Colorado Life - Sept/Oct 2014

Denver Mint tOUr • riDgway’s Beer BarOn • Chief OUray

SnowShoeing winter aDventUre

N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4 • $ 5. 9 5CO LO R A D O L I F E M AG A Z I N E . CO M

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LaNdScapeSHIGH-AltItudeHoliday Baking

pg. 30

pg. 34

pg. 12

$5.9

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COLORADOLIFEMAGAZINE.COM • 11

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20 • COLORADO LIFE • NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014

IF twO RIVAL gangs of jackham-mers were to wander into a casino and have a contest to see who

could jackhammer the loudest, the resulting din would approximate the aural experience of being on the production floor of the Denver Mint. There’s the clatter and roar of heavy machinery, but it’s com-plemented by what sounds like slot machines unleashing a never-ending jackpot as freshly struck coins spew from the presses.

The Denver Mint produced nearly 5.8 billion circulating coins last year, and as mindboggling as that figure is, the amount is a little less than half of the total 11.9 billion the United States minted last year. The Philadel-phia Mint produced the rest of the circulating coins. Neither mint makes paper money, which is done by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.

To the average person, seeing giant bags of pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters stacked in bags weighing more than a ton each is astounding. For the 350 people who work at the Denver Mint downtown, going to work is just another day at the office.

“When I first came here, I thought I was going to Scrooge McDuck this thing,” said mint employee Eric Faler, referring to Uncle Scrooge’s hobby of swimming through piles of money. After four years on the job, Faler has a more prosaic view of the Denver Mint. Rather than seeing the mint as a giant money bin, he

sees it as a factory that produces a prod-uct – and it just so happens the product is

U.S. coinage. Although Faler said he’s “done with casinos,”

as the jingle of falling coins has lost its magical appeal, he’s by no means jaded about his job. The pride

he feels in his work is akin to the pride he felt during his three years as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne. This is the feeling you get from being a member of an exclusive group, Faler said. He helps manufacture the dies that stamp images into coins, a job that’s one of the rarest and most specialized in the world.

As MAgNIFICENt As the Denver Mint’s stone edifice is, it blends into the scenery at the corner of Colfax Avenue and Cher-okee Street. The similar-looking Denver City and County Build-ing across the street is taller, completely obscuring the mint when

story by MATT MASICH photographs by JOSHUA HARDIN

Behind the scenes with the money makersMint

Denverthe

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THE DENVER MINT • 25

Denver

Colorado Springs

Matt Masich

MUSEUMSMoneyThe Denver MinT’s public tour is a fascinating experience. The one drawback? Visitors must reserve their tours far in advance. Fortunately, Colorado has two locations – each called the Money Museum, though they’re unrelated – for folks to learn more about money while they’re waiting for their tour date at the mint.

The American Numismatic Association’s Money Museum (818 N Cascade Ave., Colorado Springs; (719) 632-2646) has one of the most complete sets of American gold coins, but its most popular artifact might be the $2.5 million nickel thought to be made by a rogue employee of the Philadelphia Mint a century ago.

In 1913, the nation switched nickel designs from the Liberty Head nickel to the Buffalo nickel. According to the Philadelphia Mint’s records, no Liberty Head nickels were made that year, but in 1920, former mint employee Samuel Brown announced he was in possession of five 1913 Liberty Head nickels. Many suspect he secretly made the nickels, knowing that rare and error coins can be worth a fortune. Indeed, the nickels have become some of the

most coveted coins in the world, with one of the finer specimens fetching $5 million at auction.

The other Money Museum (1020 16th St., Denver; (303) 572-2300) is operated by the Denver branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, which distributes coins and paper money to financial institutions all across Colorado and four neighbor-ing states. You can walk into the museum any weekday, but for a guided tour – which includes the cash processing area – you have to register two weeks ahead.

Among other things, the exhibits teach visitors how to spot counterfeit bills and allow children to try their hand at redesign-ing U.S. currency. Oh, and there’s also a 6-by-8-foot display case stacked to the top with $30 mil-lion in $100 bills. As if that weren’t cool enough, visitors get a bag filled with $165 of shredded bills as a souvenir.

ThE

Jay Beeton, former director at the American Numismatic Association’s Money Museum in Colorado Springs, with a vintage coining press.

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Stalking through the night sky over the peaks of the Gore Range is the

constellation Orion, the hunter, with three aligned stars forming his belt and the red giant

Betelgeuse marking one of his shoulders. Sirius, his faithful dog, is the bright star at left.

photo by Daniel mcvey

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COLORADO WINTER NIGHTS • 39


A LONELY STRUGGLE • 45

ChIpETA wAS OVERjOYED to see her husband, Ouray, chief of the Uncompahgre Utes, back home

in Colorado. Ouray had many stories to tell about his time in Washington, D.C., where he met President Abraham Lincoln, and he showed Chipeta the silver-tipped, ebony cane the president gave him.

