The Senior Voice - October 2008

The Senior

I O C V E October 2008

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

Squeaky Bob Ghost Wheeler

Town Colorful

In Pioneer Northern Colorado

Frontier Towns Longs Fort Collins, Greeley and Others Pioneer

Peak

Climbers

Buffalo Outlaws Bill In Early A Strange Colorado Way to End

Cover Skiing Photo: Steamboat The Crags Springs in North Colorado

2 • October 2008 • The Senior Voice

lk w our ne 2 Boardwa t a s see u , 453 Come llins branch o Fort C

Energy Sources

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ounting energy prices hit retirees especially hard. They spend almost a third more for energy than those under age 65. We need to secure domestic sources of energy. It takes years to develop new sources, and we need to start now in places like the Roan Plateau in western Colorado. There we have more oil in the form of oil shale than all the known oil reserves in Saudi Arabia. We also need to develop wind, solar and alternative forms of energy. That won’t be an instant victory either. Many Americans can’t afford energy-saving products like new windows for a house, an efficient furnace or a hybrid car. We need American-made energy to help us get to a place where we can have more renewable energy, and we need a diversified strategy to keep

energy available and prices low. Developing U.S. sources of energy will help to defend this country against oil shocks and energy price increases that have an especially detrimental impact on people with fixed incomes. If we keep putting action off, we only prolong our problems. The high price of energy will cripple our economy and greatly reduce the standard of living for the American worker and retiree. Domestic sources of energy are one of the wisest investments we can make. And while we’re developing American-made energy, we will also be making American jobs. U.S. oil and oil shale will help us bridge the troubled economy we have today. ________________ You can call Sen. Allard’s Loveland office at 461-3530. I

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Sean Conway is an 18 year resident and property owner in Weld County. He is a third generation Coloradan who grew up on a family farm. Sean Conway is a problem solver who has 25 years of Public Service. He currently serves as Chief-of-Staff to U.S. Senator Wayne Allard. During his career, he has worked with local officials and citizens on Transportation, Economic Development, Water and Public Safety issues. Sean Conway is a proven leader whose experience and background can unite Business, Agriculture, Law Enforcement and the Educational Community to make Weld County a BETTER PLACE to work and raise our families. HE WILL: • Maintain and Improve Public Safety • Support Weld County Agriculture • Protect Private Property Rights • Encourage Economic Development • Assure Weld County Has Water to Meet Future Needs of Agriculture, Business and Municipalities PAID FOR BY THE COMMITTEE TO ELECT SEAN CONWAY

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The Senior Voice • October 2008 • 3

INDEPENDENT RETIREMENT LIVING

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For more information about this event or our independent retirement living, please call us at 970-669-2317. 4320 GEORGETOWN DRIVE | LOVELAND, CO 80538 | www.sugervalleyestates.com

4 • October 2008 • The Senior Voice

Published Locally Since 1980

Squeaky Bob Wheeler

VOL. 28, NO. 11

email [email protected] www.theseniorvoice.net PUBLICATION INFORMATION The Senior Voice newspaper has been published locally the first of each month since 1980 for residents age 50-plus.

ADVERTISING Ad deadline is 20th of month. For rates, call 970-229-9204; or see www.theseniorvoice.net.

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.; ads by the 20th 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]. The Senior Voice assumes no responsibility for damaged or lost material submitted by readers.

© Copyright 2008 The Senior Voice EDITORIAL OFFICE:

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

Dr. William Lambdin, Publisher

Squeaky Bob and his dog, Jack, at Bob’s Hotel de Hardscrabble in what later became Rocky Mountain National Park. Colorado Historical Society. By Bill Lambdin

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orthern Colorado has many scenic places with interesting stories associated with them. If you hike along the headwaters of the Colorado River in the northwest part of Rocky Mountain National Park, you will come to the former location of Squeaky Bob Wheeler’s place. It was three miles below the old ghost town of Lulu City, just over the Continental Divide from Long Draw Reservoir west of Fort Collins. Squeaky Bob got his nickname from his high, funny-sounding voice. He was a colorful character and ran one of the early guest ranches in what later became Rocky Mountain National Park. Guests said he seldom changed the sheets on the beds. He simply scented them with talcum powder. In 1885, when he first came to his brother’s ranch in North Park near Walden, Bob was wearing a silk hat, striped coat and kid gloves. He soon learned to dress differently in the West.

Born in 1865, he served with the Rough Riders in the SpanishAmerican War, according to some researchers. He claimed that three of his relatives had come to America on the Mayflower. When he came West, he worked in mines at Encampment, Wyoming, and Lulu City, Colorado. He also did some gambling and earned money from a few “questionable activities,” according to some people. He saw how beautiful the mountains were around Lulu City and decided to establish a tent camp there for hunters and fishermen. His camp was an immediate success. People flocked there to enjoy the scenic outdoors, eat Bob’s excellent cooking and listen to the colorful stories he told in an amusing voice. Bob laced his food with strong Western spices and mixed his stories with ample amounts of profanity. Hunters and fishermen loved him. He had a reputation of being the best cook and most talented story teller in the region. Bob called his place the “Hotel de Hardscrabble.” He and his guests

enjoyed the incongruity of the French touch in this wilderness with few conveniences. The outdoor toilets at the Hotel de Hardscrabble had Montgomery Ward catalogs in them. Over the years, Bob built cabins to replace the tents, hired more staff and even changed the sheets now and then. He liked to cook and continued to do that until he sold his place in 1924. The new owner changed the name to the Phantom Valley Ranch, and years later the Park Service tore down all the buildings to return the area to its natural state. But you can still hike to the site of Squeaky Bob’s Place and listen to the majestic Colorado River running through this serene spot, just as he did long ago. If you listen with imagination, you might hear his high, squeaky voice echoing though time and the mountains. ________________ COVER PICTURE: The Crags, north of Squeaky Bob’s place and near Cameron Pass west of Fort Collins. Senior Voice photo. I

The Senior Voice • October 2008 • 5

A Pioneer Village Near Fort Collins (Editor’s Note: Fort Collins historian Josephine Clements wrote the following story years ago.) By Josephine Clements

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t the south end of Horsetooth Reservoir west of Fort Collins are the ruins of the old Stout Boarding House and Hotel. Built of native stone quarried right there, the walls blended into the ridge behind them, from which their stone blocks came. The building had gone to rack and ruin long before Horsetooth Reservoir was constructed. This was the Stout Hotel built by the Union Pacific Railroad when the Stout stone quarries were in full operation. The hotel was managed for some time by Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Geary, and then by my grandmother’s sister, Addie Guest Rutledge, and her husband, James Rutledge. The Fort Collins Courier newspaper of September 15, 1898, carried the following item: “Mr. and Mrs. Rutledge moved to

the Stout boarding house Saturday. Mrs. Rutledge has taken charge of the boarding house...” My grandparents, John and Alice Payson, lived at Stout for some time before purchasing the Robert West ranch on the divide between Rist Canyon and the upper Redstone. My great-grandmother, Annie Morris Guest (Mrs. Dave) Markle, helped her daughter Addie at the hotel. In the evenings, they helped some of the Scandinavian quarry workers learn to speak and write English. One was Martin Peterson, who later had a ranch between Log Cabin and Red Feather Lakes and was on the Westlake School Board when my mother, Mildred Payson Lambe (later Mrs. Ben Beatty) taught at Westlake School in 1925-27. Addalade Louise Guest, my beautiful great-aunt Addie, was born November 19, 1871, in New York City, the daughter and youngest child of James and Anne Morris Guest, my great-parents who had come from London, England, in 1867. Soon after Addie’s birth, some

