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History
The town of Parachute
and Battlement Mesa are relatively young communities in relationship to most of
the other areas in Colorado. The western slope of Colorado was one of the last
regions to be homesteaded following the removal of the Ute Indians in the late
1880s. The mountainous regions were difficult to travel through and there was a
minimum of rich farmland available. In addition, much of the region existed in
a cold desert environment with valleys west of Rifle often receiving less that
10 inches of moisture a year. The white man was quick to realize the potential
for livestock grazing in the high mountain pastures and the moderate weather for
wintering in the valleys. The Ute Indians had survived in the region for
hundreds of years as hunters and gatherers.
The first recorded white
visitors to the Grand Valley were Friars Escalante and Dominguez and their team
who crossed the mountains south of Rifle in 1776. They traversed Battlement
Mesa, and crossed over at Streits Flat (near Una) which is located about 5 miles
west of Parachute (Grand Valley). They named the River Rio de San Rafael, but
later the name was changed to the Grand River and finally the Colorado River.
They then traveled up Roan Creek, spent time in Meeker and were most likely the
first humans, besides the Indians, that had a full panoramic view of the
Parachute Valley (Murray, 1973).
There are many different stories
concerning the origin of the name “Parachute.” Most refer to a parachute that
one would use in jumping from an airplane. However, the only published document
found was a recorded history from a 1910 Grand Valley Newspaper dated June 30,
1910. This article was found in the Colorado State Newspaper records in a state
house in Denver. The title of this article was "Parachute, A Misnomer According
to the Government Employee.” The article is quoted as follows:
“The
writer for many years has often wondered how the creek in the valley ever got
the name of Parachute. So far as the contour of the valley and the mountains
were concerned, it seemed far-fetched to call it Parachute for, after all, to
the closest observer there cannot be seen any resemblance to a parachute. We
have often asked the question, how did it get the name. Some time since, while
the writer was coming in from Denver he met a gentlemen that some 30 odd years
ago was in the employ of the government among the Ute Indians and was all over
this section. He said, at that time, this creek was know by the Indian name
"Pahchouc" meaning twins or the same and that the two mountains on each side of
the mouth of the creek were known at that time among the Indians as the
“Pahchouc” because of their similarity and that in his report to the government,
and (in) mentioning this section, he always referred to it by the above name.
Then later it was corrupted from “Pah-chouc” to Par-a-chute, which would follow
very naturally.”
The author of this article continued:
"His
version of the change is very probable. It should also be remembered, as he
called the writer's attention to it that the creek was called by the name of
“Pahchouc” by the Indians before the day of the parachute. The parachute is not
so very old. The news would like to submit that the name “Pahchouc” is far more
appropriate than that of Parachute. Parachute signifies nothing unless it is to
let a fellow down easy. “Pahchouc” keeps one of the old landmarks in the early
Indian language and is both unique and romantic. Why not call it that to day?
It sounds better; it has distinctiveness about it that the other name has not.
Let's call the creek “Pahchouc!”
On the same page of this newspaper, it
was interesting to note another article entitled "Now is the time to order that
flying machine". . . . . . "The Wright Brother have just started the first
flying machine factory in the world at Dayton, Ohio. They are building their
own air ships and instructing numerous students how to operate them. . . .
.”
Mr. Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden, a U.S. Government surveyor, gave the
name Parachute to the creek flowing down the valley in 1879. This community was
called Parachute from the late 1880's until 1908 when its name was changed to
Grand Valley. After much debate and two voting tries, the name was changed back
to Parachute in 1980. This was done as a result of confusion of the town's
name with the lower 70 miles of the Colorado River Valley which had begun using
the term widely.
When the first permanent settler, John Hulburt, arrived
in Parachute in 1882 he found a recluse had already beat him to the valley. He
found "Hungry Mike" so named because he was an immigrant from Hungary, who had
purchased Ute Series Land and had constructed a tight little cabin of cottonwood
logs made water proof and insulated from the cold with deer hides. The cabin had
two small windows covered with thin fawn skin to admit light. Mr. Hurlburt
bought the little cabin and all the land, which now comprises the town of
Parachute. The cabin was John and Martha Hurlburt's first home and later became
the first schoolhouse in Parachute.
Much activity occurred in the Valley
between1880 and 1890. Following the Meeker Massacre in 1879, the Ute Indians
were placed on a reservation in Eastern Utah and the U.S. government opened 11
million acres of Ute lands for settlement. This essentially opened the western
slope to land grabbing and development. In 1885, a toll road opened a way from
the Rifle Valley to Grand Junction by way of Parachute. The railroad reached
Parachute in 1890, which brought many new people to the Parachute area. Peter
Lindauer, was one of these individuals. He was employed as a carpenter by the D
& R.G. railroad to built trestles for the new railroad. After several
years of working between Salt Lake City and Parachute, he returned to Parachute
and built a general merchandise store on the corner of Parachute Avenue and
First Street. He and his brother Ferdinand operated the store until 1901 when
they sold it. His brother returned east but Peter bought out the land owned by
three individuals at the head of Parachute Creek. He began ranching, raising 5
boys and one girl on their new ranch. Peter Lindauer was well known for his
work with a team of horses and a scraper. He moved the three streams at the head
of Parachute (East Fork, Middle Fork and West Fork) to the mountain sides
provide large hay fields for the ranch. However, his wife, died following the
birth of their last of the 6 children.
