Starkville, CO
This topic was created to provide a link to the "History of Las Animas County" topic.
If you have additional history, Website links, or images to add you are invited to reply. Otherwise please DO NOT reply. Thank you.
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Portions of 1951 topographical map of Starkville, and immediate area above.
Coal mines listed in the above topo are; Jeffryes (two mines), Henderson, Leone, McLaughlin, Moore, Starkville, Starkville No. 1, & Stevens. The main Starkville mine complex near the washery, tipple, and coke ovens, consisted of at least 5 separate mines east of the North Starkville School.
Information on Starkville
Starkville, first called San Pedro in 1879, on A.T. & S.F. R.R. on Raton Creek about 5 miles south of Trinidad; also listed as St. Thomas which was 2 miles northwest of Starkville (source: Haley, 1963)
The town site of Starkville was named for Albert G. Stark who opened one of the first coal mines in the region around Trinidad.
In the census of 1890 the population of Starkville was approximately 930. By 1900, North Starkville, and South Starkville had a combined population of over 1,500 people. But, by 1910 the population started to rapidly decline.
As of the census of 2000, the population of Starkville was 128.
Information on Starkville Mines
The above image is of a stock certificate issued on May 13th, 1879
by the Trinidad Coal and Mining Company,
signed by A. G. Stark.
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Greg Lewicki and Associates (Lewicki) conducted an inventory of coal mines and related features in the Colorado portion of the Raton Basin. The Lewicki 2001 Raton Basin Mine Inventory.
Lewicki's collection includes historic mine maps of the Starkville area before Colorado became a State in 1876
Gas explosions occurred frequently in the mines during the most active mining period from 1890 to 1940.
Henderson Mine..........J. E. McLaughlin, Lessee, 1917-1921
Jeffryes Mine(new)......R. and G. Fuel Co., 1937-1946
Leone Mine...............L. Leone 1917-1922
McLaughlin Mines
#4, 5 and 6.............No operator given, 1912-1916
Moore Mine..............Azar Coal Co., 1917-1919
Starkville Mine (new)....Starkville Coal co., 1935-1943
Starkville Mine (old)....CF and I 1884-1921
Starkville Mine #3......Nick Cimino, 1942-1952
Starkville Mine #4......A Iuppa and Son Coal Co., 1946-1968
Starkville Mine #5......Sam Gonzales, 1946-1952
Starkville Mine #6......Sam Gonzales, 1950-1951
Starkville Mine #7......Dimarco, L and Alverado, L, 1951-1963
Stevens Mine............JJ Abercrombie, 1904-1910
General Mining Practices and Types of Mine Openings
"Initially, mining was done by pick and shovel along the easiest outcroppings in the tallest coal seams. Most of this mining was based along the foothill outcrops from Starkville to Walsenburg. In the 1880's and 1890's, augering the coal with a mechanical drill, loading charges in the holes, blasting and loading the coal into small wooden railcars was employed. Many of these railcars dot the front lawns of residents in Trinidad and Walsenburg. Each of these railcars held from 1-3 tons. The railcars were initially brought to the surface on a small track through a drift tunnel or slight incline. The coal usually entered a tipple and at times, hand pickers were employed to pick out rock from the coal. Since the coal in the region is well known for making good coke, many sites had brick beehive coke ovens that usually existed along a rail line next to the mine."
Most of the medium and small mines loaded their coal or coke on narrow gage trains and at times standard gage railcars for transport to the CF&I steel mill, smelters in Denver, blacksmith shops, etc. Old maps show that these rail lines entered almost every canyon in the area. Some coal was used locally for heating. In the late 1800's and early 1900's people traveled from as far as Kansas to load a wagon with coal from the Trinidad area for winter heating."
Link to Google Book file of Greg Lewicki's information above;
http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=...UXUkNrvOX1EA5Q
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The Starkville mine structures consisted of a tipple, scales, washery, coal storage bins, steam plant, stables, and 190 "beehive" coke ovens.
