Tom Schweich  

1950s

Photograph assumed to be taken in Yakima, WA, in the early 1950s and late 1940s.

1950

April 27, 1950. … Some years ago the Scouts carried tiny evergreens to the canyons along North Table Mountain east of Golden and planted them … (Colorado Transcript, 84(27), April 27, 1950, p. 2).

August 7, 1958. … Golden its shark with a golden tooth. Mines students find many shark teeth under the lava cap on North Table Mountain, but have not yet found the tooth of gold … (Colorado Transcript, 93(43), August 7, 1958, p. 2).

1951

The Denver Crushed Stone company ended quarry operations on North Table Mountain. About 750,000 tons of basalt was shipped from the quarry over a 2 1/2 years. Most of the basalt was used in the construction of the Harlan County Dam, Republican City, Nebr., (Colorado Transcript 85(3), July 12 1951, pg. 4.)

July 26, 1951.

• Eighty Years Ago This Week (1881)

  The body of a man was discovered in a gulch southwest of town, evidently having been there since the previous winter. A hole in the skull pointed to murder. It was believed the man was C. M. Thornton, who hud lived in this vicinity.

• Fifty Years Ago This Week (1901)

  Black lava rock was being quarried from North Table mountain in great quantities.

1952

March 6, 1952

• Eighty Years Ago (1872)

  This Week Work was being rushed on the Bagley and West smelter.

• Seventy Years Ago (1882)

  A large number of Golden people made a geologizing trip to Green mountain, under the leadership of Professor Lakes.

  Farmers of the Clear creek valley were agitating the question of purifying the waters of Clear creek, which were polluted by mill tailings from the mountain towns. A meeting was held at Fairmount and it was agreed to meet with a delegation from Arapahoe county to outline a program of action.

• Fifty Years Ago (1902)

  This Week Golden people were rejoicing over getting night telephone service. Heretofore only day service had been available. Frank Jasper was night operator.

  The Golden Basin Oil company announced that it would begin drilling operations within a few days.

  The oil excitement near Golden was proving a bonanza for the Golden liverymen, Dennis and Cunningham, as every train brought oil scouts and promoters anxious to get to the fields as soon as possible.

  Thomas Melz was seriously injured by a fall of rock in the Blake quarries on North Table mountain.

July 10, 1952. . . . For seven years, according to the number of rattles, a snake waited on North Table mountain for Janie Shaeffer (11), Virginia Smith (11), and Arlo Smith (13) —looking for "Goldie," their horse, they ran on to this snake and put an end to it—congratulations. . . . (Colorado Transcript, 86(38), July 10, 1952, p. 1).

October 30, 1952 Karl August Rohwer, 8-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. R. D. Rohwer of 823 Ninth St., Golden, was killed instantly Saturday afternoon, when he fell down a sheer 80-ft. precipice on the southeast side of North Table mountain. Karl, and his brother, Douglas, 11, a friend, Mike McMechan also of Golden, and Mrs. S. A. Rohwer of Arlington, Va., grandmother of the Rohwer children, were on a hiking expedition on the mountainside hunting for hawkes nests. None of the other members of the group saw the boy fall to his death. A dog belonging to the Rohwers caught the attention of Mrs. Rohwer by whining and holding back. The dog led her to the precipice and she saw the boy's body eighty feet below. … It required over an hour and a half by a six-man searching party to reach the body. Deputies Harry Gilbert and Jim Mitchell of the Sheriff’s office said the cliff over which the boy fell was so sheer that he had no chance at all to try to catch himself. … Interment was in Mount Olivet (Colorado Transcript, __(__), October 30, 1952, pg.__).

1953

December 24, 1953. Study Of Explosives. In connection with the study of explosives for the Reynolds Metals Company, facilities have been installed on North Table Mountain through cooperation with Mr. F. A. “Heinie” Foss (Colorado Transcript, __(__), December 24, 1953, pg.__).

1954

Fifty Years Ago (1904). ... John Livingstone, student at Golden High school, was seriously injured when a section of rock fell on him at the Tramway quarries on north table mountain … (Colorado Transcript, 88(24), April 1, 1954, p. 8).

1955

There was one summer vacation at Lake Arrowhead when I broke my arm falling off the high bar. I was unable to attend Boy Scout Summer Camp that summer because of my broken arm. However, later that summer, I went with Kevin Klages and his dad to Yosemite. Since I was in the Boy Scouts, I would have had to be 11 years old. So the earliest it could have been was 1956. But it looks like we vacationed in Big Bear in 1956 without the Shaws. Something is not adding up here.