Old Schoolhouse
Photo by Anne White
During the early 1900s,
sheep and cattle ranching were the main commodies of the valley. Cattle and
sheep men were in conflict with their use of the range that resulted in many
sheep being lost and more cattlemen coming into the area. Cattlemen did quite
well in the years preceding the First World War, however, following the War,
cattle prices dropped and many went broke. During this time period two new
rural schools appeared on the Creek. One, the Book Cliff School, was located
about 4 miles up stream and the other, The Granlee School, was located about 10
miles up from town. These schools were all consolidated in the 1940s and
students were brought to the school in Parachute.
More details of the
early history of Parachute can be found in a text compiled by Erlene Murry and
the Home Culture Club of Parachute. The title of this text "Lest We Forget"
tells many of the stories of the early settlers of Parachute and can be
purchased from The Grand Valley Historical Society. In the late 30's, there
were a little over two hundred people living in Parachute or Grand Valley as it
was called at that time. Prices were up, a war was about to begin and most of
the families were doing well. There was a large new stockyards built near the
coal-chute and water tank beside the railroad track. Many train carloads of
cattle were shipped from this stockyard. After the cattle were loaded many of
the cattlemen would climb onboard and follow their cattle to the Denver market.
There they were met by Mr. Zietz, the owner of the famous Buckhorn Café at 1001
Osage Street in Denver who took them to his restaurant and fed them large
porterhouse steaks. He would benefit from this venture by being allowed to hunt
on their properties at later dates. This restaurant is still open today and is
one of the historical showplaces in Denver. It has many mounted heads from all
over the world on display.
At the beginning of the 1940s, the Second
World War was under way and the U.S. oil supply was dwindling. This initiated
another oil shale boom. Some 65,000+ acres of land, north and west of
Parachute, had been set aside by the U.S. President in the early 1900's which
was know as the Naval Oil Shale Reserve. This site is bounded on the East by the
Colorado River Valley, the South by Parachute East Fork Creek and on the North
by the Government Road (State Highway #13). It extends West to the Picieance
Creek Basin. Assessment work was completed by the U.S. Navy in the early 1940s
in an area known as The Anvil Points. This site was developed into an
experimental project that produced oil from shale for some 20 years.
The Parachute and Debeque areas experienced several oil shale boom and
bust periods beginning in 1916, in the 20's and then again in the early 40's
before the technology was sufficiently developed to establish a major retort to
extract the oil. After each bust the individuals who survived the crisis would
return to ranching and raising fruit. But by the late 1950's Union Oil Company
of California, who had purchased the old Lindauer Ranch at the head of Parachute
Creek, built a retort that would eventually produce over 1000 barrels of crude
oil each day. Some samples from the mahogany vein produce a yield in excess of
90 gallons per ton from raw shale material. This vein of oil rich shale occurs
at elevations around 7,150 feet. However, there was still the problem of
getting rid of the waste material when the shale was heated to over 900 F to
extract the thick viscus oil, also, known as karogen,
The slag or waste
material increased in size by some 25% of the original and there were
difficulties in removing the waste material from the retort. When the price
of oil reached the $30 per barrel however, in the late 70's, another boom was
started and companies began extensive development of several proposed sites.
Colony Oil Company established a plant up Middle Fork which was later purchased
by Exxon who also purchased major properties in the Parachute area and began a 5
billion dollar development project. A ridge was leveled on the mountain
between West Fork and Middle Fork of Parachute Creek for a new plant creating a
waste area of nearly one-mile long. A 5,000 car parking was developed just west
of town and the first stoplight was hung on the highway at the new intersection
of Parachute road and Highway 6 & 24. Traffic would be backed up for over a
mile during the changing of shifts in the late afternoon. This traffic light was
later removed when I-70 was finished and an overpass was completed. Then in the
spring of 1982, the price of oil dropped, Exxon closed their operation on May
2nd and sent 2000 plus employees on the road. Union Oil of California continued
their plant operation at their site 3 miles west of Parachute for several years
but, they still could not solve the sticky waste material problem that
continually clogged their conveyor belts. They sold their operation to American
Soda Plant when the President of Union Oil, who supported oil shale development
retired. The Company's new administration shut down the oil shale operation and
it sat idle for several years until being sold to American Soda who produced
soda ash and sodium bicarbonate for several years. This plant is presently
owned by Salvoy.
There is much more to the history of Parachute than the
oil-shale Boom and Bust periods; For example the good times that were had at the
summer performances held within the gazebo built in the center of town where
people came by horse, car or wagon to see the performances. Or the WOW lodge
hall dances, and the box socials where you got to bid on a lunch box whom you
hoped was your favorite person. You could then have lunch with this person at
the mid-night break. However, time is limited and will need to save that for
another day. I would like to save a little time for questions.
Ivo Lindauer
References
Grand Valley News, June 30, 1910. Pahchouc'
Creek, "Parachute," a Misnomer According to a
Government Employee---Is a Ute
Word, Colorado State News Paper Records, State House, Denver.
Gulliford,
Andrew, 1989. Boomtown Blues, University of Colorado Press, Niwot, CO
p.302.
Murry, Erlene Durrant. 1973. Lest We Forget, 1st Edition
Published by Quahkada,
Inc., Grand Junction, CO. 161p.
Rifle
Reading Club. 1972. Rifle Shots. The story of Rifle, Colorado compiled and
published by the Rifle Reading Club. 293p,
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