By Beverly Evans

INTRODUCTIONGaily bedight,A gallant knight,In sunshine and in shadow,Had journeyed long,Singing a song,In search of Eldorado

Edgar Allan Poe, Eldorado

A man with a dream who loved hisdaughters, God, the mountains ofColorado, and Nature, and most ofall his mountain: Lininger

Mountain. Like the knight in Poe’s Eldorado, he boldly rode in searchof his dream. He was a noncon-formist from the strange curl on topof his head to the house he built ontop of his mountain with his ownhands—room by room, floor on topof floor, year after year. This wasDoc Gilbert I. Lininger, an ordinaryman in the history of JeffersonCounty, and this is his story.

The youngest of nine childrenof Emily and Henry Lininger,Gilbert was born in LaCygne,

Kansas, on July 30, 1895. When hewas ten, the family was living inOsawatomie, a small town on theeastern border of Kansas, wherethey had never been very happy.Three of his older brothers, Carl,Virgil and Richard, had left home,moving west to seek their fortunes.

In 1902, Virgil had arrived inArrow, Colorado, a lumber milltown near Rollinsville near theContinental Divide. He quicklybecame a foreman at Wood’s Mill. Richard joined him in Arrow andbegan working at the mill as well.

For Ten Dollars andLove and Affection:The Dr. Gilbert Lininger Story

Left: Gilbert knew immediately that thiswas the place—a mountain 7,743 feetabove sea level with a 360-degreepanoramic view of the most incrediblescenery he had ever seen. From the top ofthe mountain, he saw Denver and theeastern plains... and as he turned—PikesPeak, Mount Evans, Arapahoe Peak... theContinental Divide.

This story isdedicated toAudreyHagler,who adores herfather, Gilbert I.Lininger, andwants his storyto be told.Without herhelp, it wouldhave neverbecome real ity.

4-

Reprinted from Historically Jeffco, 1998, Vol 11, Issue 19, p. 4-15.

their fruit stands to such a highpolish as he had never seenbefore.” The family spentthenight in a prosperous hotelacross from Union Station.They purchased scratchy longunderwear for the trip andboarded the Moffat Train #1to take them to their new home.

On the way to Arrow, theexcited Gilbert rode on theback platform of the train andbreathed the cool air as theColorado panorama passed by.“He counted more than fifty lakes plus many farms and afew towns as the train headedinto the mountains. Soon theypassed through the ruggedcanyons of the RockyMountains and there weremany tunnels. At each tunnel,he would duck inside to avoidthe ashes and smoke.”

Above: When Gilbert finished thehouse, it was four stories high and hadtwenty-two rooms, six baths, threegarages, a couple of store rooms, andmany turf-covered decks.

Virgil and Richard wrote often tothe family about the beauty,excitement, and opportunity thatthey had found in the mountainsof Colorado. Virgil managed tobuy the Arrow Hotel for thefamily and convinced his motherto bring the five children stillliving at home to Arrow to helprun the hotel.

On April 18, 1906, the familyboarded a train on the Missouri-Pacific line with a picnic basketand the faith that they werebound for a happier life. This was

Right: He wore hisvery long, naturally curlybut thinning hair pulledto the top of his head,forming a curly bun atthe center of his headafter turning it tightlyaround his finger.

the beginning ofGilbert’s love forColorado.

Virgil met the train atthe Union Depot inDenver. “New sights, smells, and soundsawaited the family.Gilbert was impressedwith the big WelcomeArch spanning SeventhStreet near Denver’s Union Depot. Greekmerchants wererubbing apples from

With pick and shovel Doc Lininger and Gilberta hand their father digging the road.This bridge crosseddug the first trail to the top of the mountain.When Shingle Creek.The original telephone poles werethe girls were not playing, they worked right beside later replaced with steel beams.

During this memorable ride toArrow, Gilbert fell in love with theRocky Mountains of Colorado.

Standing in three feet of snow infront of the run down ArrowHotel, the family saw the obviousneed of repair and cleaning for therustic building of native lumber,and little decoration inside. Thefirst job for the family to do was toput wallpaper over muslin in thedining room. Though it was ornatefor the mountain town, Gilbert’s mother insisted because she felt thehotel was a reflection of her family.She kept the hotel open duringrenovation for all those who livedthere and also worked at the mill,and who would have no other placeto live. She ran the hotel as a familyaffair and, with the help of thechildren, did all of the cooking.