Horsetooth Lake now covers this area near Stout. Photo courtesy of Josephine Clements. time in 1872, the family came to Colorado, to Denver and then Black Hawk where James Guest had a store and practiced his trade of goldsmith. Colorado was still a territory, and so I am eligible for the organization of Territorial Daughters of Colorado. After Guest deserted his family in Golden, his wife Annie obtained a divorce and married David G. Markle in Denver. The Markles and the four Guest children (Henry, my grandmother Alice, Emily and little Addie) came to Fort Collins. Addie married James Thomas

Rutledge, and they ran the old Stout Hotel in the early 1900s, but Addie died tragically young on August 18, 1905, a few months before she was 35. As the stone quarrying industry was nearly replaced by concrete, the quarries in the glade closed and the Stout Hotel was abandoned. Founded on rock and built of rock, some of its walls, ruined and crumbling, still stand over a century later as a ghostly monument to its builder, William H.B. Stout, and all those who lived there long ago. I

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he problem isn’t when you’re together. It’s when you’re not.

If you’re concerned about how well aging parents are coping with the daily needs of living, having an open, caring conversation can encourage them to consider their options. Good Samaritan Society – Communities of Northern Colorado can help you have that discussion. We’ll help you to understand what options are available. Your parents can be free to do what they want, make new friends and feel a real sense of belonging. F

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6 • October 2008 • The Senior Voice

Question About Estate Planning By Ron Rutz, Attorney Legal Correspondent Q: I just moved to Colorado. Do I need to change my documents? A: Wills, Living Trusts, Durable Powers of Attorney, and even Living Wills executed in another state are valid in Colorado. But each should be reviewed by a Colorado attorney. The out-of-state Will needs to be

looked at to determine if provisions proper in a sister state would be enforceable in Colorado, and if not, how the presence of those provisions affect the other parts of the Will. For example, some states permit designation of the estate attorney. Colorado does not. Many Colorado attorneys insert protective provisions that most states do not customarily recognize in order to prevent Will

In the world of commerce, the energy sector occupies a powerful position, impacting each of us at the most personal level. In the home, in the car, at work and at play, energy – in a variety of forms – has a continuous and direct effect on our daily lives. Of course, energy is not an unlimited resource, and ensuring its availability for tomorrow means developing solutions today. On Oct 15, 2008 at 6 pm at the Sod Buster Inn in Greeley Waddell & Reed in Greeley will continue its Financial Literacy Series focusing on energy, where it has been and where it might go. An investment expert from the Waddell & Reed Home Office will be the presenter. There will be a second energy presentation Oct 16, 2008 at 6 pm at Pelican Lakes in Windsor. Both events are free of charge; please RSVP to:

(970) 353-8800. Greeley Location: October 15, 2008, 6 pm Sod Buster Inn 1221 9th Ave, Greeley 6 pm – 7 pm Attendance limited to 40

Windsor Location: October 16, 2008, 6 pm Pelican Lakes Banquet Room 1620 Pelican Lakes Point, Windsor 6 pm – 8 pm Dinner will be served at 6 pm

contests or to guard against the whole Will being invalidated just because parts of the Will are unenforceable. For a standard Will (no trusts and a person’s net worth of less than $1 million), expect to pay $200 or less. For a testamentary trust Will (a net worth of $1million or less but an estate beneficiary who is inheriting and in need of trust protection), the cost should be $300 or less. For a tax Will, expect to pay $600 or less. If you bring a Living Trust into Colorado, it can be used in here, provided the Trust is funded (assets are owned by the trust) and provided further that the Living Trust is not “overkill” (i.e. a tax trust for someone without tax exposure). However, if most of the assets are not titled in the trust or if the maker was placed into an inappropriate Living Trust document, do not be surprised if the attorney suggests doing Wills, putting everything in joint tenancy, and using unsupervised administration to settle the estate at the second death. If a client insists on a Living Trust, the cost will normally be $1,200 or less.

Every state has a preferred format for Durable Powers of Attorney. A few sentences in the Power of Attorney are all that is necessary in some states, while other states prefer a “laundry list” of powers where each desired authority is checked by the maker on the document. Still other states insist on a multiple page document. Thus, in Colorado, even though the out-ofstate Power of Attorney will be good, I would suggest just using the Colorado format so the agent will not encounter problems of acceptance or interpretation. Finally, I would suggest re-doing your Living Will for the same reasons the Durable Powers of Attorney should be changed. The legal form is free at any Colorado hospital. I suggest avoiding the use of the so-called “Five Wishes” Living Will. ________________ Attorney Ron Rutz will answer questions sent to 2625 Redwing Road, #180, Fort Collins, CO 80526; email: [email protected]; call 223-8388. I

Scott Helman is YOUR conservative choice for State Representative Scott Helman is a Colorado Native who moved to Northern Colorado to attend UNC. He met and married his bride of 15 years, taught high school and was a successful coach. Scott Helman is an entrepreneur who understands the demands of small business owners and invests in the community by providing jobs.

SCOTT IS DEDICATED TO WORK ON:

Scott Helman is a proven leader in education and business (nominated as a 40 under 40 business leader) and whose family values are demonstrated through his marriage, church and community involvement.

LOWERING TAXES AND REDUCING GOVERNMENT PROVIDING GOOD HEALTHCARE OPTIONS DEFENDING TRADITIONAL FAMILY VALUES PROTECTING OUR CHILDREN IMPROVING PUBLIC SAFETY FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY AND TRANSPARANCY STABILIZING OUR ECONOMY EDUCATION CHOICE AND REFORM COMMON SENSE ENERGY SOLUTIONS

PAID FOR BY SCOTT HELMAN FOR STATE HOUSE

The Senior Voice • October 2008 • 7

Medicare Premiums for 2009

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ederal Medicare officials say Medicare Part B monthly premiums will remain the same in 2009 as they were in 2008 ($96.40) for most participants. This is the first time since 2000 that premiums have not increased. The Part B deductible amount that patients pay will also remain the same ($135). Part B covers doctor costs and outpatient care. But officials say Medicare participants should expect premium and deductible increases for 2010.

