Excerpts from 'The Life of Oristus and Talitha Church' Taken from the Diary of Aubrey L Church published in a book 'Bits and Pieces of Olathe History' compiled by Wm & Mary Smith and Ollie & Katherine Veirs. (excellent local history resource!!)
Talitha McNeil was the daughter of Elsie McNeil. Her father, Mr McNeil, had died in South Dakota and Elsie then moved the family to Colorado. Elsie met and married Joseph Sargent. Talitha and her brother left home in their late teens and walked by night to Ouray because of fear of Indians. Talitha got work at Ft Crawford as a cook. She went to a dance in Ridgway and met Oristus Church. He asked her to marry him. Two weeks later at another dance, he asked her again and she accepted. The next week they rode to Columbia (which is now Telluride) and got married. They lived up in the Ouray country until 1882 when the Uncompahgre Valley opened to homesteading. They then moved to Colorow (which is now Olathe). They built their house and their next child, Aubrey, the first white child born in Olathe. In 1885 the family moved to the bottom of Keystone Hill and operated Otto Mear's tollgate there for the next fifteen years. They moved back to Olathe in 1891. After Oristus passed away in 1897, Talitha moved the family to Telluride and washed clothes for the miners at the Smuggler Mine.
Talitha McNeil was the daughter of Elsie McNeil. Her father, Mr McNeil, had died in South Dakota and Elsie then moved the family to Colorado. Elsie met and married Joseph Sargent. Talitha and her brother left home in their late teens and walked by night to Ouray because of fear of Indians. Talitha got work at Ft Crawford as a cook. She went to a dance in Ridgway and met Oristus Church. He asked her to marry him. Two weeks later at another dance, he asked her again and she accepted. The next week they rode to Columbia (which is now Telluride) and got married. They lived up in the Ouray country until 1882 when the Uncompahgre Valley opened to homesteading. They then moved to Colorow (which is now Olathe). They built their house and their next child, Aubrey, the first white child born in Olathe. In 1885 the family moved to the bottom of Keystone Hill and operated Otto Mear's tollgate there for the next fifteen years. They moved back to Olathe in 1891. After Oristus passed away in 1897, Talitha moved the family to Telluride and washed clothes for the miners at the Smuggler Mine.
Excerpts from 'The Life of Oristus and Talitha Church' Taken from the Diary of Aubrey L Church published in a book 'Bits and Pieces of Olathe History' compiled by Wm & Mary Smith and Ollie & Katherine Veirs. (excellent local history resource!!)
Talitha McNeil was the daughter of Elsie McNeil. Her father, Mr McNeil, had died in South Dakota and Elsie then moved the family to Colorado. Elsie met and married Joseph Sargent. Talitha and her brother left home in their late teens and walked by night to Ouray because of fear of Indians. Talitha got work at Ft Crawford as a cook. She went to a dance in Ridgway and met Oristus Church. He asked her to marry him. Two weeks later at another dance, he asked her again and she accepted. The next week they rode to Columbia (which is now Telluride) and got married. They lived up in the Ouray country until 1882 when the Uncompahgre Valley opened to homesteading. They then moved to Colorow (which is now Olathe). They built their house and their next child, Aubrey, the first white child born in Olathe. In 1885 the family moved to the bottom of Keystone Hill and operated Otto Mear's tollgate there for the next fifteen years. They moved back to Olathe in 1891. After Oristus passed away in 1897, Talitha moved the family to Telluride and washed clothes for the miners at the Smuggler Mine.
Talitha McNeil was the daughter of Elsie McNeil. Her father, Mr McNeil, had died in South Dakota and Elsie then moved the family to Colorado. Elsie met and married Joseph Sargent. Talitha and her brother left home in their late teens and walked by night to Ouray because of fear of Indians. Talitha got work at Ft Crawford as a cook. She went to a dance in Ridgway and met Oristus Church. He asked her to marry him. Two weeks later at another dance, he asked her again and she accepted. The next week they rode to Columbia (which is now Telluride) and got married. They lived up in the Ouray country until 1882 when the Uncompahgre Valley opened to homesteading. They then moved to Colorow (which is now Olathe). They built their house and their next child, Aubrey, the first white child born in Olathe. In 1885 the family moved to the bottom of Keystone Hill and operated Otto Mear's tollgate there for the next fifteen years. They moved back to Olathe in 1891. After Oristus passed away in 1897, Talitha moved the family to Telluride and washed clothes for the miners at the Smuggler Mine.
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