In October, the family closed

the hotel in Arrow for the winterand moved to Denver. There,Gilbert attended ShermanElementary and would look outthe windows and daydream aboutthe mountains he so loved. Heknew all about the money hisbrother Alfred was earning as asuccessful dentist, and he wanted ashare of that good fortune. Still atWest High School, Gilbert wasaccepted into the three-yearprogram at the University ofDenver Dental School. Hereceived his license in 1915 andgraduated from dental schoolwhen he was nineteen. For a fewmonths he shared an office withhis brother Alfred.

Gilbert married the daughter ofthe minister of his church, VirginiaYoung. When World War I brokeout, he enlisted in the Army andserved as a lieutenant in the

Dental Corps in Georgia. Before hisdischarge, their first child, Virginia,was born. In the meantime,Gilbert’s wife learned ofa dentalpractice for sale in Rocky Ford,Colorado, which they were able tobuy. In the first month, he made$110. A second daughter, Barbara,was born.

But then, Gilbert heard that theeconomy was even better inPueblo and wanted to takeadvantage of that growth. So theysold their business in Rocky Ford,and on June 1, 1921, arrived inPueblo, two days before thedisastrous flood struck.

After the flood, the familymoved back to Denver andopened still another practice. Theybought a house at 1318 SouthHumboldt across from WashingtonPark. In December 1922, a thirddaughter, Gilberta, was born.

-6-

During the influenza epidemic of1922, Gilbert’s wife, Virginia,became very ill. Their baby wasjust three months old whenVirginia died of complicationsfrom the flu. Gilbert’s mother, Emily, died sixmonths later. When a hiredhousekeeper to helpwith the girls didnot work out, hepersuaded a cousinto leave a very goodjob in Kansas tohelp him care forthe children. Thegirls called her AuntJo and adored her.

Three years laterGilbert marriedLessie Chartrand, anurse at MercyHospital, whom hehad known sincegrade school. Bothwere members ofBroadway BaptistChurch, and Lessiehad helped Virginiawhen she was sick.In a year, adaughter, Audrey,was born to Gilbertand Lessie.

LININGERMOUNTAINOver the MountainsOf the moon, Downthe Valley of theShadow...

Edgar Allan Poe,Eldorado

Gilbert yearned forthe rugged, majesticRocky Mountains,

wanting his own piece. During thesummer months, Gilbert, Lessie,and the girls rented a cabin,Windcrest, in Starbuck, the presentday Idledale, which included a whitehorse for the family to ride.

The mare escaped one morning,leading Gilbert on an adventurethat changed his life forever.

He chased the frisky animal upalong Sawmill Gulch far into theback country, until he found

Gilbert brought in a huge beer barrel from Coors Brewery to storethe water from the well. He had his daughters go in the barrel andwith a broom and a hose scrub out what beer was left inside. “...After all that work, we still had kind of beer water for a couple of years buteventually it did go away,” recalls Audrey.

Gilbert’s first daughter, Virginia, was born duringWorld War 1, before hewas discharged from theArmy Dental Corps. Hissecond daughter, Barbarawas born after he bought adental practice in RockyFord. A third daughter,Gilberta was born inDecember 1922. WhenGilberta was three monthsold, Gilbert’s wife died of influenza.Three years later,Gilbert married LessieChartrand. In a year, adaughter, Audrey, wasborn to Gilbert and Lessie.

-7-

himself at the top of a mountainbetween Idledale and MountVernon Canyon. “This is the place,” he cried out according to his daughter. That mountain towered7,743 feet above sea level with a360-degree panoramic view of themost incredible scenery he had everseen. From the top of themountain, he saw Denver, thesurrounding plains and the jaggedmountain peaks.

In 1929, he found the ownersof the property, four brothersNiestradt. On May 1, 1931,Gilbert recorded a deed for“eighty landlocked acres” for “ten dollars and other valuableconsiderations,” including a small, vacant, forty-year-old,rundown house in the valley. Hebought six additional acres, alsofor “ten dollars andother valuable considerations,” from Henry Thiede onJune 28, 1932, ensuring accessto the mountain.

With pick and shovel, he andGilberta hand dug the first narrowtrail to the top of the mountain. Thetrail was very narrow with a sharpswitchback that “scared everyone spitless.” At one point along the road, to cross a gully, he built abridge from logs. Because the logscollapsed, he had to reconstruct thebridge with steel I-beams. Late r, thespan became a fill, so he moved thebeams up to the house and usedthem in the construction of a carport and garage.