For Part A (hospital inpatient care), Medicare deductibles in 2009 will rise to $1,068, an increase of $44 from 2008. Even though Medicare costs have increased most years, some analysts say it is a successful program overall and could be adapted for all Americans. “Congress and the next president should look closely at the Medicare program as a model for health reform in 2009,” said Medicare Rights Center director Robert Hayes. I

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Part D Insurance Plans

ome insurance companies offering Medicare Part D plans will increase their monthly premiums in 2009 by up to 64 percent, but most will remain close to what they charged in 2008, according to federal Medicare officials. If Medicare participants want to shop around, they can find some insurers that charge lower premiums than last year; but that might require considerable time investigating the dozens of plans available. AARP will increase its Part D Preferred Plan premium by 15

percent (from $32 to $37 per month). Humana will increase its standard plan by 60 percent (from $25 to $40). Medicare participants can change insurance plans between November 15 and December 31. You can see what insurers charge and compare plans by going to Medicare’s website: Medicare: www.cms.hhs.gov/ PrescriptionDrugCovGenin. Your state Division of Insurance can also direct you to information. In Colorado, 800-790-3468. In Wyoming, 800-438-5768. I

8 • October 2008 • The Senior Voice

“When I moved to Fort Collins, I wanted a dentist who uses the latest techniques for pain-free, quality dental care. I found this with Drs. Missirlian and Ferguson.” “They are excellent.” – Peggy Lambdin Fort Collins

Where Compassion Meets Integrity New Patients Welcome

3950 John F. Kennedy Parkway Fort Collins • 970.267.0993 www.fortcollinsdentalarts.com

Alissa R. Ferguson, D.M.D. H. Arthur Missirlian, D.D.S.

Ovarian Cancer Test By Peggy Hunt

O

vaSure is a new blood test that is supposed to detect ovarian cancer, and many women and their doctors are eager to try it—because if ovarian cancer is detected and treated early enough, most woman who have it will live for years. But experts at the FDA and other groups have questions about the test. They say it could result in false positives and cause unnecessary surgeries. It also might not be accurate or dependable enough, a situation that also exists with prostate cancer tests for men. The FDA told the company that owns OvaSure (LabCorp) that their data appears insufficient to back up the product’s claims: “We believe you are offering a high-risk test that has not received adequate clinical validation and may harm the public health,” said FDA officials. The American Cancer Society says approximately 21,000 new cases of ovarian cancer are reported each year, and over 15,000 women die from it annually. So it’s under-

standable that patients and doctors are interested in OvaSure. There’s obviously a need for such tests, and several companies are working on them. But the industry is trying to capitalize on fear, said Duke University researcher Dr. Andrew Berchuck. LabCorp does not have to get FDA approval to market OvaSure because the government agency does not regulate tests developed by a single laboratory. The FDA plans to change that and start regulating such tests, but so far regulations are not in place. The Ovarian Cancer National Alliance is recommending that women not use the test until more research has been done on it. The test, which costs about $230, was developed at Yale University by Dr. Gil Mor and other associates. They insist the test is of value. Women are already having their ovaries removed without the test, said Dr. Mor. Maybe the test will tell some they don’t need to have that done. I

The Senior Voice • October 2008 • 9

Pioneer Place Near Loveland By Peggy Hunt

T

he Pinewood area southwest of Loveland has gone by many names since pioneers first settled the region in the 1860s: Bald Mountain, Pole Hill and Rattlesnake Park. The area is west of Flatirons Lake and Pinewood Lake (formerly called Rattlesnake Lake because of the snakes found there). Today you can see the Big Thompson water diversion pipeline coming east from the area, and many people have fished nearby Pinewood and Flatirons lakes. Pinewood was the official name of the region when, in 1879, a post office was established there. Until 1921 the post office served nearly 70 pioneer families who lived in the area. Many of them operated sawmills that, for years, provided lumber and poles for Loveland pioneers. Hence the

name Pole Hill. In fact, many of the poles cut there were used for fence posts in Wyoming, Nebraska and Kansas. Which gives you an idea of how large the lumber operations were at Pinewood. A one-room log schoolhouse was built there in 1879. The one teacher, often a young woman 16 or 17 years old, boarded with local families and taught all elementary grades. The wagon trail through Pinewood was the first road between Loveland and Estes Park, used before the Big Thompson Canyon road was built in 1905. The trip then by wagon or buggy was a grueling five hours up and four hours back. After the Big Thompson Canyon road was completed in 1905 and F.O. Stanley built his hotel in Estes Park, horse-drawn carriages were replaced by Stanley Steamers. Those colorful, steam-

The post office at Pinewood years ago. Loveland Public Library. hissing automobiles chugged up the canyon with amazing dependability. The tourist business between Loveland and Estes Park was in

high gear by 1905, and the old Pinewood settlement began to disappear. Today you can still find parts of the old trail to Estes Park through Pinewood. I

Joe Dombrowski, Rocky Mountain Standard Plan Member since 2004

“Doctors don’t hesitate when you tell them you have Rocky Mountain Medicare.” Coverage you can count on. Joe Dombrowski lets everyone know that his doctors are as happy with Rocky Mountain Health Plans as he is. “I tell lots of people to talk to the folks there,” says Joe. “In fact, I can choose from a large network of physicians, specialists, and hospitals and I don’t need a referral to see the one I need.” We offer a wide choice of benefit and price options, as well as local people that pay attention to your needs and answer your questions. We have several plan choices including our Thrifty Plan which is just $24/mo., and we now also offer choices for folks who prefer a traditional Medicare supplement plan. “Great service,” Joe emphasizes. “That’s Rocky Mountain.” Call us today

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10 • October 2008 • The Senior Voice

Stories About Greeley Settlers (Editor’s Note: Greeley historian Hazel E. Johnson wrote the following story years ago.) By Hazel Johnson

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ere are some brief remembrances of early Greeley residents, who gave a glimpse of what life was like in the late 1800s: Mabel Brink recalled: “My parents lived 35 miles east of Greeley. When I was three years old, I was bitten on the leg by a rattlesnake. “My parents quickly rounded up a crate full of chickens, put them on a wagon, and we made a hasty trip to Greeley. “As they drove, every so often a chicken was killed and the warm flesh pressed against the snake bite. According to the doctor, this treatment saved my life.” In 1881, Mrs. Brink drowned while trying to cross a swollen stream in the vicinity of her home. She was an excellent horse-

Greeley in the late 1800s. Hazel Johnson Collection. “Later, when the parade was woman, but the stream was and so filled with debris, it proved due, I refused to go. I remembered running so swiftly after a hard rain fatal. Her body was swept away. Her that an elephant never forgets.” Settler Earle Baker recalled the husband offered a substantial Cataract Surgery reward, but her body was never time Teddy Roosevelt came to Greeley: recovered. “He was met at the railroad Another settler, Ella Mead, recalled the time a circus came to station by a delegation headed by my father, W.C. Baker. Greeley. “As a 10-year-old boy, I “Of course, all the Mead children had to get down there that crowded to the front and pulled at my father’s coat and said ‘I want morning to take it all in. “One tent had been erected. to meet him.’ “Whereupon Teddy took me on Walking around it, we discovered a his knee, and I rode from the depot hole. “We peered in to find elephants to the band stand in the park on — Ed Horton, standing by it. I got a long stick, Teddy’s knee. I was the biggest Loveland stuck it in the hole and prodded 10-year-old in Greeley for a while.” I one of the elephants.

“Now that my vision is sharp and clear, I’m back building model cars and trucks. Thanks, Dr. Kirk.”

E John W. Colvin, OD & John D. Kirk, MD, FACS

3650 East 15th Street Loveland, Colorado

669-1107

d Horton loves cars – of all kinds. Since age 15 he has repaired and restored antique autos and trucks. Since his retirement, he now builds model cars. But recently, he found he could no longer enjoy his hobby, because he couldn’t see well enough. Ed’s primary care physician, Dr. Durbin encouraged him to see Dr. Kirk, who discovered cataracts. Ed recently had the surgery and immediately saw improvement – “Everything is sharp and clear. Now I see distances again, I drive and I enjoy my hobbies of model cars and playing board games.” “All of the staff at Kirk Eye Center were so kind and caring. They kid around with me and make me feel right at home. They really are the best at what they do. Thanks, Dr. Kirk. You gave me back my freedom.”

w w w. K i r k E y e C e n t e r. c o m

See me about

MEDICARE PART D.