But Chipeta’s feelings were hurt when Ouray donned the fine, black suit and silk shirt he had been given on the trip to better fit in with white society in the East. She had spent countless days making a traditional Ute outfit for him to wear to his meeting with Lincoln – a shirt, leggings and moc-casins resplendent with intricate beadwork. Why had he not worn that?

Ouray reassured her. He might have worn the white men’s clothing during his month in the nation’s capital, but for his most important meeting, the one with Lincoln, he wore the Ute garb his wife had so lovingly made for him.

Lincoln hadn’t spent a lot of time with Ouray and the other members of the Ute delegation. It was 1863, and the Civil War was raging – the pivotal Battle of Gettys-burg would be fought in just a few months. Ouray told his wife the president seemed troubled by matters other than brokering

peace between the Utes and the white set-tlers who were pouring into their land. Lin-coln had, however, taken the time to bestow on the 30-year-old Ouray an impressive title, “Head Chief of the Confederated Ute Nation of Colorado.”

It mattered little to white leaders that there was no such thing as a Confederated Ute Nation; the Ute people were united by a common language, but otherwise lived in separate bands with their own chiefs. Ouray was in the awkward situation of negotiating on behalf of all Utes, including Southern Utes who wanted nothing to do with nego-tiations. He was ready to face the impossible task of preventing bloodshed between his people and the whites, standing between those on both sides who wanted war.

OURAY hAD SEEMINGLY conflicting repu-tations: He was known as a fearless warrior, but he also was the Utes’ foremost peace-maker. His unique upbringing might ex-plain why he was able to understand many different cultures, as well as his belief that fighting the U.S. government would bring disaster to his people.

He was born in 1833 near Taos, New Mexico, on a night when brilliant meteor showers set the skies alight. The celestial

event boded good fortune and suggested his name, Ouray, the Ute word for “arrow.” His father was a Jicarilla Apache and his mother was an Uncompahgre Ute, and Ouray was fluent in both of their native tongues. Thanks to his education by Span-ish friars, Ouray also could speak Spanish and some English.

As a teenager, he witnessed the power of the American military during the bru-tal suppression of the Taos Rebellion dur-ing the Mexican War. After the U.S. Army captured New Mexico, Mexican citizens and their Indian allies revolted and killed the newly installed Anglo governor in Taos. The Americans dealt severe retribu-tion, shooting or summarily hanging hun-dreds of rebels. When a group of rebels sought sanctuary in a church, U.S. forces used cannons to blow the building apart. If the Utes were to take up arms against the United States, Ouray feared his people would meet a similar fate.

OURAY RETURNED TO Colorado from Washington in the summer of 1863, and there were to be further treaty talks that fall at Conejos in south-central Colorado. Be-fore he and other Uncompahgres attended, they left behind their usual territory in the

by RON SOODALTER & MATT MASICH

Chief Ouray staved off war between Utes and whites

A Lonely

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COLORADO WINTER NIGHTS • 35

Star archIn the wee hours of the morning after

a heavy snowfall, photographer Glenn

Randall traveled on snowshoes to this

vantage above Nymph Lake in Rocky

Mountain National Park to find the

Milky Way arching over Longs Peak,

complemented by the glow of city lights

along Colorado’s northern Front Range.

photo by Glenn Randall

The state’s beauty sparkles under a blanket of snow and canopy of stars

WINTER NIGHTS


A LONELY STRUGGLE • 47

Joshua Hardin

Ouray’s peacemaking efforts are commemorated in a stained-glass window at the state Capitol.

that no unauthorized whites were to “ever be permitted to pass over, settle upon, or reside in” the Ute lands. Whites blatantly ignored the terms of the treaty. Worse yet, when the miners’ representatives pressured Washington to take the ore-rich San Juan Mountains away from the Utes, the Indian Bureau gave in.

In 1873, government officials again prom-ised the Utes money, this time in exchange for the San Juan Mountains. Ouray com-plained – to no avail – that the terms of the previous treaty had been ignored. Cruelly, Ouray was lured back to the negotiating table with yet another false promise. He was told his long lost son, Paron, had been found after 10 years and was being raised by the Arapahos, and that if he traveled to Washington, the boy would be handed over. Ouray was bitterly disappointed when the teenager he was presented with was not his son.

In Washington, the Utes met with Presi-dent Ulysses S. Grant. Ouray agreed to an-other treaty, ceding 4 million acres of the San Juan Mountains to the government for an annual tribal payment of $25,000. The Utes believed they were granting the use, not ownership, of the mountains. “The whites can go and take the gold and come out again,” Ouray said. “We do not want them to build houses here.” As far as the whites were concerned, they now owned the mountains.