During the summers, while livingin the old house in the valley, thefamily worked on the property. Inthe winters, they came to themountain to toboggan and play inthe snow. Gilbert built a huge treeswing for the children and theirfriends. He believed in

hard work, but also in having agood time.

When they were not playing, thegirls worked right beside theirfather digging the road to the topof the mountain or tendinglivestock. Gilbert believed in thesaying, “keep a cow and increase her for ten years and she will keepyou,” and beganto raise cattle andhorses, leaving theanimals on theproperty yearround.Because “he

would not startbuilding withoutwater,” his next project was to drilla well on top ofhis land, for whichthe rig had to behauled overcounty and privateroads. For twodays, they drilledthrough only fourfeet of solid rockwith a non-rotarycable tool rig. Tocontinue drilling,Gilbert bought ahalf interest in thedrill and the wellwas completedafter three months.

THE YEARS FROM 1930 TO 1950...Ride boldly ride,

The shade replied,—“If you seek for Eldorado!...”

Edgar Allan Poe, Eldorado

During the depression in the1930s, Gilbert’s dentistry businesswas slow. He originated a programin his Dental Society to providedental care for the needy byhaving all the dentists take turnshelping. He kept busy in many

civic affairs, such as Lions Cluband American Legion. He alsojoined the South Denver CivicAssociation. They named himchair of the Highway Committee,where he worked for the expansionof Alameda Avenue west to hisbeloved mountains. The only otherroads leading west out of

Denver in 1932 were MorrisonRoad and Colfax Avenue.

The expansion of Alameda wasbegun as a WPA (Work ProjectsAdministration) project. “He wentout soliciting the land needed toaccomplish the route andsucceeded in getting about 90 percent of it free. His name still canbe found as a witness on most ofthose land deeds.” His daughter, Audrey, remembers riding with herdad as he would go from door todoor getting owners’ signatures forthe right of way. She would sit in

-8-

the car waiting for him at eachstop. The construction of Alamedabegan at South Knox Court.Because it was a WPA project, thework was done with picks andshovels without heavy equipment,allowing more men to work.

The year 1936 was eventful forGilbert. He divorced Lessie when

their daughter, Audrey, was nineyears old. He began a dentalpractice at Alameda and SouthBroadway over the pharmacy, anoffice that he worked from untilhe was ninety years old. Thesame year, the GeologicalSurvey officially recognized themountain as Lininger Mountain.Now, he not only owned hismountain in the state he loved,but the mountain also had hisfamily name.

Also in 1936, he began buildinghis home at the top of Lininger

Mountain. “It took him three years of walking up and down themountain just to dig thebasement.” He wanted to do the building, and he wanted to do it hisway and he wanted a sound housethat fires would not destroy.

He built the first three roomswith rock and concrete, and used

treated telephone poles for ceilingbeams. He mixed the concrete forthe walls in a metal box. Steelwindow frames and I-beams for thehouse were made at Gorrell’s Iron Works on South WadsworthBoulevard, which he also wouldhaul up the narrow, windingmountain road.

Most of the work on the housewas done by Gilbert, the girls,family and friends. He hired StrodeRalston, a local stone mason, to layrock, and Clarence Thiede, a closeneighbor to help.

To learn the skill, Gilbert workedbeside them. Once he mastered thetechnique, he did the rest of thestone work on the house himself.The first three rooms were akitchen, a dining room, and abedroom, surrounded by a hugepatio. Leading from the bedroom tothe patio was a double door throughwhich Gilbert would pull his bedmany nights to sleep under the stars,enjoying Nature. The family movedinto the home in the early 1940s.

Soon, Doc Gilbert decided heneeded space to pasture the horsesand cows during the winter. Hepurchased one hundred and sixtyacres on Green Mountain south ofthe “Hayden Ranch, which stretched from West Sixth Avenue toAlameda Avenue and from Kiplingto Union Street.” Hayden Ranch was sold in 1941, and the federalgovernment built the Denver ArmsPlant for $35 million. Later, “the Remington Company and (later)Henry J. Kaiser operated it as anarsenal and ammunition works.” Now, the Denver Federal Center ison the site.