I am now carrying Medicare prescription drug coverage from Humana®. Call me today to sign up or if you have questions about what’s right for you. Mary M Biggers, Agent 1318 S College Avenue Fort Collins, CO 80524-4174 Bus: 970-493-9336 [email protected]

Humana Prescription Drug Plans are offered by Humana Insurance Company, Louisville, KY, which is financially responsible for these products. No member of the State Farm family of companies is financially responsible for these products. Humana Inc., Humana MarketPoint, Inc. and Humana Insurance Company are not affiliates of State Farm. A Medicare approved Prescription Drug Plan available to anyone entitled to Part A and/or enrolled in Part B of Medicare through age or disability. Copayment, service area, and benefit limitations may apply. Contact your State Farm agent for details on coverage, costs, restrictions and renewability. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company • Bloomington, IL S5884_GH 19213 12/05

P054039 12/05

The Senior Voice • October 2008 • 11

Your Questions About Investments

30 1978 2008

Set sail for a noth son of cinem er exciting seaatic adventu re!

By Scott Burns Financial Writer

Vote

Ken Bennett

CANDIDATE FOR HOUSE DISTRICT 51

A Capable, Caring, and New Leader for Loveland

Ken will work for: - affordable health care - alternate transportation

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Q: My husband and I are both nearly 60, retired and without a pension plan. We live entirely off our investment income. Our marginal tax rate is 25 percent. We have significant stock funds in our personal account. Our traditional IRA contains REITs, bonds and oil stocks. My husband thinks that, as taxes are sure to rise, we should draw down the IRA first. I think that, since capital gains rates are lower than ordinary income rates, we should draw down our personal account first. Who is right? A: It’s a guess, but most advisers will tell you to draw down the personal account first. There are two reasons for this. First, the 15 percent tax rate on qualified dividends and capital gains is likely to expire in 2010; so it’s not a bad idea to realize capital gains now, while you can. Second, a portion of any sale is your cost basis. So it is not subject to taxation. This can be a big help for managing your taxes. You can understand with a simple comparison. Suppose you need about $10,000 to meet expenses. If you are in the 25 percent tax bracket and take the money from an IRA account, you’ll need to withdraw $13,333 from your account to net $10,000 after taxes. Now suppose you have an investment that has doubled in your taxable account. If you sell about $10,800 of it, you’ll realize a $5,400 capital gain and have a tax bill of $810 (15 percent of $5,400). The after-tax net proceeds will still be $10,000. Finally, there is a very large spread between the 15 percent income tax rate and the 25 percent tax rate; so I doubt that we’ll see a dramatic increase in income taxes at the 25 percent level. ________________ You can send questions to: [email protected]. I

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12 • October 2008 • The Senior Voice

Buffalo Bill By Margaret Laybourn

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ouisa Cody swooned when she saw the body of her late husband, Buffalo Bill, as his casket was opened before his burial on Lookout Mountain near Denver. And well she might, for the vindictive widow had sold his body when he died six months earlier to Harry Tammen, early owner of The Denver Post newspaper. Her friends said she thought her husband was returning from the grave because of her belief in clairvoyants and spiritualists. The Denver Post reported that she fainted due to the heat of the June day. Cody died in 1917 in Denver. He was almost broke due to bad investments. His show and all the trappings were in hock to Harry Tammen. Louisa was a bitter woman after putting up with a lifetime of her husband’s drinking, womanizing and

largess to others. So for her, his death was an opportunity to recoup some assets. Cody’s body had lain in state at the Colorado capitol building for three days, and more than 25,000 people had viewed the body, which was put on ice until a tomb on Lookout Mountain was completed. Tammen ordered Cody’s body to be re-embalmed every month before burial. He was also shaved and his famous goatee trimmed so he would look much as he had in life. No wonder Louisa fainted when they opened the casket to prove to the mourners that it was the body of Buffalo Bill. He was lowered 12 feet under the ground, and six feet of concrete were poured on top of the casket. That was necessary because the residents of Cody, Wyoming, wanted to bury the

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Cody and wife Louisa. Wyoming History Museum. body on Cedar Mountain, which looked down on the town of Cody. Buffalo Bill had always said he wanted to be buried there. Several plots were hatched to get the body to Wyoming. Once a posse was formed to go to the funeral home in Denver and exchange the cadaver of a homeless cowboy for Cody’s. But the posse, it was reported, got only as far a saloon in Meteetse, Wyoming, where it was disbanded. Louisa recovered her poise and

joined the hundreds of other mourners as the caravan proceeded down the mountain to Denver after the service. Tammen’s predictions materialized; Cody’s monument attracts many tourists every year. Eventually the town of Cody was chosen for the magnificent Buffalo Bill History Museum. Now thousands of tourists pay homage there to the great showman each year. Some drink a toast to his spirit in his favorite hangout—the bar at the Irma Hotel. I

The Senior Voice • October 2008 • 13

Poor Little Rich Girls: The Bonfils By Bill Lambdin

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ay and Helen Bonfils were sisters and two of the richest women in America after their father died in 1933 and left them the Denver Post newspaper. They gave millions of dollars to Colorado charities and organizations that still benefit the state’s residents. They did that, in part, to make up for their father’s reputation as a crook. Frederick Bonfils operated a fraudulent land scheme and lottery before coming to Denver in 1895. He and another con man bought a failing newspaper, renamed it the Denver Post, and set out to make money with it any way they could. That included threatening business owners with bad publicity if they didn’t advertise, publishing scandalous stories, rumors, and doing anything that would sell newspapers. Neither Bonfils nor his partner, Harry Tammen, had any newspaper experience. Under them, the Denver Post developed a reputation for being the worst newspaper in the nation. But it made money—lots of money.

Everyone hated it; but everyone read it, partly in self-defense and to see whom the rag was attacking. Bonfils’ daughter May was born in 1883 and was six years older than her sister Helen. As adults, they fought each other in court for control of their father’s fortune. They hated each other. When May died, Helen refused to attend her funeral. May was a petite, beautiful woman. Helen was tall and striking but not beautiful. Both were dominated by their father as children. He insisted on accompanying May to a party when she was 21 years old. She was embarrassed by his behavior and in 1904 married the first man she could in order to get away from home—a piano salesman named Clyde Berryman. It was not a great marriage. May went her own way, and Clyde never quite fit in. But they stayed together until 1934. May had one of the world’s most impressive jewelry collections, which included the famous Idol’s Eye, a 70carat diamond set in platinum and surrounded by 35 carats of smaller