OURAY wAS INVALUABLE to getting these treaties signed and preserving the peace, and the government showed its thanks by awarding him an annual salary of $1,000, an adobe house and 160-acre farm near pres-ent-day Montrose. The government even helped furnish the 20-by-40-foot adobe house for Ouray and Chipeta, with window shades, kerosene lamps, oak furniture, an iron stove and brass bed.

Ouray wore his everyday buckskins around the farm, elegant fringed and beaded outfits when posing for photo-graphs and, to impress the whites, a black Prince Albert coat with derby hat and gold pocket watch for formal events. Chipeta played the guitar for guests. With his large salary and comfortable lifestyle, Ouray was held up to the outside world, and to other Utes, as a “civilized” Indian.

Many Utes hated Ouray for his friendli-ness with the whites and his presumption in dealing away their land – and some tried to kill him for it. Though renowned as a peace-maker, Ouray was a deadly man to cross.

Ouray got word that a Ute named Hot Stuff was traveling to his adobe ranch to kill him. Late one afternoon, Chipeta spot-ted the assassin riding through the brush toward the house. She alerted her husband, who got his rifle and shot his would-be killer through the neck as soon as he came within range. Four other Utes met a similar fate when trying to kill Ouray.

One of the assassination attempts came at the hands of Chipeta’s own brother and Ouray’s second-in-command, Sapovanero. He and his co-conspirators hid in a black-smith’s shop when Ouray came in to get his horse shod. The blacksmith alerted Ouray

to the danger just in time, and he was able to jump behind a wooden post a split sec-ond before Sapovanero’s axe came crashing down, inches from his head. The next blow from the axe struck the post, breaking the handle and rendering the attacker defense-less. Ouray threw his brother-in-law into a nearby ditch and reached for his knife, but Chipeta yanked the weapon away and pleaded for mercy. Incredibly, she persuad-ed the two men to talk out their differences, and Sapovanero eventually regained his po-sition as a trusted ally.

FOR A FEw YEARS following the 1873 treaty, the Utes lived peacefully on the lands allotted them, hunting as they always had. Ouray’s peace strategy seemed to be work-ing. But in 1879, the war he had spent his life staving off finally broke out.

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Telluride is a regular destination for some of the biggest stars in show business, but when December comes around, the town draws one of the few people on earth whose fame eclipses the likes of Brad Pitt and Oprah Winfrey. We’re talking about Santa Claus, who makes time for photo ops on Noel Night in downtown Telluride on Wednesday, Dec. 3.

That’s just the start of the town’s Holi-day Prelude, which fills the weeks leading up to Christmas with a host of activities. The historic mining town, which evolved from a hangout for Old West desperadoes into Colorado’s most festival-filled town, becomes a quintessential winter wonder-land with lights strung across its Victorian main street, set against the beautiful back-drop of the surrounding San Juan Moun-tain peaks.

Telluride is unusual in that there are no chain stores – all of its shops are independently owned and operated. These homespun merchants present Noel Night, encouraging shoppers to buy local during the holiday season by featuring large discounts at many par-ticipating stores.

The shopkeepers create a festive atmo-

sphere with culinary creations and liba-tions for their jolly customers.

The Telluride Arts Holiday Bazaar begins with a kickoff party Friday, Dec. 5. Founded in 1983, the bazaar features the work of more than 40 regional art-ists. It showcases locally made arts, fine crafts and artisanal foods made in the Telluride area.

There are lots of evergreen trees in and around town, but Telluride’s tree-lighting ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 6, in Elks Park doesn’t use a traditional tannen-baum. The Telluride Ski Tree, created by local artists last year, is a Christmas tree made from old skis that locals donated to-ward the cause.

The Old-Fashioned Christmas at Schmid Ranch is on Sunday, Dec. 7. The Telluride Historical Museum presents horse-drawn carriage rides, wreath mak-ing, Christmas tree cutting, cowboy coffee and hot chocolate – not to mention an-other opportunity to meet Santa.

The Holiday Prelude’s slate of festivi-ties continues in Telluride through Dec. 14, with arts and crafts, outdoor ice-skat-ing parties, live music and more. (888) 605-2578.

hOLIDAy pRELuDE December 3-14 • Telluride

Telluride’s locally owned and operated shops offer special discounts on Noel Night, kicking off the town’s Holiday Prelude festivities.

Front Range

FiRst NightDecember 31 • Fort CollinsDowntown Fort Collins overflows with live entertainment and fun for all ages in a non-alcoholic celebration to welcome the New Year. Purchase of a First Night button gets revelers into the full lineup of performances, including live music, comedy, theater and magicians. For little ones who can’t stay up until midnight, there’s the Kids’ Countdown at 5 p.m. (970) 484-6500.

