Miss Elizabeth Jordan, 1907
This is a typical Rocky Mountain town
— Joe
In 1890 the West was officially “closed”. The United States had succeeded in its colonial aspirations of Manifest Destiny and settled from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The west may no longer have been “wild”, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t wily. Mining towns dotted the western landscape, as men toiled for all that glittered. In September of 1907, there were 45 states, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid were still alive (though in South America) and it would be another nine years before the last stage coach robbery occurred.
Silverton, Colorado was no exception. Home to both silver and gold mines, it’s feasible that Joe had gone west to take part in the vast industry and opportunity that the west offered. The Knickerbocker Crisis had yet to occur, and being out west probably allowed Joe to make some money in an effort to buy land. Was Joe a brother? A cousin? A lover? It’s impossible to know. Well, if not impossible, then at least difficult. What is clear, is that Silverton has not changed much from the front of the postcard.
Front of postcard, depicting Silverton, Colorado.
Silverton, Colorado in 2010, taken by By Daniel Schwen.
So, when Joe told Elizabeth that Silverton was a “typical Rocky Mountain town”, he couldn’t have known that it would become a historical landmark that preserved aspects a typical Rocky Mountain at the turn of the 20th century.
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