writing as Angela Raines
Copywrite 2020
Honoring Their Story
The Headstone that started the research journey Photo property of the author |
This
story takes place in Bijou Basin in Colorado. According to
enWikipedia, the town of Bijou Basin was situated in El Paso County
near the border with Elbert County and looks to have had a train
station and a post office that opened in 1869. The area also is known as Bijou Basin, in both Elbert and El Paso Counties was noted for
the land that supported cattle and sheep growing.
Additionally
Chief Black Kettle, John Charles Fremont, and Kit Carson were also
known to have traversed this basin that is bounded by East and West
Bijou Creek which meets to become Bijou Creek. This Creek flows north
to join the South Platte River near Fort Morgan.
D.M.
Holden was one of the first settlers in Bijou Basin along with Steven
Holden, and Lewis Hayden who arrived around 1860. This is the story
of D.M and his wife Isabel Hayden Holden.
Daniel
M. Hayden was born in Antwerp, Jefferson County, New York on August
10, 1833. He arrived in Colorado in 1859, staying briefly in Denver.
He died on August 12, 1896. He married Isabel Hayden in November of
1865.
Isabel
was born on January 12,1847, in Elkhart, Elkhart County Indiana
although other sources have her being born in Iowa. She did live in Iowa
for some time before moving to Colorado. Her father was Lewis Hayden.
Photo of cabins near the area - the family may have lived in such a place Photo property of the author |
Isabel
died in October of 1931 at the age of eighty-five. According to her
obituary in the paper, she had six children, ‘lived through Indian
troubles and the perils of pioneer life.’
The
stories of these early pioneers can be found in newspapers, family
journals, city directories and sometimes books. Wherever they can be
found, the stories originate with the names and dates on the stones.
It is the dashes in between that hold the gold.
These three novels take place in the fictional town of Kiowa Wells east of the area covered in this post. All can be purchased from Amazon Amazon |
Author, Speaker, Historian-specializing in
Colorado and Women's History
Colorado and Women's History
Angela Raines - author: Where Love & History Meet
Books: Angela Raines Books
Angela Raines FaceBook: Click Here
4 comments:
Interesting, Doris. Is Bijou Street in C. Springs names after Bijou Basin? Always wondered the origin of that name. It took me forever to learn how to pronounce.
I'm not totally sure, but the streets east to west in downtown are named for rivers in Colorado, so the likelihood is pretty strong that it was named for the creeks that run through there. Doris
So much history. Always fascinating. Thanks Doris!
You are welcome, Kristy. I have to say one of my abiding passions is to find and tell the stories of the people who helped create this country we live in. Each time I visit a cemetery or read an old newspaper my mind just takes off. Doris
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