"Beehive coke ovens at Starkville, four miles south of Trinidad, ca. 1900. Built by a subsidiary of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad in the 1870s, the Starkville ovens were operated by CF&I under lease from 1896 to 1918. The ovens shown here have been charged with coal from the mule-drawn larry car, the doors have been sealed, and the coking process has begun. Coke is piled on the platform, awaiting shipment."(Caption for the CF&I illustration preceding page 101, in ref. 3)
Links for Starkville
"Principle competition for the Southern Colorado Town and Coal Company was AT&SF's Trinidad Coal and Coke subsidiary. In 1878 this company opened its Starkville mine to supply coal for the AT&SF locomotives."
(The below link is broken. - RR-Guy - 10/6/12)
http://www.sangres.com/history/coalhistory02.htm
"October 8, 1910, Starkville Mine, Las Animas Co., Colorado Fuel and Iron Co., explosion of dust caused by arc from runaway trip, 56 killed."
http://www.usmra.com/barrick/colorado.htm
Starkville Mine Disaster of October 8, 1910 as written by Karen Mitchel.
(This link lists the fatalities.)
(Paragraph 1, the news item from the Telluride Daily Journal – October 10, 1910, and paragraph 5, the news item from the Fairplay Flume – October 14, 1910, tell of the CF&I's Starkville mine and CF&I's Engleville mine being connected at one time but sealed with a cement wall. During the Starkville mine disaster the cement wall was apparently removed enough to draw the dusty air from the Starkville mine. - RR-Guy.)
http://www.kmitch.com/Huerfano/starkville.html
Denver Library Online Images of Starkville
"Panoramic view of the mining community of Starkville, Colorado in Las Animas County. Shows the main road through town, a mill, and the tracks of the Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad." Date - [1900?] (DPL call number is Z-220.)
http://cdm16079.contentdm.oclc.org/c...id/13274/rec/1
(NOTE: Magnify the image of the above DPL call number Z-220. The photo is by Almeron Newman taken during the October 1910 Starkville mine disaster. The make-shift morgue in a machine shop is marked with an "X". - RR-Guy)
"View of adobe and frame buildings in the coal mining camp of Starkville (Las Animas County), Colorado. Adobe and frame houses have timber rafters (vigas) and dirt roofs. People stand near buildings."
Date - [between 1896 and 1915?] - Aultman Studio. (DPL call number is CHS.X4855.)
http://cdm16079.contentdm.oclc.org/c...id/11374/rec/1
"View of a residential area in the coal mining camp of Starkville, owned and operated by the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company, near Trinidad, (Las Animas County), Colorado. Shows ramshackle houses constructed from wood boards, outdoor ovens (horno), fences, a privy (outhouse), and outbuildings." Date - [between 1896 and 1928?] - Aultman Studio. (DPL call number is CHS.A863.)
http://cdm16079.contentdm.oclc.org/c.../id/6824/rec/3
"View of an adobe building in the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company coal camp of Starkville, (Las Animas County), Colorado. The structure has a flat roof and exposed vigas. A fence made of sticks extends from the side of the house. Wheel ruts mark the dirt road that curves around another house nearby. Fisher's Peak is in the distance."
Date - [between 1896 and 1910?] (DPL call number is CHS.X4313.)
http://cdm16079.contentdm.oclc.org/c.../id/9656/rec/1
"A group of men and boys stand near a two story frame clapboard building in the mining camp of Starkville (Las Animas County), Colorado. A man, probably of Hispanic heritage, stands near a sack of flour. Other sacks are stacked nearby. A dog sits on the porch near a young man who stands with his hand on his hip." Date - [between 1890 and 1910?] (DPL call number is CHS.X4315.)
http://cdm16079.contentdm.oclc.org/c.../id/9658/rec/1
"View of a church in the Colorado Fuel & Iron Company coal camp, Starkville (Las Animas County), Colorado. The church is a frame structure with a round stained glass window over the arched doorway. The steeple is decorated with fish scale shingles and is topped with a cross. The church is enclosed by a low picket fence. A domestic structure and sheds are in the distance."
Date - [between 1896 and 1922?] (DPL call number is CHS.X5006.)
http://cdm16079.contentdm.oclc.org/c...id/10896/rec/1
"Two men stand on the platform of the Starkville train depot in Las Animas County, Colorado. The Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe station is a wood structure with a projecting bay, and is located in the Colorado Fuel and Iron Company coal camp of Starkville. A sign reading: "Starkville, Santa Fe," hangs on the building. Businesses with false fronts line the street in the distance. A sign on a bar reads:"Frank Babbera Saloon." " Date - [between 1896 and 1910?] (DPL call number is CHS.X4314.)
http://cdm16079.contentdm.oclc.org/c.../id/9657/rec/1
"View of the Starkville coal mine (Las Animas County), Colorado. Mine railroad tracks connect the shafthouse and processing plants. Smoke rises from the nearby smokestacks." Date [between 1890 and 1910?] (DPL call number is CHS.A692.)