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diamonds. She was something of a recluse and did a few odd things as an adult. Instead of attending tea parties, she preferred to stay at home and sew clothes for her expensive doll collection. When she played Chopin on her piano, she whistled the music. But she was beautiful and rich, and she could have whatever she wanted, including a second husband. In 1956 she offered a handsome furniture salesman, Edwin Stanton, a million dollars to marry her. She was 72 and he was 53. He married her, she gave him the million, and they lived happily until she died in 1962 at age 79. Her sister Helen was different. She was highly sociable, loved the theater and acted in many plays, both in Denver and in New York City. In fact, Helen was the grand dame of the theater in Denver, supporting the famous Elitch Theater, organizing the Denver Civic Theater, creating the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, and helping to produce the first U.S. tour of the Royal Shakespeare Company. She also gave millions of dollars to the University of Colorado Medical Center, churches, hospitals and virtually every major charity in Colorado. When Frederick Bonfils died, it was Helen who took over the Denver Post. May had no interest in the newspaper business. Helen hired good editors and turned the Post’s reputation around, making it one of the most respected papers in America. She ran certain parts of it with an iron hand, mainly the society section—insisting that her sister’s name never appear in the paper. In 1936 Helen married George Somnes, a successful New York director and producer. They lived happily until he died 20 years later. After that, Helen became lonesome and, like her sister, made an odd match in 1959 by marrying her chauffeur, Michael Davis. She was 69 and nearly twice his age. She was having health problems and felt she needed someone. Helen divorced Davis in 1971 and spent the last few years of her life in and out of hospitals, dying in 1972 at age 83. She and her sister always insisted that the money they gave away remain in the state and benefit Colorado residents. It still does after all these years. It was sad that they never reconciled. Money brought them happiness,

Helen Bonfils. Colorado Historical Society. but one wonders about love. ________________ For good books on the Bonfils family and Denver Post, see “Thunder in the Rockies” by Bill Hosokawa; “High Altitude Attitudes” by Marilyn Riley; and “Timber Line” by Gene Fowler. I

14 • October 2008 • The Senior Voice

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Stroke Research and Treatment

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common antibiotic, minocycline, might significantly reduce the damages caused by stroke, according to research reported in the journal Neurology. Patients who received the drug within 24 hours of a stroke showed much less damage to speaking ability, movement, facial palsy and other usual effects of stroke. All of the patients in the study had mild strokes. Those receiving the drug showed little or no disability after three months. Those not receiving the drug were at the high end of mild disability. Researchers said more studies will be needed, and for now stroke patients will continue to receive the standard treatment of clot-dissolving drugs if those can be administered within the first three hours of a stroke. Otherwise the clot dissolving drugs are not effective. That time limit means stroke patients should get to a hospital as soon as possible, say researchers.

Elsewhere, another study says stroke victims do not get to the hospital soon enough, and hospitals often do not treat them soon enough. That’s the conclusion of a study reported in the medical journal Stroke by researchers at the University of North Carolina. Dr. Kathryn Rose and others surveyed records of over 15,000 stroke patients. Fewer than one-fourth of them got to a hospital soon enough (within 3 hours) to receive a drug (tPA) that can dissolve blood clots in the brain and limit stroke damage. Of those who did arrive in time for the drug treatment, only 9 percent received the treatment within the recommended time of 25 minutes after arrival. Which means the hospitals were not responding soon enough. The researchers said patients who arrive at hospitals in ambulances usually receive care quicker; so they recommend calling an ambulance when stroke symptoms appear. I

Medicare Cuts for Doctors?

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edicare payments to doctors are scheduled to be cut by 20 percent in 2010, which would prompt many doctors to stop treating Medicare patients, said American Medical Association president Nancy Nielson at recent House Ways and Means Committee hearings. A 10 percent reduction was scheduled in 2008, but that was cancelled at the last minute. Similar cuts have been proposed almost yearly as Medicare officials try to

find ways to reduce costs of the giant program that is headed for bankruptcy as more baby boomers retire and use it. Among suggestions to cut costs is paying doctors a set amount per Medicare patient over a period of time. This might discourage doctors from ordering excessive services that drive up costs, said former Medicare director Gail Wilensky. Some doctors order excessive services to increase their incomes, she said. I

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lood clots are much more serious problems than many people and doctors realize, according to a report from U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Steven Galson. A blood clot in a large vein, usually the leg or groin, can be fatal if the clot moves to the lungs where it becomes a pulmonary embolism. Researchers estimate that over 100,000 Americans die each year from such clots. “It’s a silent killer and hard to diagnose,” said Galson. Many

people die from clots after they go home from a surgery or hospital stay. Those are two of the most common risk factors. Another is being immobile for an extended period of time, as on a long airplane flight. Others risks are pregnancy, obesity, smoking, taking birth control pills or menopause hormones, said researchers. Symptoms include swelling or pain in the leg calf, and a warm spot or red skin spot on the leg. I

The Senior Voice • October 2008 • 15

Colorado Colorado Crosswords Springs Founder By Tony Donovan

By Arlene Ahlbrandt

ACROSS

DOWN

1. 5.

1.

10. 12. 13. 16. 17. 21. 24.

Palmer’s Glen Eyrie castle. Photo courtesy of Arlene Ahlbrandt

B

eautiful Palmer Lake between Castle Rock and Colorado Springs was named for William Jackson Palmer, who came to Colorado in 1870 and founded the town of Colorado Springs. He was born in 1836 in Delaware. His parents were peace-loving Quakers; but he served in the Civil War as a union general. When silver was discovered in Colorado, Palmer organized the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad and built over 1,500 miles of tracks to mining areas, including the narrowgauge line along the Arkansas River through the Royal Gorge In 1870, he met and married Mary “Queen” Mellen. She founded the first school in Colorado Springs and helped name the town’s streets

and area landmarks. She had trouble adjusting to Western culture and climate. Palmer built her a beautiful castle called Glen Eyrie (Eagle’s Nest) in a scenic canyon northwest of Colorado Springs. It had 67 rooms, a tennis court, bowling alley, its own dairy, stables, and lovely gardens. The high altitude had ill effects on Palmer’s wife. She and her daughters moved to New York and later to England where she died at age 44. Palmer made frequent visits there and encouraged many Englanders to visit Colorado Springs. He continued to live mostly at Glen Eyrie where he died in 1909 at age 72. He left several million dollars to Colorado College, the local library and other charities. I

To Senior Voice Readers: The Senior Voice apologizes to readers and Tony Donovan for the error in the September crossword puzzle.

25. 27. 29. 31. 33. 35. 36. 37. 39. 42. 43. 45. 47. 48. 51. 53. 57. 58. 59. 60.

Lotion additive Largest natural body of water in Colorado Chief Left Hand’s Arapaho name or a Boulder neighbor Shaggy-haired wild ox of Tibet ___ Springs Acorn’s destiny The “Million Dollar Highway” connects this mining town with Ouray Hee ___. Relationship of Caroline to Ted Kennedy Tests which determine a school’s ranking in relation to others What a debit signifies in a ledger “Mechanized” person This first territorial governor was appointed by President Lincoln in 1861 Clint of the Rockies Scene of the first Nicklaus designed golf course in Colorado Perches for birds Roughed it while camping Noted movie critic Kind of lips that sink ships John of fur trading fame Cake or pie serving Pig___ . Madam Butterfly, perhaps Carpenter, for one High school singers #8 down might recommend a good one Longest river in France Colorado’s first congresswoman Dryer filter finding

ANSWERS

2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

14. 15. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 26. 28. 30. 32. 34. 38. 40. 41. 44. 46. 49. 50. 51. 52. 54. 55. 56.

