Recently, I spent a most enjoyable afternoon with Keith and Myrna Hall, who live in Arvada. Keith is a great grandson of J. B. Hall, who had mining interests along with a cattle and horse ranch at Villa Grove in 1859. He served as a representative from this area while Colorado was still a territory and again was elected to the same office after Colorado became a state.

The Saguache County Museum has the wedding dress of Emma S. Wells who married J. B. Hall in 1875. This couple became parents of Grace, Alice and Lester Hall. Grace married Dr. O. P. Shippey in 1900. I’m not sure of the year that Alice became the bride of William L. Hammond. Both of these families worked and lived in our community for many years.

Lester Hall had a son, Robert who is the father of Keith Hall. Keith is attempting to find where his grandparents (Mr. and Mrs. J. B. Hall) are buried. So far his search of several cemetery records has not been productive, but he is still hoping to find a picture of J. B. Hall.

I accompanied Keith and Myrna to the site of the old Hall ranch - which is located east of Villa Grove along San Luis Creek. This working cattle ranch is presently the home of J. D. Young family. It is easy to see why J. B. Hall, coming from Vermont, chose this beautiful valley to settle, almost 140 years ago.

In latter years, this ranch was owned by family members and was known as the “Shippey place”.

My next “Remember When” story will be of a most memorable character, for those of us who grew up in Saguache – Dr. Shippey!

(As far as we can determine, Keith Hall and I are not related— my great grandfather Hall hailed from Kentucky)