Gilbert became involved inhighway matters again andsupported the alignment of AlamedaAvenue instead of Sixth Avenuefrom Lowry Air Force Base to thenew Arms Plant. He reasoned thatthe road could join Alameda atSouth Knox where the WPA hadcommenced its earlier project. Hefound some support in thegovernment, “Through the construction of this link, LowryField would have better access toFort Logan and the new arms plant.In case of domestic disturbance atthe arms plant, the connecting linkabove referred to would be mostdesirable and advantageous. Inaddition, this

Gilbert believedin the old saying“Keep a cow and her increasefor ten yearsand she willkeep you,” andhe beganraising cattleand horses.

-9-

highway would serve thecommunity.” But, Sixth Avenuebecame the main arterial.

In the fall, Doc and the girlssaddled up their horses at the topof Lininger Mountain androunded up the livestock. The girlsdrove the herd along Highway 40 toRed Rocks Park and over toAlameda and Green Mountain. Ittook them almost a day to get theanimals to the winter pasture.During the first year, Doc removedthe frame garage from their Denverhome on South

Humboldt Street and moved it tothe pasture, where he converted itinto a four-room house for thefamily to stay in. When the clay soilon the property was muddy, horsesand girls would walk around withhuge clumps of earth on their feet.

At the end of World War II, GIsbegan returning to Denver.According to Ubbelohde, theRemington Plant, at its peak, “had employed 20,000 workers.” Other government facilities also added tothe 78% population growth in the

Denver area. “Denver’s bedroomcommunity, Jefferson County, wasemerging from its agrarian cocoonto become a thriving, boomingmetropolitan area with hugeshopping centers and suburbandevelopment.”

Gilbert saw this boom as anopportunity to develop his propertyon Green Mountain. He sold thehorses and cows, and drilled twowells for water. He divided theproperty into individual lots, andbuilt and sold twenty-five homes.He also deeded

Gilbert was continually working on his home on add another level above. Each addition included aLininger Mountain. Sometimes he would decide that bedroom with windows so that he could see thethe view was better above the existing floor and would sunrise and the sunset.

-

part of the property to his sister,Etta Wood. During construction,the family lived in the four-roomconverted garage. “One day afissure opened up and drained thewater somewhere else.” Gilbert tried to get water from theRemington Arms Plant across thestreet, who received water tapsfrom Denver Water, but Denverwould not allow any taps forGilbert’s development.

To supply water to the homes,he dug a ditch to Fourteenth andKipling. That was not verysuccessful either, and there werelawsuits. Again, he took mattersinto his own hands, and “the dentist spent two and one-halfyears hauling water to the foothillson a sprinkler wagon filling teakettles, wash basins, whatever.Eventually, he mounted a 2000gallon tank on a truck, built aredwood water reservoir in thetroubled area and served thehomeowners that way.” Finally, he flew to Washington, carrying hispapers in an old, tattered briefcaseand lobbied on Capitol Hill, which,in time, awarded him Denverwater. The development projectnearly broke him and to the day hedied, he kept that old tattered briefcase.

In 1952, Governor DanThornton appointed Gilbert to theState Highway Advisory Board, andAlameda again was one of hisprojects. This time he submittedplans for Alameda to extendthrough the Hogback and connectwith State Highway 2 as a part ofthe Colorado Federal Aid PrimarySystem. The proposal wasreviewed, but rejected in favor ofSixth Avenue. The State Highwayengineer reviewed the plans andfound that the plan involved“extremely heavy construction

and... considerable expenditure offunds.” He doubted that the “proposed extension could be justified in view of its proximity toour present Sixth West AvenueHighway, which is capable ofhandling a considerable volume oftraffic.” But again, Sixth Avenue was given preference over Alameda.

The City of Denver was veryinterested in highways at the time,and the interstate highway systemwas proposed and approved forpublic defense. “Mayor Will Nicholson, and dozens of othermen of influence labored in the1950s to secure majortransportation arteries for theDenver area.” Gilbert also proposed in 1958, that Highway285 be rerouted from MorrisonRoad to Alameda at the FederalCenter. Alameda could beconstructed to a point justeast of Morrison. The road intoMorrison that exists todaybecame the scenic route instead.

In 1956, the massive nationalinterstate highway system wasnearly ready for PresidentEisenhower to sign. The portionserving Colorado was proposedfarther west of Denver. The

alignment was successfullychanged, because a Denverdelegation met with the Presidentin Washington and persuaded himto reconfigure the highway.However, Gilbert wanted the StateHighway Department to realign aportion of I-70 west of Denver atMt. Vernon Canyon and eliminatepart of the steep grade and a sharpcurve. He called the proposal theInterstate-70-Genesee-Gulchimprovement and pressed for thehighway department to straightenout the road by adding anotherinterchange. Unfortunately, theproposal was never approved, andthe curve he worked hard toeliminate, has become known as“Dead Man’s Curve.”

