercise might also help the heart repair itself. Researchers with the European Society of Cardiology said a study showed that people with heart failure produced new stem cells and new small blood vessels by exercising. The study involved heart patients who rode a bicycle for 30 minutes a day for several months. Such exercise can send up to 10 times the normal

amount of blood to muscles, including the heart muscle. That kind of circulation causes stem cells to repair damage to the muscles, said researchers. Over time, this builds new blood vessels and strengthens the muscles. This happened even in patients with serious heart failure. In the past, such patients often stopped exercising. But this study shows that the heart can repair itself to some extent through exercise, said researchers. ■

More Vitamin D Recommended

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ome research studies have recommended that people in northern climates take extra vitamin D because they do not get enough sunshine in the winter months. The latest study was reported in the journal Nutrition Reviews. It said the right amount of vitamin D appears to reduce the rate of breast cancers and colon cancers among people living in sunny climates. To get enough sun in winter,

researchers said most people in northern states would need to expose 40 percent of their skin to midday sun for three minutes each day. Since most people cannot do that in winter, researchers recommend they get 2,000 IU’s of vitamin D daily through diet and vitamin pills. Researchers do not recommend any more than 2,000 IU’s. Many mature people would probably have to take vitamin D pills to get that much. ■

The Senior Voice • October 2007 • 19

Laughter Is Still the Best Medicine

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young man and his grandfather were ready to golf at the country club when a beautiful young woman walked up and said, “May I join you?” They agreed and watched her hit one great shot after another all the way around the course. When they reached the last hole, she said, “If I make this putt, I’ll shot a 69, and I’d really like to break 70 today. But I haven’t played this course before; so I’m not sure about the break on this putt.” The two men were silent, already embarrassed by being beaten badly by the woman. She said, “If one of you can help me make this putt, I’ll take you to my place when we’re finished.” The young man said, “I’ve had that putt before. Start it about two inches to the right, and hit it firm. It’s more uphill than it looks.” His grandfather walked over, picked up her ball and said, “It’s a gimme’, honey.” A Mafia godfather found out that his bookkeeper had cheated him out

of ten million dollars. His bookkeeper was deaf; that was the reason he got the job in the first place. It was assumed that a deaf bookkeeper would not hear anything and could not testify in court. When the godfather went to confront the bookkeeper about his missing money, he took along his lawyer, who knew sign language. The godfather told the lawyer, “Ask him where the money is.” The attorney, using sign language, asked the bookkeeper, who signed back: “I don’t know what you are talking about.” The lawyer told the godfather, “He says he doesn’t know what you’re talking about.” The godfather pulled out a pistol, put it the bookkeeper’s temple and said, “Ask him again!” The lawyer signed to the bookkeeper: “He’ll kill you if you don’t tell him!” The bookkeeper signed back: “Okay! You win! The money is in a brown briefcase, buried behind the shed in my cousin Enzo’s backyard in Queens!”

The godfather asked the lawyer, “Well, what’d he say?” The lawyer replied, “He says you don’t have the guts to pull the trigger.” What was America like 100 years ago in 1907? Here are some statistics: The average life expectancy was age 47. Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub; 8 percent had a telephone. 2 out of every 10 adults could not

read or write. More than 95 percent of all births took place at home. Most women washed their hair once a month and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo. The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was 30. All those were true, and so was this: The number of honest politicians in Washington, D.C., was exactly the same as today—0. ■

MORRISON’S MEDITATIONS

By Gaylord Morrison

• Penitentiary convicts have the prestige of living in a gated community. • We hope peace can be found somewhere between Iraq and a hard place. • Lots of people are not afraid of work. They take a nap right beside it. ■

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20 • October 2007 • The Senior Voice

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Exchange Traded Funds By Scott Burns Financial Writer

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xchange-traded funds (ETFs) are on a rocket ride as multiple sponsors push the envelope of possible indexes, expand the number of fixedincome offerings and reach toward creating managed ETFs. In the process, the once clear waters of a limited index fund spring have turned into a gushing sewer pipe of speculative products. The common theme of many of the new ETFs is that they chase increasingly obscure market segments at rising fees. That’s great for Wall Street, lousy for investors. Does that mean ETFs have gone from being a good thing to a bad thing? I don’t think so. It just means we have to ignore a lot of Wall Street garbage and concentrate on the ETFs that are genuinely useful. One easy example is that ETFs can be useful for workers stuck in lame 401(k) plans with expensive choices —but that offer a “brokerage window.” Provided the account is large enough and the brokerage commissions are small enough, the brokerage window allows

you to establish an inexpensive, diversified index portfolio. So which ETFs qualify as genuinely useful to the average investor? Here’s my short list, by broad asset category: • Domestic Large Cap: Vanguard Total Stock Market (ticker: TSM, Expense Ratio: 0.07 percent). • Domestic Small Cap: Vanguard Small Cap (ticker: VB, ER: 0.10 percent). • International: iShares MSCI EAFE (ticker: EFA, ER: 0.35 percent). • Emerging markets: Vanguard Emerging Markets (ticker: VWO, ER: 0.30 percent). • REITs: Vanguard REIT index (ticker: VNQ, ER: 0.12 percent). • Inflation-Protected Securities: iShares Lehman TIPS (ticker: TIP, ER: 0.20 percent). • Short-Term Treasurys: iShares Lehman 1-3 Treasury (ticker: SHY, ER: 0.15 percent). Hundreds of other ETFs are just baskets of stocks to buy and sell for speculation. But that’s not investing. ________________ You can send questions to: [email protected]. ■

