A Mysterious Suicide in Turret
A 92-year old Turret resident was found dead in the basement of his home by friends Sept. 12 after they had not heard from him in over a week.
Edwin Bartheld, who hand-built his off-grid home on an abandoned mine site in the old ghost town, had lived alone since his wife Jean died in 2012. The cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head. Authorities ruled it a suicide, but the discovery of ammonium nitrate and several homemade detonators near his body led them to believe he may have been attempting to destroy the home with explosives during the act of taking his life. HAZMAT teams later removed and detonated the explosives.
In 2008, Bartheld had sold the house to a Florida couple with the stipulation that he could continue to live in it until his death or until an agreed upon time.
No Pass for This Trucker
The Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office wrote its first ticket to a semitrailer driver who ignored signs restricting big rigs on Independence Pass and drove over anyway.
The black-and-white Peterbilt truck with Texas plates was pulled over Sept. 14 near the roundabout on Hwy. 82 and the driver was issued a $1,000 ticket, along with a $157 surcharge.
Since Aug. 6, vehicles over 35 feet in length are banned from driving over the pass between mile markers 47 and 72, including any vehicle and trailer combination that exceeds that length.
Crested Butte Gets the Blues
After discovering their town council had privately negotiated to lease out its downtown in September for a beer commercial – for the paltry sum of $250,000 – Crested Buttians raised hell and forced the council back to negotiations.
Anheuser-Busch, who wanted to lease three blocks of downtown C.B. for a weekend party to promote one of their products, Bud Light, agreed to double their initial offer and for half a million – a so-called “legacy gift” – literally got to paint the town blue.
The event/commercial, dubbed “Whatever,” involved busing and flying in 1,000 lucky contest winners from around the U.S. to enjoy live music, street-side hot tubs, baubles, bangles and all the Bud Light they could drink. Elk Avenue and the lightposts were painted blue, and local business signs were temporarily covered up.
Despite misgivings from some of the townsfolk, the event was hailed as a success, although the aftermath was not without a few glitches. TSA agents flown in to the Gunnison Airport to handle the additional crowds had to deal with passengers attempting to bring their own Colorado “buds” back home with them, causing severe delays; Bud Light “branded items” such as bikes and skis were thought to be “up for grabs” and wound up in private hands; and the blue street paint is turning out to be harder to remove than expected.
Shorts
• Buena Vista resident Clarke Poos has been named vice president of the Western Pack Burro Association.
• Former Texan Jill Smola is the new executive director for Chaffee County Habitat for Humanity.
• Western State has been awarded almost $236 million from the state of Colorado for renovations of its music and arts departments.
• The High Mountain Hay Fever Festival board in Westcliffe is donating a total of $50,000 to the local hospital district and emergency medical services.
• Joseph Hutchinson of Indian Hills has been named the new Colorado poet laureate in a Sept. 9 announcement by Gov. John Hickenlooper.
• The newly completed Arkansas River Ranch Trail is now open to the public. It runs 2.5 miles along the Arkansas in Lake County.
• Dr. Wendell “Doc” Hutchinson, longtime area rancher and veterinarian, died Sept. 20 at the age of 89. We hope to do a full article about him in the November issue.
“Notable Quotes”
“It’s becoming a bit of a trend and we want it to stop.” – Salida Police Sgt. Russ Johnson, after retrieving a homeless man who jumped into the Arkansas River to avoid arrest. – The Mountain Mail, Sept. 15, 2014.
“This case is more like a Gordian knot that needs cutting than a simple tangle that the government can untie with a little extra time” – U.S. District Court Judge R. Brooke Jackson, in a decision to overturn a coal mine expansion next to the West Elk Wilderness. – The Gunnison Country Times, Sept. 18, 2014.
“There is some question whether it really happened … if you recall, there was a picture of a man walking in who was smiling and joking when he walked into the room; he turned around and suddenly had tears. I question that.” – Pueblo County Commissioner Candidate Dr. Tom Ready, questioning in a debate whether the shootings at the Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut actually occurred. – The Colorado Independent, Sept. 11, 2014.