Gilbert married again in the late1950s. The marriage did not lastlong, but another daughter, Emily,was born. She was thirty yearsyounger than his fourth daughter,Audrey.

Following a trip to Hawaii, hebegan wearing his very long,naturally curly but thinning hair ina style that became his trademark.He would pull his hair to the topof his head, forming a curly bun atthe center of his head after

-11-

Gilbert practiced dentistry on Broadway. During the program in his Dental Society that provided dental careDepression, when business was slow, he originated a for the needy by having all the dentists take turns.

turning it tightly around his finger.When he wanted to make thechildren or grandchildren laugh, hewould undo the bun and let his hairhang down.

THE HOUSE ON THEMOUNTAIN...’Shadow,’ said he,‘Where can it be—-This land of Eldorado?’...

Edgar Allan Poe, Eldorado

While Gilbert was practicingdentistry, working on the StateHighway Commission, or dividinghis mountain, he was also workingon his home on LiningerMountain. Sometimes he woulddecide that the view was betterabove a currently existing floorand would build another floor ontop. Each floor always included a

new bedroom for him withwindows for him to see the sunriseand the sunset.

In one room, he designed andbuilt a huge fireplace from nativerock. They would roll the stonesinto the room one at a time. Audreystill recalls the roaring fires he soloved. Many things in the houseGilbert had picked up used.

To store water from the well, heonce brought in a huge beer barrelfrom Coors Brewery and sat it ontop of the hill. He had Audrey andGilberta crawl through a small holeon the side of the barrel and with abroom and a hose scrub out whatbeer was left. Hagler recalls,laughing, that “after all that work, they still had kind of beer water fora couple of years, but that slowlywent away.” A few years later, he replaced the barrel

with a huge tank car from therailroad. The barrel was moved tothe foot of the mountain and thetank car is now buried somewhereunder the house.

While the girls were growing upand living on the mountain, theywatched from the windows fortheir dad’s caras he came homefrom his dental office. Often, hewould bring a “ten-cent chunk ofice” on the bumper of the car, which he had bought before he lefttown. When they spotted his carcoming up the road, they wouldrun downstairs and start makingthe gravy for the night’s dinner. For dessert, they would crush theice in a gunnysack and mix it withthe milk from their cows for icecream.Another one of Gilbert’s antics

was to dig a deep hole at the back

-12-

of the house with his twelve yearold grandson, saying they weredigging for gold or something,

which they worked on for days. Toprotect their work, Gilbert coveredit with old wood. Soon, the projectwas abandoned and forgotten. Manyyears later, Gilbert marked hismountain and his grave with hisname and birth date etched on alarge moss rock just above theabandoned adventure.

By the time hefinished adding to thehouse, it was foursto ries tall and “th e re we re twenty-one rooms,six baths, three garages,a couple of sto rerooms, and many turfcovered decks ,” with the American Flaga l ways displayedproudly on a pole in thefront. Chuck Dickersonquotes Gilbert as saying,“I have touched every rock and cinder block inthe house. I would getup at 3:30 a.m. and driveto Denver in a truck topick up buildingmaterials, and drive backto the mountain before6:00.Then I’d drive to town to start my day’s work as a dentist.”

DEVELOPING THEMOUNTAIN

...But he grew old—This night so bold—And o’er his heart a shadowFell as he found Nospot of groundThat looked like Eldorado....—Edgar Allan Poe, Eldorado

Although Gilbert had promisedhis girls he would never sell any ofthe land above the road, he beganselling tracts of his mountain. InAugust of 1949, he deeded threeparcels of land to his sister EttaWood, including two pieces ofproperty on Lininger Mountain. InJune 1950, six of the acres he haddeeded to Etta at the base ofLininger Mountain were recorded aseight lots in a plat called

Lininger’s Mountain Subdivision. Gilbert was also involved in theplatting process; but after thesubdivision was completed, herefused to go through a countyprocess for the rest of themountain.