Tioga Pass Buried in 50 Ft. of Debris

Lee Vining (Mono County). July 23 -- The historic Tioga Lodge on the edge of Mono Lake near here lost five buildings when cloudbursts swept along a torrent of rocks and debris that also blocked a five-mile stretch of the Tioga Pass Highway 12 miles away.

The famed highway, “back door” entrance to Yosemite National Park, lay buried for long stretches under 50 feet of earth and boulders.

State highway crews, most of whose power equipment is employed in battling snow in the wintertime, attacked the blockage on Highway 395 in the Tioga Lodge area first, clearing that today. They estimated it would take two to three weeks of work in the pass road.

No injuries were reported from the two cloudbursts which hit Thursday and yesterday. But Deputy Sheriff Loren O"Dell said scores of campers were marooned for a time along the Tioga Pass. However, most of them were reached by Yosemite Park rangers and brought to shelter today.

At the resort on Mono Lake a 400-foot fan-shaped mud “peninsula” bore entire cabins, seven private cars, a highway truck, a small hydroelectric plant, a roadside service station, and the effects of many vacationers.

For three and one-half hours yesterday, a 20-foot wall of water boiled down Andy Thompson Creek for two miles, descending 3,500 feet on its way to Mono Lake.

Everything in the raging torrent's path -- house-sized boulders, and eventually houses, tree, and cars were swept into the lake with it.

Authorities view the carnage and said it was a miracle that no one has been reported killed or injured.

This little mountain community was hit by similar cloudbursts and their after-effects 13 years ago but old settlers said none of the torrents of past years ever wreaked so much havoc.

One eight-room building at the Lodge, a structure 108 feet by 40 feet, was snapped into matchwood fragments in 20 minutes, tumbling over and over as the water roared over, under, and through it.

Some 21 linemen of the California Electric Power Company were cut off in their work camp on the Tioga Pass, but they said their supply of food was plentiful. A temporary road was being buldozed to reach them.

1956

The fire department was called to North Table Mountain where the roof of a rock house was afire (Colorado Transcript, 90(27), April 19, 1956, pg. 5).

Robert Cito, 14, was released Monday from St Anthony’s hospital, where he received treatment for injuries incurred when he was knocked off North Table mountain last week by a bolt of lightning. In a 15 foot fall Robert’s collar bone was broken and he was cut and bruised. He was climbing North Table mountain with four others when the accident happened. All the boys suffered shock and the Golden Fire department was called out to rescue Robert (Colorado Transcript, 90(47), September 6, 1956, pg. 6)

(left to right): Bob Shaw, Paul R. Schweich, Martha Schweich, Merrilee Shaw, Irma Schweich, Sydney Gale Shaw.

1957

April 18, 1957. Robert Vincent, 15-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Vincent of 421 Plateau Parkway, Golden, suffered a shot from a .22 rifle in his left leg just below the knee, Saturday. Golden police officials said the shot was fired from the gun of Thomas Pike, 16, of Denver, who said he didn’t realize the gun was loaded. … Robert Vincent and Thomas Pike had been target practicing on North Table mountain and were coming down the mountain when the accident occurred (Colorado Transcript, __(__), April 18, 1957, pg. __).

Camp-O-Ree at Jubilee Scout Ranch

My first camping trip as a new Boy Scout was at Jubilee Scout Ranch. This was probably in Spring 1956. There were four of us crammed into a thin-fabric orange tent. I was on the outside. We slept on the cobbles of the wash. The first night I was terrified of having to go to bed. The second night I was exhausted and relieved when I could lay down.

My troop went to Jubilee Scout Ranch once or twice a year. But after the first time, we always camped on the mesa above the wash.

Armed Forces Day, Saturday May 18th

Mount Gleason Nike Site

Picnic dinner at Guffy Camp.

Boy Scout Summer Camp at Yosemite National Park in August 1957

It looks like we hiked to the top of Vernal Fall, if not higher, and hiked to Glacier Point, and chased a bear into the Merced River.

Summer vacation in San Diego.

November 21, 1957. ... The sheriff's office was swamped with calls Tuesday afternoon from folks inquiring about the explosion they heard—the explosion occurred on North Table Mountain where the Frederick Roth Construction company purposely set off a charge of dynamite to loosen rock which will be used at the new Air Force Academy north of Colorado Springs .... (Colorado Transcript, 92(6), November 21, 1957, p. 1).

1958

July 31, 1958. … North Table Mountain burned to the edge of the rimrock -- a second alarm was sounded to get more men to fight the fire and the Prospect Valley fire truck responsed to the call for assistance from the Golden firemen … (Colorado Transcript 92(42) July 31, 1958, p. 1)

1959

January 1959

Clarence Bryant's letter to the editor of the Colorado Transcript describing his trip to North Table Mountain (Colorado Transcript, __(__), August 13, 1959, pg. __).