___ Lee who directed “Sense and Sensibility” Abner lead-in Be in debt A long, long time Weld County locale between Hereford and Keota near the Wyoming line Without ice, in bartender lingo Town on U.S. Hwy. 36 between Longmont and Estes Park Motorists’ gp. Discriminatory org. which exerted political & economic power in Colorado in the mid 20’s 11. Gianttrack Mountain and Lily Mountain, more familiarly Lead-in for “garchy” or “gopoly” Cereal box prize in the 1940’s and 1950’s, perhaps Johnny___ . It might be #85 or higher at the pump What a bear does in the winter Pass near Turquoise Lake and Leadville Will Smith role I-70 locale between Eagle and Edwards What you might have to make on the way out of town when going on a trip Pagosa Springs and #13 across are two Last words? Investigative gp. On hand after a plane crash First female attorney general Cheyenne to Sterling dir. Pollution control gp. ___ County is home to Cripple Creek Western movie, slangily College in Cedar Rapids American ___ (Reality show of the unemployed?) “Green” course, briefly Meteor’s path Degree type Twenty percent of CCLX Samovar Something to “place” in Black Hawk

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

16 • October 2008 • The Senior Voice

Remembering Frank Sinatra By Bill Lambdin

S

inger Frank Sinatra reportedly said, “You only live once. And the way I live, once is enough.” He did live an exciting life. Many consider him the best popular singer America ever had. Critic Stephen Holden said, “Sinatra transformed popular singing by infusing lyrics with a personal, intimate point of view.” But Sinatra’s life was also full of controversy, with ties to Mafia figures, his many affairs with women, and his violent encounters with photographers who hounded him wherever he went. He was born in 1915 at Hoboken, New Jersey. His father, a Sicilian boxer and fireman, had come to America from Italy in 1895; and his mother had come in 1897. Frank was their only child, and he nearly died at birth. As a teenager, he began singing at family parties and local social clubs. At age 17 he told his parents he was going to be a singer. They argued, he quit school and left home, working at a local newspaper and then as a riveter at a shipyard. His mother soon helped him get a job with a local singing group, the Hoboken Four, which won a radio contest that allowed them and Frank to perform at several places. Frank then worked as a singing waiter at a popular New Jersey club where bandleader Harry James heard him and hired him for $75 a week in 1939 when Sinatra was age 24. He joined the Tommy Dorsey band later

that year and recorded several songs, including “I’ll Never Smile Again,” which rose to the top of the charts in 1940. Sinatra was on his way. By the next year, he was named the top male singer in America by Billboard and Downbeat magazines. He married Nancy Barbato in 1939, whom he had known since he was 14 years old. They had three children, Nancy, Frank Jr., and Christina. Many people said Sinatra was a devoted father, but he was a known woman chaser and unfaithful to his wife. They divorced in 1951. He married actress Ava Gardner, but after several tempestuous years they divorced in 1957. Gardner helped him get a role in the movie “From Here to Eternity,” for which he won an Academy Award. He married actress Mia Farrow in 1966 when she was 21 and he was 50. They soon divorced, and he made his final marriage to Barbara Marx in 1976. She remained with him until he died. Throughout the years, he had relationships with Lauren Bacall, Angie Dickinson, Juliet Prowse and other women. Stories about his many affairs didn’t help his reputation. Neither did stories about his links to Mafia figures. The FBI maintained a file on Sinatra’s underworld connections, said researcher T.J. English. His first wife was a cousin of a Mafia henchman. Sinatra sang at weddings and other events arranged by gangland members, and he met with them in 1946 when they decided to make

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Frank Sinatra. Photo Third Age News Service. Havana, Cuba, their private gambling empire. Sinatra did not deny friendships with such figures, and they helped advance his career—though few wanted to talk about how they did it. According to friend and fellow singer Eddie Fisher, Sinatra once said, “I’d rather be a don of the Mafia than president of the United States.” Comedian Jackie Mason contended that, after he made jokes about Sinatra, his hotel room was torn up and he received threats. In the 1940s, Sinatra was the idol of “bobby soxers,” and teenage girls swooned at his live performances. Some actually fainted. From then on, singers and rock bands followed Sinatra’s formula of performing in front of wild, screaming fans. When rock and roll music appeared, Sinatra’s popularity diminished. It looked as if his career might be over from the 1950s to the 1970s. In 1971 at age 56, he announced his retirement. But raucous rock songs

couldn’t destroy the appeal of soft love ballads whose words were not drowned out by noise. He came back again and again with hit records such as “In the Wee Small Hours,” “Strangers in the Night” and “My Way.” He continued to make movies, and few entertainers ever matched his ability to fill a room in Las Vegas. He was a friend of Presidents John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan, and he often spoke out against racism in the turbulent 1960s. In fact, he refused to perform at Las Vegas hotels that did not allow black patrons. He continued to perform until 1995 when he turned 80. He died in 1998 after a heart attack, his wife and daughter Nancy at his side. The night after his death, every light on the Las Vegas strip was dimmed in his honor. He once said, “Whatever else has been said about me personally is unimportant. When I sing, I believe. I’m honest.” I

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The Senior Voice • October 2008 • 17

Life Was Hard on the Oregon Trail By Robert Munkres

O

f all the fatalities that occurred on the Oregon Trail, accounts about the death of children are particularly poignant. The diary entries about the demise of Salita Jane and Little John are even more moving than was the norm. In 1846, little Salita Jane Henderson observed her older sister and a girlfriend sample the contents of a bottle their mother had placed in a bag hanging on the sideboard of their wagon. When the older girls refused to let her taste it, Salita waited until they went on to other activities. Salita then drank a whole bottle of laudanum(opium in alcohol for pain). “Presently she came to the campfire where Mother was cooking supper and said she felt awfully sleepy. Mother told her to run away and not bother her; so

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she went to where the beds were spread and lay down. When Mother called her for supper, she didn’t come. “Mother saw she was asleep, so didn’t disturb her. When Mother tried to wake her later, she couldn’t arouse her. Salita had drunk the whole bottle of laudanum. It was too late to save her life. “Before we had started, father had made some boards of black walnut that fitted along the side of the wagon. He took these boards and made a coffin for Salita, and we buried her there by the roadside in the desert.” The story of ten-year-old Johnny Williams was summarized with agonizing brevity by Lucia L. Williams in a letter she wrote to her mother: “We have been living in Oregon about two weeks, all of us except little John, and him we left 12 miles this side of Green River, Wyoming. He was killed instantly by falling from a wagon and the wheels running over his head.” It was the morning of June 20, 1851, Esther M. Lockhart later recalled in her reminiscences. Young Johnny had asked to ride, not in the carriage his father provided for the family, but with Edwin Fellows, who drove the baggage wagon. According to Mrs. Williams, the oxen were frightened by a horse tied to the wagon ahead of them. Spooked, they started to run, as did a couple of other teams. Apparently, Johnny had been in the back of the wagon, but came forward to find out what was happening. He grabbed hold of the driver and the driver held onto him, but the violent swaying of the wagon tore them apart, and Johnny was thrown from the wagon, landing under its wheels. The innocent victim never knew what had happened to him. The boy’s father was “beside himself with grief and anger.” In this state “he ran for his gun and was about to shoot the unfortunate driver when four men overpowered him and took his weapon away. Later, when reason and calm judgment returned, he was thankful he had been restrained.”