State and County regulationsfor dividing land before 1972allowed the owner of a property tosell up to five pieces from a largerpiece without platting the property;but the fifth sale would requirehim to plat to meet

specific technical requirements.Gilbert, and a hired surveyor,divided his land into about fortysites, including his home. He thenbegan selling the mountain inpieces as Lininger Estates. Hefound regulations to divide hisland cumbersome, restrictive, andunnecessary. After all, it was hismountain, and his to divide andsell-off or give away as he saw fit.

On December 23, 1943, hedeeded the originaleighty acres toVirginia, Barbara,Gilberta and Audreyfor the sum of “ten dollars and love andaffection.” After that, parts andpieces exchangedhands back andforth. Portions ofthe land were evensold to peopleoutside the family.

On May, 5, 1972,state subdivisionlaws changed underSenate Bill 35. Now,to avoid having togo through a countyprocess, Gilbertwould have all thirtyfive-acre parcels andno residual left withless than thirtyfiveacres. Hedisregarded this new

regulation and thus illegally dividedhis eighty acres into at least fortylots without a platting process withthe County. Frustrated withGilbert’s unwillingness to comply, the County took Dr. Lininger tocourt under the old subdivisionregulations. That resulted in adecision where “in essence the court said we can’t try this case

-13-

on a law that does not existanymore. ”

When Gilbert, his attorney, thethen Board of CountyCommissioners, and the Countyattorneys knew the court was notgoing to bring any relief, theyarrived at a resolution on June 19,1974. The County agreed to issuebuilding permits on those parcelsthat the Doctor had undercontract for sale at the time of theenactment of Senate Bill 35. Eachparcel owner would sign anagreement to rezone and platthose properties upon the requestof the County before they wouldbe issued a building permit.

At that meeting, a map forLininger Mountain was agreedupon from which legal and illegalparcels were determined. TheCounty encouraged Gilbert to platthe rest of the property. If themountain were ever rezoned or if

it wereplatted,propertyownersrecognized bythe County aslegal after the1974 meetingwith Gilbertand hislawyer, agreedto participatein the processand therebycreate a legalplat.

Mary Bunnrecalls thatone afternoonGilbert, whowas then inhis nineties,came into have ameeting withArnie Cross, aPlanning

Engineer with the County, whowas involved with anotherappointment. Gilbert was asked towait in Bunn’s chair at her desk, where he could bemore comfortablethan in the lobby.When Bunnreturned to heroffice, she foundGilbert sleeping ather desk, “he was there asleep quitea long time. Noone really wantedto wake him.” Shefound him to becharming andlikeable, but, “he never really let goof his mountain.”

Cross was neverconvinced that

Gilbert understood why the Countythought the subdivision or any ofhis work was illegal. Whenever therewas someone new at the county,“Gilbert would seek them out and see if he could get them to have theCounty change their mind abouthow it dealt with LiningerMountain.” Until the last few years of his life, he kept at it, hoping tohave his way.

Over the years, Cross grew to likeGilbert. “Even though we were on opposite sides of the fence, healways treated me with respect.Once in a while he would lose histemper, but over all he was a veryfriendly fellow who was verygenerous with his family,” said Cross. He remembers that in 1990 abig family reunion was planned atthe Lininger home. Family memberswere coming from all around thecountry. Gilbert met with Cross tounderstand everything that neededto be done because he wanted topresent a plan to the family to getthe area platted for all to live upthere.

Gilbert constructed the first three rooms with rock andconcrete and hauled telephone poles up the mountain forceiling beams. He hired a local stone mason to lay rock;but Gilbert worked beside him, learning the skill. Once hemastered the technique, he did the rest of the stone workon the house himself.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR BeverlyEvans was born in Durango,Colorado, and raised inEdgewater, Colorado, attendingJefferson County schools. She isa single parent with two grownsons,Tony and Michael. In May1997, she graduated from theUniversity

of Colorado with a Bachelor of Arts in Writingwith an emphasis in history and literature.Writing, history, golf, family, friends, and theBroncos are her passions. Beverly is a plannerfor the Jefferson County Department ofPlanning and Zoning. For this article, BeverlyEvans received the second prize of the WritersAward Contest of Jefferson County HistoricalCommission in 1997.

-14-

CONCLUSION...And, as his strengthFailed him at length,He met a pilgrim shadow.

