Colorado
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Mt. Tom Plane Crash of 1952
On April 8th, 1952, a B-25 bomber crashed into Mount Tom, a 9,741 foot peak 10 miles west of Golden, Colorado. The plane crashed at a speed of 200 mph, instantly killing all 11 people inside. Low hanging clouds and dense fog clung to the mountains that day. Search parties from the Lowry Air Force… Continue reading
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100 Years Ago Today: Mob Hunts Two Murderers
In March 2019, Colorado lawmakers introduced Senate Bill 19-182, which would have abolished capital punishment in the state. Just one month later, the bill was already dead, for another year anyway. But that’s only the most recent chapter in the fraught history of the death penalty in Colorado. The death penalty has been abolished and… Continue reading
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100 Years Ago Today: Woman Kills Son With Axe, Boils Body in Lye
The Soap Kettle Murders, as this double homicide was dubbed by the Montrose Daily Press, took place on December 15, 1917, at the home of Nancy Jane Bush and her son, John O. Bush, a few miles west of Olathe, CO. On that day, John Bush killed his 11-year-old son, chopped up his body, and… Continue reading
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100 Years Ago Today: Blizzards and Lizards
M. H. Loeffler was a tailor and prominent Grand Junction Elk member who was known not only for his custom suits, but also for promoting and selling the Hynes Level Measure, which was the first instrument of its kind that could measure the angle of a person’s shoulders. Anyway, he was riding the not-mentioned-by-name Rio… Continue reading
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The Hermit of North Table Mountain
It’s the 4th of July, and ominous fireworks are about to fly on J.B. Lycan’s ranch, situated 30 miles northeast of Boulder, Colorado, where 27-year-old Calvin Phillips and his new bride, 16-year-old Lulu Bainbridge, live with Phillips’ mother. Lulu’s parents are no longer happy with their teenage daughter’s marriage, especially to a much older man,… Continue reading
About Me
Local history enthusiast curious about how Colorado’s present is informed by the people and places of its past
Pick and Sledge 