The Senior Voice • October 2007 • 21

A Pioneer Woman in Colorado Editor’s Note: Life for Colorado pioneers was hard, especially for women, who were often left widowed or abandoned. One such woman was Nellie Smeltzer, who lived in the small mining town of Bonanza southwest of Leadville. An early writer, Anne Ellis, knew Nellie and told her story years ago. By Anne Ellis

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ellie Smeltzer was the town dressmaker and milliner. As a girl, she had money and some of the good things it brings such as education and breeding. When quite young, she married a mining man...and followed him from one mining camp to the other. Finally they came to Bonanza. Here she planted herself and said, “No more moves.” She often told me of how she shocked the natives when she first

came to town with her lovely and daring clothes. I think a low-necked, black dress was the knock-out. I know she must have been beautiful in those days, as she always had very good features—and such an air, talked with her eyebrows and shoulders...She could twist a scarf around a hat and give it “that” look... (But) the years passed. Each day, she looked for the return of her husband, but he never came. She had no intimate friends, neither women or men, and never seemed to feel the want of them. No relative ever came to see her. She was never talked about, although many men tried their luck with her and left sadder but wiser men. One was told to come late at night. He went, tapped gently on the door. It was opened a crack, he stepped eagerly forward, and had his eyes filled with red pepper... She was one of the proudest

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irth control pills are safe for women in their 40s and might help relieve menopausal symptoms, according to a research report in the journal “Fertility and Sterility.” Researchers analyzed data on over 48,000 women age 30 to 49. Some earlier studies done years ago when birth control pills first became popular said the pills might cause heart problems for mature women. But in those days, the pills contained more estrogen than they do now, and researchers no longer believe the pills carry any risk of heart problems. Today’s pills also contain different progestin formulations, said researcher Karen Margolis. “There’s reason to believe that the modern form of the pill is probably safer for the heart,” she said. She also said that more women in their 40s are using birth control pills than in the past, perhaps because the pills help ease menopausal symptoms. ■

Young pioneers in 1886. Hazel Johnson Collection. people I have ever known. She would never allow anyone to help her or give her anything. When she would be out hunting her cow, dressed in gunnysacks, maybe one foot in an old rubber boot and the other wrapped in an ore sack, if you could coax her in, wanting to give her something to eat, you had to make an affair of it and drink tea along with her. One Christmas, people knew she was hungry. They filled a sack with groceries and put it on her doorstep. When she found it, she took it by the bottom and dumped it first to the right, then to the left, threw the sack over the fence, went into the house and slammed the door. She held on to one blue velveteen dress, which she wore on election days...For years, she wore gunnysacks and sometimes these were very scant. But whatever she wore, she wore

it with an air. She even walked with a tripping sort of strut, and each day she powdered (her face) white as snow, with flour... I have known her to walk to Saguache to pay her taxes, 17 miles over a high mountain pass. Once she borrowed our cart, piled it high with millinery, put herself in the shafts, and hauled it to Villa Grove, 15 miles away... During all these years, there was never one word of complaint at an unkind fate. She died, as she lived, proud and alone, asking no odds of anyone. But even to the end, there was a sign creaking above her door: “Fashionable Dressmaking.” And (pictures) of ladies dressed in beautiful colors, with tiny waists, big sleeves and long trains, smiled at you from the fashion sheets in her window. ■

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22 • October 2007 • The Senior Voice

Laughter Is the Best Medicine

A policeman woke up in a hospital after a simple operation. He felt an uncomfortable pulling sensation on his chest and found that someone had put a huge piece of tape across his chest hairs. Written across the tape was a message: “Get well soon.” It was signed: “The nurse you gave a ticket to yesterday.” A wife told her husband, “I have good news and bad news.” “What is it?” “First, I think I’m losing my voice.” “What’s the bad news?” Some bloopers from church bulletins: • Joseph Benson and Mary Carter were married October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days. • The Low Self-Esteem Group will meet Thursday at 7 pm. Please use the back door. • Miss Charlene Mason sang “I Will Not Pass This Way Again,” giving obvious pleasure to the congregation. • The minister unveiled the new

tithing campaign slogan: “I upped my pledge. Up yours.” Teacher: “Mary, go to the map and find North America.” Mary: “There it is.” Teacher: “Correct. Now, class, who discovered North America?” Class: “Mary.” Teacher: “Johnny, how to you spell ‘crocodile?’” Johnny: “Krokodial.” Teacher: “No, that’s wrong.” Johnny: “Maybe it’s wrong, but you asked how I spell it.” Teacher: “Lauren, name one important thing we didn’t have 10 years ago.” Lauren: “Me.”

