Review by Ed Quillen
Local History – November 1995 – Colorado Central Magazine
Frontier Eyewitness: Diary of John Lawrence, 1867-1908
Edited and Annotated by Bernice Martin
No ISBN
Published by the Saguache County Museum
Among the many who headed west in the 1859 gold rush was 24-year-old John Lawrence, a Minnesota farmer. After a stab at mining near Central City, he saw better money in freighting, which took him to the San Luis Valley. There he settled and acquired fluency in Spanish.
In 1867, he moved north from Conejos to take up land about three miles west of Saguache, where he would farm and ranch. He continued to do some freighting, and was a merchant as well. He sometimes conspired with Otto Mears. Lawrence was also active in politics, serving in the legislature as well as in local and county offices.
Lawrence’s tombstone identifies him as the “Father of Saguache County,” which he persuaded the territorial legislature to establish. It was a major political accomplishment, for the entire county had only eight voters.
From 1867 onward, Lawrence kept a diary, making an entry every day. His spelling and punctuation were rather erratic — if Lawrence had any formal education, it came from an orphanage — but it makes for fascinating reading for anyone curious about day-to-day life in this area a century ago. A sampling from just two pages offers plenty.
Much of it is of a commercial nature: “July 12, 1882. We are getting ready to start to Tierra Amarillo, New Mexico, to trade horses & wagons for sheep. morning nice. started to Tierra Amarillo country with 20 head of horses & mules, 2 Mitchell wagons, 3 large ox wagons, 1 spring wagon, & 1 buck board… we traded all the horses and all the wagons off except one large wagon, for 1175 head of sheep, 2 large sorrel mules, seven little and big Jacks, and one set of harness…”
Or, “November 18, 1882. I started this morning and went on the buck board to Villa Grove. there I met Mears and we went from there to Salida on the cars, & from Salida to Gunnison, Montrose & Lake City. I went to see about sellin cattle & sheep…”
Other days it’s the weather: “August 30, 1882. It rained hard all day and the mountain tops & most of the foot hills are white with snow, something we have not seen before in this country at this time of the year…”
And on occasion, some drinking and gambling: “while waiting I went into John Oneil’s saloon. I there played some billiards & some pool. I then took one dollar and went to playing poker with John Oneil, Andy Slane and Phill Orourk when a dispute came up between Andy & I and he hit me twice in the eyes. I then knocked him down with a chair then Dany Slane knocked me down and that ended the fight. I & Pet then went over to Jim Lockwoods and went to bed. the next morning when I got up my eyes got black very fast…”
The published diary is annotated, and generally the notes clarify. But there are occasional problems.
For instance, the Poncha Pass toll road was under construction in 1868; the plan was to haul grain from the Saguache area to markets in the upper Arkansas, and perhaps Charles Nachtrieb’s flour mill at Nathrop.
And so Lawrence writes “November 7, 1868. I started for Cash Creek. We done seven days work on the Punche with nine hands. we had a midling hard trip. we got back on the 26th.”
To me, that says he was bound for the placer camps near Granite at Cache Creek — Lawrence’s spelling was phonetic. But Bernice Martin’s note here says “Cash Creek is a small creek near the top of Poncha Pass.” Cache Creek makes a lot more sense as a destination, especially when Lawrence later recounts that on Dec. 19 of that year, “I started for Cash Creek with four wagons loaded with wheat & oats. I was gone until the night of Jan. 1st…”
The only other flaw is that this book doesn’t have an index, and it would be handy because so many other historical figures pass through Lawrence’s diary: Otto Mears, Chief Ouray, Al Packer.
Despite those quibbles, this is one of those rare gems that is authentic, entertaining, and informative. The typography and overall design are excellent, and there are dozens of old pictures. Those who took this pioneer diary from obscurity to publication deserve our gratitude, and if you’re at all interested in this area’s history, you need to meet John Lawrence. He’s quite a character.
— Ed Quillen