Review by Martha Quillen
Colorado history – April 1997 – Colorado Central Magazine
Eccentric Colorado – A Legacy of the Bizarre & Unusual
by Kenneth Jessen
Pruett Publishing
ISBN 0-87108-682-4
Here’s a book of strange tales about offbeat characters, con men, and tall tales, where Central Colorado is amply represented. Fully a third of these happenings took place in our area. And although I’d heard about most of these events, Jessen always included something I’d never heard.
The author has a knack for reporting unusual and interesting tidbits. In his tale about Snippy, the San Luis Valley Horse reputed to be mutilated by aliens, he includes a letter sent to Dr. Adams, the CSU Veterinary College examiner who investigated the incident and reported the horse had died of an infection in its right flank. The letter to Dr. Adams said:
“I have been exhaustively studying the phenomena known as “flying saucers” now for five years. True there have been many false reports, but from the knowledge I now possess, I think you are being paid by the Air Force (Blue Coats) to debunk the saucer theory.
“My only question is this: How much are they paying you, or is there some other type of pressure they are bringing to bear.”
Just as he does in this Snippy extract, in his other stories Jessen also manages to relate incidents with brevity, and show the emotions and conflicts they generate succinctly. Few of his stories are more than a few pages long, and many aren’t that lengthy.
Eccentric Colorado includes a tale about the Sand Dunes that was new to me, several stories about colorful characters in Leadville, a short anecdote about foul weather in South Park, an item about Frank Gimlett of Arbour-Villa, and a lot of other lore. Among the stories, there are numerous accounts of elaborate frauds and practical jokes — where the author easily explains such things as how P.T. Barnum and his friends created a cement petrified man that fooled two noted professors.
Some of Jessen’s tales are merely bizarre, but many are downright funny. Eccentric Colorado is fast and fun, and would make a great gift — since it’s general enough to appeal to most anyone. And if a reader doesn’t like one story, there’s always another.
–Martha Quillen