Wagon ruts are still visible on the Oregon Trail near Guernsey, Wyoming. Wyoming tourism Office. The casket for the boy was a him alone in the wilderness.” large trunk belonging to his mother. ________________ Hymns were sung, prayers were Robert Munkres, Ph.D., lives in offered, a headstone was implanted. Estes Park and has written exten“Then, with many regretful sively about early Wyoming. Email: [email protected]. I tears...we drove sadly away, leaving RANDY

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18 • October 2008 • The Senior Voice

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Medicare Service Problem

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edicare’s toll-free phone line needs a lot of improvement to efficiently serve the 30 million callers who try to get information from it each year, according to the Government Accountability Office and other groups that have investigated the service. Medicare phone reps give out wrong information, put callers on hold for up to an hour, confuse callers with bureaucratic jargon, and generally provide questionable service, said investigators. Senator Gordon Smith (R-

Oregon) had his staff make 500 test calls to the service and examine hundreds of consumer complaints. They found the above problems plus others like the 25 percent of callers who are referred to Medicare “specialists” who are supposed to return calls but sometimes don’t, or fail to leave their call-back number. Phone reps often read “errorridden scripts” to callers, said Sen. Smith. Medicare director Kerry Weems promised improvements if her budget is increased. I

Knee Surgery Questionable

A

rthroscopic knee surgery may be no better than physical therapy and medicine to relieve osteoarthritis of the knee, according to a report in the New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers studied 178 patients, average age 60, half of whom had surgery and half did not. After two years, patients’ improvements were about the same. This has led some researchers to believe that much arthroscopic knee surgery, a popular procedure

for decades, had been unnecessary. But they say the procedure is still appropriate for other knee problems. “I think it’s still useful for major meniscal tears,” said Dr. Robert Reeve at Texas A&M College of Medicine. But there is evidence it is “not very effective for arthritis or minor degenerative tears.” About 27 million Americans suffer from osteoarthritis of the knee, a common problem as we age, said researchers. I

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By Scott Burns Financial Writer Q: I am going to retire. The financial adviser for my company has told me that he doesn’t like index funds for retirement. He says they are fine in the accumulation phase but not good in the distribution years because of volatility. My index funds—Vanguard 500, Total International, Total Bond and Total Stock Indexes—have all performed well in the past. I have other securities in my portfolio as well. What do you think? Is there a better alternative to index funds in retirement? A: Ask your adviser for the source of his research. You might also ask him if he can spell B-O-GU-S. Index funds have the volatility of the asset class they represent. Managed funds may have more, or less, volatility than their asset class, depending on manager luck/skill. But managed funds are not a reliable route to reduced risk. The best way to reduce risk,

whether you use managed or index funds, is to diversify across multiple asset classes. This is what you have been doing, while reducing the cost of investing. You can reduce the overall risk of your retirement portfolio further in several ways. The easiest is to shorten the average maturity of the fixed-income fund in your portfolio. An extreme case would be to replace your total bond market fund with a money market fund. You can also add other asset classes, such as REITs. And, finally, you can convert a portion of your portfolio to a lifetime annuity. This will increase your immediate cash flow at the expense of your eventual estate—but it will increase the odds that your remaining invested assets will survive a long period of withdrawals. The source of the research that supports these suggestions is Ibbotson Associates. ________________ Readers can send questions to: [email protected] I

The Senior Voice • October 2008 • 19

See Your Best...

New Breast Cancer Screening

A

n experimental radioactive test for breast cancer could prove especially beneficial for women with dense breasts, say researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. About 25 percent of women over age 40 have dense breasts, which make it difficult for mammograms to spot cancers. The new molecular breast imaging (MBI) test found 10 out of 13 tumors in 940 women with dense breasts in the study. Mammograms

found three out of 13. The MBI gave false readings in 7 percent of cases; mammograms gave false readings in 9 percent of cases. This means patients receiving the MBI would have fewer unnecessary biopsies if MBIs prove successful in future studies and can be used. Currently MRIs are often used for women with dense breasts, but they give many false readings and cost much more than MBIs would cost, said researchers. I

New Treatment for Gout?

A

n experimental gout treatment might prove to be effective for many people, according to a report in the journal Arthritis and Rheumatism. Researchers at Duke University said a drug called pegloticase lowered uric acid levels in gout sufferers within a few hours and was effective over a period of time. The most effective dose of the drug was eight milligrams every two weeks. The drug is adminis-

4TH L UA ANN

tered by infusion that takes about two hours. Researcher Dr. John Sundy at Duke University said, ““We were delighted to see this response because all of the patients in our trial had already tried all the existing treatments for gout, and nothing was helping them.” He added that more studies will have to be done, and he did not say when the treatment might be available if further studies prove successful. I Admi Expo ssion to is FR EE! FREE Parki ng!

Wednesday, October 15th • 9 am to 4 pm First National Bank Exhibition Building at the Ranch Complex

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• Special Appearance by CBS-4 News Anchor Jim Benemann, 12 noon to 1 pm • Over 70 informational booths. (Call 461-2609 for vendor information) • Flu shots provided by RVNA • Fashion Show, 2 pm to 3 pm • Free concert by the New Horizons Band, 11 am to 12 pm • Medical Identity Theft seminar by Nancy Teksten, 9:30 am to 10:30 am

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20 • October 2008 • The Senior Voice

Ignoring Heart Attack Signs

M

any Americans ignore the symptoms of a heart attack, and that costs about 300,000 of them their lives each year, according to a report from the American Heart Association. If you have any of the following symptoms for more than a very few minutes, you should call 911, say experts: Chest pain or chest pressure. Shortness of breath. Extreme fatigue. Pain down the left arm, in

the jaw or neck. Upper abdominal pain or a feeling of extreme indigestion that is new to you. Nausea or vomiting. Sudden sweating, dizziness, lightheadedness, or fainting. Most of the people who die from a heart problem do so from an irregular heart rhythm, which a defibrillator can correct if used in time. In fact, heart attack treatment is often quite successful if received in less than an hour of the attack. I

I value “PEOPLE” regardless of their walk in life, and promise to represent “ALL OF THE PEOPLE — ALL OF THE TIME” Farmer-Corporate executive, businessman, to Public Servant — Serving third term as Mayor of Severance I am qualified and ready to serve the residents of Weld County — I ask for your vote this election. Thank you!

