People

: Charles C. Kiefer; He was born to John Kiefer and Anna Maria (Schmitt) Kiefer in Brookville, Indiana. His father was a farmer and day laborer. His mother was a homemaker. According to his daughter Agnes Kiefer, he moved to Western Colorado in 1889, when he was about 19 years old. His uncles Ben, Frank, and Joseph had moved there six years before. He worked as a prospector around Ouray, Silverton, and Lake City. He also worked for the Midland Railroad. He returned to Indiana in 1898. The 1900 US Census shows him living with his parents and siblings in Indiana and working in a grocery store. He moved to Mack, Colorado in 1902, where he filed for a homestead exemption that same year. He ran a store for the Fruita Mercantile in Mack. He ran a commissary for the Uintah Railway until 1905. In 1905, he and his brother purchased ponies from the Ute tribe on the Uintah Reservation and sold them to the Army. He came to know Chipeta, McCook (from whom he purchased the horses), and Atchee in this way. He married Mary Kopf in January of 1906. He was primarily a farmer after his marriage and ran a dairy farm. Though the family lost its house on the hill in the 1930’s during a bad year, they had land where they built a log cabin in the New Liberty area, which Charles added to each year to make a comfortable home. He retired from farming in 1945. He died in Grand Junction, Colorado at the age of eighty-two.

: Charles Clyde "Charlie" Hyer; He was born in West Virginia to John D. and Pruda Hyer, where his parents farmed and he was himself a farm laborer. US Census records show him living in the Pomona area of Mesa County, Colorado by at least 1910, when he was thirty years old. He was an orchard owner in the Second Fruitridge area of Pomona. In addition to growing fruit, he also processed apples into vinegar and cider. He would process apples from other fruit grower’s as well, in exchange for a portion of their product. He was a champion horseshoe pitcher. His wife was Mabel S. Hyer.

: Charles Delos "Buck" Waggoner; Telluride banker and embezzler. Considered by some the "Robin Hood" of Telluride during his time, Waggoner attempted a scheme to defraud New York bankers and swindle a large amount of money to the Bank of Telluride.

: Charles Duvall; He may have been the first homesteader on Glade Park, Colorado. He was a sheep rancher on Glade Park and Pinon Mesa in the early Twentieth century. He was born in North Carolina to Elijah and Rachel Duvall. Census records show them living in Fruita, Colorado with in 1900, when Charles was eighteen years old. He married Stella Jane Cosler that same year. She divorced him in 1923. They had five daugthers. In the 1920’s, he married Etta Grace (Griffith) Thompson, whose husband had passed away. According to Kenneth Thompson, Etta Thompson's son, Duvall’s first flock of angora goats were killed by cowboys in Miller Canyon. After marrying Thompson, Duvall purchased what was known as the old Skinner place. Kenneth worked as a sheepherder for Duvall for seven years, with only a couple days off during that time. Yet, somehow, Kenneth left his employment owing Duvall $100. In a tragic incident, Duvall was involved in the deaths of Elvin Thompson, the son of Etta Thompson, along with Elvin’s wife and daughter. Duvall was shot in the leg during the incident. According to Kenneth, it is believed that Duvall wanted the land that Elvin owned on Pinon Mesa. He lived for several more years.

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