(This image is incorrectly described on the Denver Library's website as being Tabasco. A correct description is provided above. The photo was taken looking towards Trinidad. - RR-Guy)
http://cdm16079.contentdm.oclc.org/c.../id/5972/rec/2
"View of a tipple and coal processing buildings in an unidentified coal camp probably in Las Animas County, Colorado. A pipe leads into one of the large buildings. Men stand on the raised narrow gauge tracks." Date [between 1890 and 1930?] (DPL call number is CHS.X4883.)
(This image is described on the Denver Library's website as being a coal camp in Las Animas County. This is the Starkville mine looking southwest. - RR-Guy)
http://cdm16079.contentdm.oclc.org/c.../id/9991/rec/1
"Men sit and pose on a coal tram near a coal processing plant in probably Las Animas County, Colorado. Shows railroad tracks, tailings piles, a power house with smokestacks and a washer building." Date [between 1895 and 1910?] (DPL call number is CHS.X4857.)
(This image is described on the Denver Library's website only as being a coal tram in Las Animas County. This is a coal tram at the Starkville mine looking south. - RR-Guy)
http://cdm16079.contentdm.oclc.org/c...id/11383/rec/1
"Men wear hats and work clothes and sit on a coal tram in probably Las Animas County, Colorado. Shows cable above tram cars filled with coal." Date [between 1895 and 1915?] (DPL call number is CHS.X4847.)
(This image is described on the Denver Library's website as being a coal tram in Las Animas County. This is a coal tram at the Starkville mine. This appears to be the same date, and location of the above image CHS.X4857 - RR-Guy)
http://cdm16079.contentdm.oclc.org/c...id/11370/rec/1
"Men are beside coal cars on a tram in probably Las Animas County, Colorado. Shows cable lines and telltales above the tracks." Date [between 1895 and 1915?] (DPL call number is CHS.X4839.)
(This image is described on the Denver Library's website only as being a coal tram in Las Animas County. This is a coal tram at the Starkville mine. This appears to be the same date, and location of the above image CHS.X4857 - RR-Guy)
http://cdm16079.contentdm.oclc.org/c...id/11363/rec/1
"Miner playing dead", Otis Aultman.
"A miner is on the ground near a train of loaded mine railroad cars at a mine probably near Sopris (Las Animas County), Colorado. A group of men stand in the distance." Date [between 1901 and 1920?] Creator Aultman, Otis A., 1874-1943. (DPL call number is CHS.A796.)
(This image is described on the Denver Library's website only as being a coal mine near Sopris in Las Animas County. This is a coal tram at the Starkville mine, probably during mine rescue drill. This appears to be the same date, and location of the above image CHS.X4857 - RR-Guy)
http://cdm16079.contentdm.oclc.org/c.../id/6080/rec/2
"Men stand beside a coal tram and railroad tracks in probably Las Animas County, Colorado. Miners wear headlamps and caps. Shows cable above coal cars and a tunnel entrance." Date [between 1895 and 1915?] (DPL call number is CHS.X4845.)
(This image is described on the Denver Library's website only as being a coal tram in Las Animas County. This is a coal tram at the Starkville mine. This appears to be the same date, and location of the above image CHS.X4857 - RR-Guy)
http://cdm16079.contentdm.oclc.org/c...id/11374/rec/1
Smithsonian Institution Research Information System (SIRIS) Online Images of Starkville
"Pulling the ovens, making coke", Starkville. Date 1904.
http://sirismm.si.edu/underwood/00962.jpg
"Close-up of workman at outdoor coke oven". Date 1904.
http://sirismm.si.edu/underwood/00963.jpg
"Workman at outdoor coke oven". Date 1904
http://sirismm.si.edu/underwood/00964.jpg
"Railroad car at coal mine". Date 1904.
