One in a collection by Allen Bachoroski,
Local Historical Writer,
Tales Along the
Highway of Legends
Note: This
is one in a series of historical stories about local families
in the Trinidad region.
Click here to find out more
about how these stories were collected.
In the late 1890's Guiseppi Burrescia and his oldest son,
Nicholas, age nine, left Palazzo Adriano, Sicily for Naples
to board a ship leaving for America. They settled in Independence
where his brother Nicholas made his home. A few years
later, his wife Lucia, son Joseph, and daughter Veta,
joined him in America. One day he learned about the coal-mines
in Colorado, and the building of the rail-roads. So, he
and his family moved west to Las Animas County, in Colorado.
He first settled in Hastlngs, Colorado, where he operated
a goat-ranch, and made cheese. Soon after the "Ludlow
Mines Strike", he left Hastings and homesteaded in
south-eastern Colorado. It was thirty-five miles east
of Trinidad. The ranch was located near the New Mexico
border, where he grazed goats, cattle, and sheep, on 35,000
acres of land. The cheese was sold locally and shipped
out of state. He purchased more land, but due to the depression,
he was forced to declare bankruptcy. On West Main Street
in Trinidad, he later operated a butcher shop and also
started another goat ranch, north of the city. He was
born January 1864 in Palazzo Adriano, Sicily, and died
in January 1933.
His children were: Nicholas, Joseph, and Vita Maria. His
youngest son, Carmillo, accidentally shot himself. He
was 17 years old. He had twenty-three grand-children,
numerous great grandchildren, and many, many, great-great
grand-children. He was one of the "first"cheese
makers of Southern Colorado
(Note:
if you have Photos of this family or know of anyone that
does, please have them get in touch with us so that we
might share some photos of the family here)