Northwest

Rim Rock maRathoNNovember 1 • Grand JunctionThis 26.2-mile race from Grand Junc-tion to neighboring Fruita traverses some of Colorado’s most spectacular landscapes. The course starts on the road to the east entrance of Colorado National Monument and continues 23 miles along breathtaking Rim Rock Drive before descending to the monu-ment’s west entrance. Along the way, runners are treated to views of tower-ing monoliths, vast plateaus and canyon panoramas. (970) 248-1469.

Brett Schreckengost

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beer. He was outvoted, and to keep their friendship together he sold out his share of the restaurant chain.

A lifetime outdoors lover, he became a park ranger. The beer kept calling him back, so in 2003 he opened a brewery in Palisade. The Western Slope town had more than a dozen wineries, so why not a brewery? It would be a package brewery, not a brewpub.

It took two years for the strict produc-tion schedules and constantly identical recipes to burn him out again, and he sold out in 2005. He vowed to be done with brewing. He and his wife, Sandy, moved to Ridgway, which stood out in his child-hood memory for its scenic beauty. He went back to work as a park ranger. When he arrested a park visitor for driving drunk, the irony of a beer brewer making the arrest was not lost on him.

He and Sandy took a hiking vacation

to Scotland, where they found them-selves in a small pub in the highlands that brewed cask-conditioned ale. It was cool and wet outside and warm and inviting inside. Maybe his little mountain town in Colorado could use something similar?

Hennessy opened Colorado Boy in 2008. When he later opened an associated pizzeria in Montrose, Sandy videotaped him promising to never open another business again.

“RIGht NOw I BEt I have a question from a student,” said Hennessy, picking up his smartphone in the Ridgway pub.

Sure enough, a would-be brewer in New York sent him an email about another potential property for his brew-ery. Hennessy’s response was the same as it was for the last several emails: “How are you going to pay for it?”

Thankful for the help he got setting up his early breweries, in 1995 he made a how-to video on “frankenbrew,” his term for piecing together a small com-mercial brewery.

Colorado was experiencing a wave of new breweries, and Hennessy saw too many people spending too much money on their breweries or producing beers not up to stan-dard for Colorado craft beers.

In the fraternal spirit of the industry and with the mantra that a rising tide lifts all ships, he began to help new brewer-ies. Word spread, and Hennessy became overwhelmed with requests, so he wrote a book on how to open a brewery in a step-by-step guide. Brewery Operations Manual has sold 8,000 copies.

A book will only help so much, so he began offering his “Colorado Boy Immersion Course.” For $2,500, brewers get to spend a few days at his pub learn-ing the cost-effective way of opening a small brewery. Of the 100 students so far, he estimates half have successfully launched breweries.

Among them are Jake and Erin Evans. Their story is typical of the many small breweries opening across the nation: A husband and wife team, familiar with home-brewing, ready to leave behind careers as an engineer and a nurse, respec-tively, to launch their own brewery. They knew how to make beer, but the many other aspects were a mystery.

Two years later, booming business has allowed their Wild Woods Brewery in Boulder to expand and triple its beer capacity.

“I think that we always had the drive, and we knew we were going to make business happen no matter what, but his class gave us the confidence that we didn’t have, and I think he gave us the final push,” Erin said. “We were standing at the cliff waiting to take the plunge, and Tom pushed us.”

Of the 100 students who have taken tom hennessy’s brewing course, he estimates half have successfully

launched their own breweries.

Colorado Boy brewer Elliot Bell sips a beer while owner Tom Hennessy mans the bar. Hennessy adds dramatic flair to his role as barkeep. ‘You’re putting on a play every day,’ he said.

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TopTake

NOt LONg AgO, this bull elk was likely locking antlers with his rivals for the attention of females during

the fall rut. The bugling mating calls of October

are but a memory as the elk makes his way along the snow-covered rocks of Big Thompson Canyon between Estes Park and Loveland. With the approach of winter, survival replaces romance as his biggest priority.

IN EACh IssuE, “Top Take” features a photograph of Colorado – landscapes, attractions, people or wildlife. We invite you to submit your best photographs for the chance to be published in Colorado Life Magazine.

Send digital images with detailed photo descriptions and your contact in-formation by email to [email protected] or on a CD/DVD to Colorado Life Magazine, PO Box 1974, Estes Park, CO 80517.

Watch the next issue of Colorado Life Magazine to see who will be our Top Take featured photographer.

photograph by VIC SCHENDEL

this photo was taken with a Canon EOs 7D camera, exposed at f/8, 1/400th of a

second, IsO 320 and a lens focal length of 75mm.

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tOP tAKE • 73




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Colorado Life - Sept/Oct 2014