http://sirismm.si.edu/underwood/00966.jpg
"Workman at outdoor coke oven". Date 1904.
http://sirismm.si.edu/underwood/00965.jpg
"Digging coal half mile underground (vein 4 ft. thick)", Starkville. Date 1904
http://sirismm.si.edu/underwood/06015.jpg
"Coming out of a soft coal mine", Starkville. Date 1904.
http://sirismm.si.edu/underwood/06014.jpg
"Pulling the ovens, making coke", Starkville. Date 1904.
http://sirismm.si.edu/underwood/06017.jpg
"Making coke--filling the ovens and taking out the product", Starkville. Date 1904.
http://sirismm.si.edu/underwood/00961.jpg
"Making coke--filling the ovens and taking out the product", Starkville. Date 1904.
http://sirismm.si.edu/underwood/06016.jpg
Link to detailed list of the above 10 SIRIS images.
http://tinyurl.com/229b7u
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Reflections of Starkville
by TrinidadCo Forum Member Redneck
"So many thanks for carrying me back 70+ years." - Redneck
Starkville was quite a village, we had three sections, San Pedro, Central, and Escondea(sp?). Each section had their own school. Most of the above writing was before my time, but many of the homes where the same way in the late 40's, one home sure look like one of relative's home with the outside adobe oven. I recall the firing and getting it heated up prior to placing the dough in it. The best bread ever made.
I recall the church, believe a flood washed it away, and behind it was a big slack pile. During the war we dug iron around the slack pile to help win the war. Also recall all the trips up Fisher's Peak.
The only thing that was left of the mine was the slack pile and frame work of the old buildings. You could tell the entrance to the mine and mine cart railing.
The main road laid several hundred feet from the slack pile. There were three railroad crossings, one in San pedro the other was in Escondea, to get to the one in Central you had to use one or the other to get to the one in Central and it was right in front of Ed's Bar.
A road travel behind Ed's that led to the grave yard. I believe that the picture showing was taken from that hill top. The crossing at the Escondea led to Sopris.
Across the railroad crossing from Ed's was a large barn or rather building where stage coaches and buggies were stored, we enjoyed and had fun looking at them, at present can't recall the owners name.
In the image that shows the railroad station, the store in the background was Waldron's grocery store and a few house down from that was the Welch's resident, Tano, I believe taught in T'dad H.S.
Will just say, "Sorry", just not a good writer, as would like to paint a picture of the beauty I saw in my childhood in Las Animas County, from Stonewall to Morley.
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Additional Images of Starkville
1950's view of Gateway Motel.
Link to the above photo of Ed's Tavern & additional history.
http://www.trinidadco.com/forum/show...to-the-website
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Railroad History of Starkville
Dick Wootton's toll road on Raton Pass lasted until 1878, and the coming of the Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Railway.
In 1878 Santa Fe Railway's Chief Engineer, AA. Robinson was ordered to occupy, and hold Raton Pass for the Santa Fe Railway, as the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad was also interested in thearea to obtain the right-of-way and lay tracks for a future route to New Mexico and Texas.
Additionally, W.R. "Ray" Morley accompanied Robinson when Raton Pass was surveyed in 1877, and was also present when the pass was "seized" by the Santa Fe Railway.
Construction of the Santa Fe Railway's Raton Pass Route was started on May 16, 1978. Tracks over Raton Pass were completed on September 1, 1879.
Starkville was first listed as a Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe Railway station in 1881.
The train depot at Starkville was a small wooden structure with a bay window facing the tracks. The depot remained until 1929 when it was no longer required to perform it's designed function, that of train control over the pass. Subsequently a more automated system of train control was devised, and instituted.
The original tunnel was dug through the mountain in 1879, through the years the Santa Fe Railway Raton Pass Route was "double-tracked" and a second tunnel was dug through the mountain.
The use of the original tunnel was dis-continued in 1949, and the tunnel plugged in 1953. The second set of tracks have also been removed. But, there are certain areas on the pass today where the tracks are still doubled.
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References:
(1.) Santa Fe's Raton Pass by Jared Harper
(2.) Coal People, by Rick J. Clyne, 120 pages.
(3.) Mill & Mine: The CF&I in the Twentieth Century. by H. Lee Scamehorn
(4.) Internet resources.
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Originally Posted by Trinidadson
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