the years go by,” one complained. “These fairways seem to be getting longer too,” said another. Finally one said, “Just be thankful we’re still on the right side of the grass!” You live in Nebraska if: • You’ve had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number. • You know several people who have hit more than one cow on the road. • You install security lights on your house and garage, but leave both unlocked. • The I-80 speed limit is 75, you’re going 90, and everybody is passing you.

Teacher: “Johnny, do you say your prayers before eating?” Johnny: “I don’t have to. My mom is a good cook.” A foursome of senior golfers hit the course with waning enthusiasm. “These hills are getting steeper as

• Your four seasons are almost winter, winter, still winter, and road construction. Southern medical terms, courtesy of Arlene Ahlbrandt: • Barium: What you do when the patient dies. • Cauterize: Made eye contact with her. • Dilate: To live a long time. • Node: Was aware of. • Fibrillate: To tell a small lie. • Bunion: Paul’s name. • Paradox: Two doctors. • Coronary: A yellow bird. • Outpatient: One who fainted. • Pelvis: The evil twin of Elvis. • Seizure: Roman emperor. ■

We said children should be seen and not heard. At my age, I should be heard and not seen. – Bill Lambdin

Who are the most influential consumers in Northern Colorado? People over age 50. • They have twice the spendable income of other consumers. • They account for 51% of all consumer demand. • Colorado has had a 65% increase in this age group in the past seven years — the largest in the nation.

They read the Senior Voice every month. Published locally since 1980.

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Letters

Loveland Pioneer Thanks for the article by James Virden (July, Senior Voice). He was my maternal great grandfather. Grandfather Virden is buried in the old cemetery in Boulder alongside his wife, who died very young, leaving him to raise his three children—two girls and one boy. My mother attended Mount Hope School. I enjoy your Senior Voice every month, lots of good information. Helen Weisgerber Longmont

Halloween History All Hallows Eve (Halloween) historically was a sacred time to remember saintly heroes and heroines, and one’s dead ancestors whose ghosts might return to earth for one night. Dracula, a frightful symbol of this scary night, resided in the mountainous region of Transylvania. He was involved in holy wars, just as we have become enmeshed in terror wars that have religious implications.

The Senior Voice • October 2007 • 23 To The Senior Voice 1471 Front 9 Drive Fort Collins, CO 80525 E-MAIL: [email protected]

Therefore, a Halloween message about Dracula may have some pertinent meaning for us. His father, Vlad II, was named Dracul, meaning “dragon,” because in 1431 he had traveled to Nuremberg to be inducted into the Order of the Dragon by the Holy Roman Emperor Sigismund. The Christian Church formed this Order of the Dragon in 1418 in order to fight against the Turkish Muslims, to defend Transylvania, and to terrify any heretics by keeping alive the memory of the execution in 1415 of the heretic John Huss. Young Dracula received a knight’s education, was crowned a prince, and led his own crusade against the Muslims. He became a hero to the Church and Romanian people. Pope Pius II called Dracula’s campaign of terror “the will of God.” Dracula governed “by divine right” and saw himself as appointed by God to punish evil doers and reward the good. He set up faithbased social programs and set lazy, immoral peasants to work building

churches and monasteries. His treatment of the poor was ambivalent. One time he rewarded faithful peasants by giving them the wealth and lands of 500 aristocrats. At other times, he disposed of the poor, sick or disabled who could not usefully serve the state or church. Church and state were not separate in Dracula’s day. But today, our nation stands on the principle of separation of church and state. Let

us use the Halloween greeting from Transylvania to remind us to be thankful for our Constitution and First Amendment rights. Patricia Highby Greeley (Editor’s Note: Patricia Highby, Ph.D., is a former professor of theology and philosophy at Urbana University in Ohio. Earlier, she and her husband were Lutheran missionaries. She now lives in Greeley.) ■

Few Know About Common Disease

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locked blood vessels in the legs (peripheral arterial disease) increases the risk of heart disease and stroke, and more than 8 million Americans suffer from it. But few know they have it or even know what it is, according to a report in the medical journal “Circulation.” Peripheral arterial disease often produces no symptoms; so people do not know their leg arteries are narrowed or blocked with fatty deposits. Researchers surveyed over

2,000 people age 50 and over, and found that only one-fourth of them knew anything about the disease. It can result in amputation of the legs and death. Only 14 percent of the people surveyed associated the disease with those results. There is a diagnostic test for it, but few doctors give the test; and Medicare usually does not cover the test. Peripheral arterial disease is a major warning sign of trouble, said researchers. ■

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