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The Senior Voice • October 2008 • 21

Historic Names in Estes Park By Bill Lambdin

W

hen you drive or hike around the Longs Peak area near Estes Park, you’ll probably encounter places that prompt you to ask, “Why did they call it that?” Here is how some places there got their names. Cabin Creek. Named for a cabin that famous scout Kit Carson built along its banks, according to early Estes Park settlers. They said Carson spent a winter here trapping beaver, perhaps in the 1830s. In the spring, he bargained with some Indians to help him carry out his furs. In the early 1900s, settler Joe Mills said he found “the walls, the hearth and part of the stone chimney (that) marked the site of the stone cabin built by Carson.” By the mid-1900s, only a pile or rocks remained at the cabin site. But you can still see the creek and the magnificent scenery Carson could have viewed from this location. Chasm Lake. Located in a chasm at the base of the massive east face of Longs Peak. An Indian legend said a strange creature lived in the lake, with a human head and the body of a horse, somewhat like the centaur of Greek legend. This made early settlers wonder if the Indians had heard the Greek story from whites and adapted it, or if the story had been passed along through ancient people for centuries, possibly before the Greeks told it. No one ever found the answer. In 1873 railroad builder Edward Berthoud, for whom Berthoud Pass was named, said he heard about the Indian story. East Face of Longs Peak. It drops over 1,000 feet straight down and has long been considered one of the most challenging technical climbs in America by professional mountaineers. A Princeton University professor, J.W. Alexander, made the first ascent of the face in 1922. But the most difficult part, the smooth “diamond” on the north side, was

not climbed until 1960 when two men took nearly three days to climb it. Amateurs take a much easier route to the top of Longs Peak. Elk Tooth. This 12,848-foot rock on Ogalalla Peak is the only geographic feature in Rocky Mountain National Park that bears the name “elk.” The reason: There were no elk here when most of the Park’s features were named in the 1880s and 1890s. Elk had been here earlier. Pioneer Abner Sprague said he saw thousands of them in the 1870s. But hunters began slaughtering them commercially after 1875 and wiped out the herds by the late 1880s. The reason you see elk now is that the people of Estes Park raised money in the early 1900s to bring elk in from Montana. They are now so plentiful that they take over the golf course every spring. Halletts Peak. A popular mountain seen from the Bear Lake Road. Named for William Hallett, an avid mountain climber who came to Estes Park in 1878. A graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he worked as a mining engineer, had a cattle ranch west of Loveland, and helped start the huge Powder River Live Stock Company in Wyoming. He also helped start the first mountain climbing club in Colorado and was the group’s star climber. One of his friends said, “He spends all the summer months in the mountains and knows thoroughly every trail and stream for many miles around.” Apparently climbing was good for him. Hallett lived to be 90. Jim’s Grove, in Glacier Gorge. Named for Rocky Mountain Jim Nugent, who came here in 1854 as a hunter and trapper, was mauled by a bear and later killed by another settler. Jim guided British traveler and author Isabella Bird up Longs Peak in 1873, and she was impressed by his rugged good looks. On their way up Longs Peak, they spent two nights in the grove

The Longs Peak Inn about 1920. Colorado Historical Society. that now bears Jim’s name and started back. Finally I got where I which Isabella described as “a could let go without slipping grove of beautiful silver spruce...It over.” He took the group up a less was exciting to lie there with no dangerous route the next day. Mount Alice. This 13,310-foot better shelter than a bower of peak southwest of Longs Peak has pines...in the very heart of the Rocky Range...hearing the sound left a mystery: Who was Alice? The peak might have been named of wolves, with shivering stars looking through the fragrant for Alice Munroe, a London actress who accompanied the Earl canopy, with arrowy pines for bed posts, and for a night lamp the red of Dunraven on his last trip to Estes Park in the late 1800s. flames of a campfire.” Isabella’s book, “A Lady’s Life Dunraven named several features in the Rocky Mountains,” was in the area, and he may have published in 1879 and has been named Mount Alice for his mistress on that trip. popular ever since. Or the name may have come Keplinger Lake. Named for L.W. Keplinger, one of the college from Elkanah Lamb, an early students who in 1868 accompanied Estes Park settler and owner of the John Wesley Powell on the first Longs Peak Inn. Lamb was fond of recalling “the girl he left ascent of Longs Peak. Powell allowed Keplinger to be the first to behind,” a sweetheart named Alice stand on the summit because in Indiana. Lamb named many Keplinger had scouted the route other geographic features around Estes. Although he had a long, the day before Powell’s group happy marriage, he apparently climbed it. Keplinger did that alone in the never forgot the Alice who, he said dangerous “notch” section and in his memoirs, “left a shadow later recalled, “I started up using over my life which more than 50 years cannot efface.” hands and feet. All was well until I Those are just a few of the paused and looked down...A lonesome feeling came over me. I historic names in Estes Park. I

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22 • October 2008 • The Senior Voice

Avoiding Medication Errors

T SHOP WEDNESDAYS, WHEN THE CURRENT WEEK’S AD AND THE PREVIOUS WEEK’S AD OVERLAP. ENJOY A DAY OF VIRTUALLY TWICE THE AMOUNT OF SAVINGS.

he names of many medicines look or sound so similar that they are easily confused, and that can be deadly if you get the wrong one. The Federal Drug Administration and other groups say consumers need help, and that has prompted U.S. Pharmacopeia to launch a website (www.usp.org/hqu/similarproducts/ch oosy) that lets people distinguish between look-alike and sound-alike drugs. Another group, the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, also has a

website (www.iguard.org) that lets people check medicines that are easily confused. That site also lets you check side effects, treatment duplications, and drug interactions. U.S. Pharmacopeia says over 1,500 medicines have similar names, and the problem is going to get worse with so many new medicines. The Institute for Safe Medication Practices says pharmacists would like physicians and patients to tell them what a prescription is used for. That will avoid many errors. I

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The Senior Voice • October 2008 • 23

Laughter Is the Best Medicine S

ome deer hunters in Tennessee decided to split up in groups of two. It was nearly dark when Dilbert came back to camp lugging a deer, but his partner Bubba was not with him. “Where’s Bubba?” his friends asked. “He had a stroke and is lying on the trail about two miles back.” “You mean you brought back the deer and left Bubba? Why?” “Well, I figured nobody was going to steal Bubba.” A woman went to a Chinese restaurant and ordered “Chicken Surprise” from the menu. The waiter set a big steaming pot in front of her. As she reached for it, the lid slowly opened by itself and two eyes peered up at her. Then the lid shut down. She called the waiter over and demanded an explanation. He asked, “What did you order?” “Chicken surprise.” “Oh, sorry, I brought you Peeking Duck.”

From an actual newspaper report: Debra Jackson said she likes shopping at Dollar Palace because it’s convenient and casual. She said, “I don’t have to get all dressed up like I’m going to Walmart or something.” Reported as true stories: In Kansas City My daughter went to a local Taco Bell and ordered a taco. She asked the person behind the counter for “minimal lettuce.” He said he was sorry, but they only had iceberg lettuce. In Birmingham, Alabama I was at the airport, checking in at the gate when an airport employee asked, “Has anyone put anything in your baggage without your knowledge?” I replied, “If it was without my knowledge, how would I know?” He smiled knowingly and nodded, “That’s why we ask.”

when it’s safe to cross the street. I was crossing with a co-worker, and she asked if I knew what the buzzer was for. I explained that it signals blind people when the light is red. She responded, “What on earth are blind people doing driving? In Canton, Mississippi When my husband and I arrived at an automobile dealership to pick

up our car, we were told the keys had been locked in it. We went to the service department and found a mechanic working feverishly to unlock the driver’s side door. As I watched from the passenger side, I instinctively tried the door handle and discovered that it was unlocked. “Hey,” I announced to the technician, “it’s open!” He replied, “I know. I already got that side.”I

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24 • October 2008 • The Senior Voice

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