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Henson Colorado Townsite - Ghost town and the Ute Ulay Mine
Photos courtesy of Joan and Mike Sinnwell September 2007
Some times violence erupted in these mining camps, other times it was avoided by more level headed diplomacy. The Italian miners went on strike, chased out the other miners and blocked the roads to Henson. It took the Italian consul, a Dr. Cuneo, to avoid bloodshed. This all started when the owners of the Ute Ulay Mining company ordered that all single men must board at the company owned commissary. After the strike was settled peacefully the mining company got it's revenge. They announced a policy that prevented any Italian immigrants from working at the mine. To make matters worse they ordered all single Italian workers to leave in 3 days. The Italian workers with families were give 60 days to leave.
This area was not developed until after the Ute Indians signed the Brunot Treaty in 1873. That allowed the whites to enter the area legally and stake claims on land they had prospected early in 1871.
Some of the photos show the dam that was built to supply water for the mining operations. The dam has long been breached but you can easily see how it was constructed and the ideal spot used to build the dam.
A viewer writes - As for my grandfather, John "Jack" Pasco(e), a miner from Cornwall, England migrated with his family to America in 1864 w two daughters. The family stayed in Pa while he moved out to the Wyoming/Colorado/Montana area. His wife Annie, died in childbirth in Pa, so he sent for the 4 children to be with him. I cannot find him in the 1870 census anywhere, nor in the 1880. His oldest daughter at age 19, Rosena Pascoe is listed as the head of the house in the 1880 Wyoming census. In 1880 John was alive but not recorded that I can find. I do have an article of his death published in "THE MINING REGISTER, Fri,., March 24 1882 Page 3" under "FATAL ACCIDENTS. (SIC) "Jack Pasco's Fatal Fall -- Death in the Palmetto Shaft." It appears that on his way back to the Ulay mine (the name which ultimately brought me to you) he was thrown from a horse, hitting his head on a boulder, and then dying within 24 hours. The article says that he leaves 4 children (my grandmother being one) and a brother Tom - a person I am trying to locate as well. In 1885, the Colorado state census has the children living with uncle Tom, but I still cannot either brother in any of the '70 and '80 census that match their ages.....John E Pascoe born 1835 and Tom Pascoe born 1847. I do so appreciate the pictures of the Ulay mine. They are wonderful as are the pictures of the town of Lake City, Colorado. It just makes family stories so much more vivid.