Who were the thousands who were in and out of California Gulch in the 1860s? What were they like? Many of lthe prospectors of those days were rootless individuals, wandering from one discovery to another, staying one season, perhaps coming back another season, taking out enough gold dust and nuggets to last a time. They did not reman in one locality long enough for their names to become associated with or even remembered in the district. So it was in California Gulch, and today not even 100 names can be listed whose owners are known to have been in that region in the '60s. Of the ones who are remembered the charactistics of only a few have been recorded. Authors Dill and Hall have preserved for history sketches on H.A. W. Tabor, Thomas Starr, Charles Mater, Joseph H. Wells, Robert Berry and Dr. Henry Hewitt.

                                  The Carbonate Camp Called Leadville
                                           By Don L. & Jean Harvey Griswold

CHARLES MATER. Charles Mater is thought of as being the man who established the nucleus of the Cabonate Camp called Leadville when he built his store in June of 1877. He had resided in Lake County for 17 years, having come to the area in the spring of 1860 as a miner. It was thought that after having spent much of his time hunting for provisions he decided to open a mercantile business that was more profitable than his mining. He first opened a store in Granite, Lake County, and proved himself to be an enterprising merchant.
Mr. Mater was though of as one of the most civic minded of the early settlers in Lake County. He helped organize the County in 1861. He was postmaster at Granite for 11 years, served 2 years as Justice of the Peace, and one term as County Commissioner. Later he moved to Leadville and built his store and helped organize the town and became a member of the first city council.

ROBERT BERRY. Robert Berry was in the area in the 1860’s. In 1862 he was elected recorder in the Colorado Gulch area of Lake County. He was also connected with the territorial government serving as a U S Marshall and Internal Revenue Collector. In 1863 he was elected to the Territorial Council, resigning his other posts at that time. He was a resident of Leadville in the 1900’s.

DR. HENRY H. HEWITT, M. D. Dr. Hewitt, who like Berry, was still a resident of Leadville in 1900 was a doctor-druggist. He came west in 1860 and operated a drugstore in Denver until 1863 when he moved to California Gulch. In Lake County he divided his time between his practice of medicine and his mining ventures. During the 1860’s he was at one time deputy and deputy Marshall of the southwest territory.
In the fall of 1866 he decided that Lake County was “played out" and moved to the Georgetown mining area. But in 1879, when Leadville became the Carbonate Camp, he returned and renewed his practice and mining interests.

THOMAS STARR. Thomas Starr was born in Ireland in 1835 and came to the United States (Massachusetts) as a boy. In 1858-59 he made a trip to Denver. He was impressed with the area and in 1860 settled in California Gulch where he was engaged in mining. He owned the property know as Starr Placer, which between the years 1860-80 averaged $7,000.00 a year in production.
Tom Starr was one of the few who remained in California Gulch and Leadville through the good times and the bad times. Part of the property was still owned by the family in 1951.
Starr was considered a good mining camp citizen. He spent large amounts of his own money in developing mining property in Lake County and other areas.

JOSEPH H. WELLS. Joseph H. Wells was born in Bedford, England, 30 January 1842. He came to the United States, at the age of 11, stopping for a short time in New York. He moved west to Kansas in 1854 and remained there until 1860. In the fall of 1860, he arrived in California Gulch (which was later to become part of Leadville Colorado). In 1862 he left to serve in the Civil War, returning in 1866; and was engaged in placer mining and prospecting. He had large interests in several of the leading mines in the vacinity of Leadville. Mr. Wells was elected Clerk and Recorder of Lake County, Colorado in 1875, 1877, and 1880. In 1882 he moved to his ranch at Villa Grove, Saguache County, Colorado to raise cattle and horses.

Mr.Wells helped with the exploration of the Arkansas Valley. He was called upon to give advise on mining, and was owner of the Leadville Abstract Office. He was the first in the District to freeze meat to last through the winter. According to published reports, Mr. Wells was highly thought of by the people of the district. Mr. Wells and his wife Mary, had two children, a son Charles was born in Granite, Charles later moved to Denver and was in banking until his death in 1932. He married Charlotte Buena Robins (daughter of Charles Robins, who had moved to Colorado in the 1880's) in 1900, they had three sons, Edward, Don, and Joseph.

Joseph married Joyce Louise Jemison, of Spokane Washington in 1932, they had a daughter Sharon and left the state in 1939.

The other sons remained in the state of Colorado.

These are a few of the people along with Joseph Wells and H.A.W. Tabor who were mentioned in history books. While there may be others these men where found in at least three publications at this time.
Stories of other residents will be added in the future as time permits.

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