Edgar Allan Poe, Eldorado

The last family reunion at thehouse was held July 30, 1990, tocelebrate Gilbert’s ninety-fifthbirthday. Cross recalls Gilbertpreparing to present his plan tothe family. He had always wantedto live to be a hundred, but hebecame ill with double pneumoniaand, on January 4, 1993, died atthe age of ninety-seven. Unknownto his family, the County HealthDepartment permitted him to beburied on his mountain, and thegrave was already dug. It was thehole that Audrey’s son and Gilbert had dug many years before as agold seeking adventure, coveredwith branches, and forgotten. Theengraved rock at the head of thegrave, his tomb-stone, has the dateof his death added to it.

Gilbert lived ninety-seven years.He lived his life working, laughing,

or playing. Hewas eccentric,tenacious andstubborn, butthoroughlycharming. Hismental andphysicalstrengthenabled himto build hisdream homeon top of hismountain. Forforty-five yearshe sang in thechoir atCalvaryTemple, firmlybelieving thatGod was hisstrength. He

left an impression on JeffersonCounty with his work on roads, hissubdivision in Green Mountain,and, of course, Lininger Mountain.

Above the door of his house ontop of Lininger Mountain thewords “God’s Grace” are etched. The clear blue sky, crisp pinescented air, gentle breeze, and aserene silence surround the house.The visitor is engulfed by thepassion and love of the man whocreated it. Windows everywherecelebrate the beauty of the worldoutside. It was his dream and itcame true. He deeply believed,“This is the best place to live in the whole world.” He lovedGod, his family, Colorado, theRocky Mountains, his home, andhis mountain—-Lininger Mountain.He was an ordinary man insearch of Eldorado.

REFERENCESArmstrong, Leslie, Attorney with the firm

of Bailey & Finegan, Letter to Doug Reed,Planner, Jefferson County Planning,Sept. 22, 1989.Brown, Georgina, “Jefferson County

Government, 1876-1973”, From Scratch, AHistory of Jefferson County, Colorado,Jefferson County Historical Commission,1985.

Bunn, Mary, Jefferson County PermitReview Coordinator, Personal interview,March 28, 1997.

Cross, Arnold, Jefferson County PlanningEngineer, Personal interview, March 5, 1997.

Deed. Between Herman F. Niestradt, et al.and Gilbert I Lininger. Recorded in JeffersonCounty in book 377, page 388. May 1, 1932.

Between Henry J. Thiede and Gilbert I.Lininger. Recorder in Jefferson County inbook 377 page 389. June 28, 1932.

Between Gilbert I. Lininger and Virginia G.Lininger et al. Recorded in Jefferson County inbook 484, page 30. Feb. 23, 1944.

Between Gilbert I. Lininger and Etta M.Wood. Recorded in Jefferson County in book645 page 457. Aug. 1, 1949.

Dickerson, Chuck, Dr. Gilbert Lininger,DDS, unpublished, date unknown.

Dorsett, Lyle W., The Queen City, AHistory of Denver, Colorado, PruettPublishing Co, 1977.

Duncan, Lt. Col. Earl, Letter to DenverChamber of Commerce for information ofDr. G. J. Lininger. Jan. 25, 1941.

Eberhardt, Perry, Guide to the ColoradoGhost Towns and Mining Camps, 4th ed.Ohio: Swallow Press, 1984.

Hagler, Audrey, daughter, Personalinterview, Jan. 20, 1997.

---, Journal, ts., Private papers, Denver, CO. ---, personal communication with editor, August7, 1998.Hutchings, Sally. Yesterday’s Dentist,

Southwest Sentinel, Jan. 26, 1977: 4-7.Leonard, Stephen J. and Thomas J. Noel,

Jefferson County.” Denver: Mining Camp to Metropolis, 1990, p. 297-322.

Lomond, Carole with Audrey Hagler andBarbara Brenkert. “Dr. Lininger’s Mountain”. City and Mountain Views, May 1994, p. 6-7.

Poe, Edgar Allen. The Complete Tales andPoems of Edgar Allen Poe. New York: TheModern Library. 1938, 1965. pp. 970, 971.

Pultz, Gary, Planner Jefferson County,Letter to Wes Broderius, Nov. 29, 1990.

Ubbelohde, Carl, Maxine Benson andDuane A. Smith, A Colorado History,Boulder, CO, Pruett Publishing Company,1972, 1976.

Watrous, Mark U., Chief EngineerDepartment of Highways, Letter to Dr. G. I.Lininger, Feb. 29, 1952.

Unknown to his family, Gilbert had permission from theCounty Health Department to be buried on his mountain,and the grave was already dug. It was the hole he had dugwith Audrey’s son many years before as a gold seeking adventure...

-15-