Where was Flues, Colorado located?
- by Rory
- Jan 18, 2017
- 9 min read
My great grandmother told my family that she was born in Flues, Colorado. I've yet to find Flues on a census, and attempting to Google "Flues" yields, well, flues. Chimney flues.
So I Google searched "Flues, Colorado", and "near Flues" + Colorado, to see what other mentions of the town there have been. Not including my granny's obituary, which was written by my family, here's what I found:
"W. A. Miller and family went to Flues, Colorado, the first of the week. They expect to spend the winter there." - Saturday, 30 Oct 1915 · The Clayton News from Clayton, New Mexico · page 2 · newspapers.com · Accessed Jan 17, 2017
"Mr. and Mrs. Stanley McKellar, of Flues, Colorado, former residents of Clayton, were here Tuesday." Saturday, April 15, 1916 · The Clayton News from Clayton, New Mexico · Page 13 · newspapers.com · Accessed Jan 17, 2017
"Roll of Honor... Mrs. Harry Hulse, Flues, Colorado, by Lee Hulse, Flues... Edgar Bogue, Flues, Colorado." Thursday, May 11, 1916 · The Beaver Herald from Beaver, Oklahoma · page 5 · newspapers.com · Accessed Jan 17, 2017
"Moore with Harry Hulse and family were here this week. They drove from Flues, Colorado, their present home, and are visiting Mr. Hulse's father in the Sunset community." · July 6, 1916 · The Beaver Herald from Beaver, Oklahoma · Page 1 · newspapers.com · Accessed Jan 17, 2017
"Shirley Moore and F.M. Strubel are home from Flues, Colorado where they have been working in the mines for some time." Thursday, January 25, 1917 · Haswell Herald from Haswell, Colorado · Page 1 · coloradohistoricnewspapers.org · Accessed Jan 17, 2017
"Cecil Leon Clubb (son of Robert Earl Clubb and Grace Emma Miller) was born September 18, 1917 in Flues, Colorado, and died June 16, 1967 in White Salmon, Washington." The George F. Schanz Jr. Family of Sunnyside, Washington: Information about Cecil Leon Clubb · Accessed Jan 17, 2017
"Robert Ray Robbs... Born in Flues, Colorado, USA on 1919 to Clyde Tillman Robbs and Florence June Russell." Robert Ray Robbs (1919 - 1934) · ancestry.com · Accessed Jan 17, 2017
"Alvin Ingham Burwell / birt: 25 SEP 1921 / plac: Near Flues, Colorado" Untitled Website · Accessed January 17, 2017
Reading of people working in the mines in Flues, something finally occurred to me. What if the community had been nicknamed for the rock formations? Perhaps there were rock formations which looked remarkably like chimney flues, hence the miners' nickname for the area.
Granny's family lived in Precinct 55, Las Animas, Colorado in 1920. I considered perhaps Precinct 55 was the same as Flues. Alas, Precinct 55 was seemingly known as Walker, up until 1920. According to my own notes, it appears Precinct 55 was known as Patt in 1930. Patt is another missing town. Though it appears Great Western Railway ran through the town. Trying to get a better image in my mind as to where they'd lived, I searched for a map of Las Animas County from 1920. I found a single map on a now defunct, cached and archived website. The map can be seen below.
I decided to type "Flues, Las Animas, Colorado" into Ancestry.com and pulled up some results in U.S., Appointments of U. S. Postmasters, 1832-1971. Here is a record wherein post masters and their appointments are listed from 1915 to 1926. The window of time for Flues' existence is even wider than it seemed!
The names and dates of appointment found on this record are:
William L Gamble, 26 Aug 15 Paul B Acker, 26 Jun 17 Court K Vanordetrand, 29 Nov 20 & 28 Sep 25? George W Towman, 29 Aug 22 Louis Bower, 14 Dec 23 Mrs Elzara Bower, 31 May 24 John B Rutledge, 6 Mar 25 T? Ella Smith, 3 Oct 25 Mrs. Susie L Corndison, 22 Nov 26
Flues was listed between Coloflats, which is now known as Branson, and Dalerose, another missing town. Dalerose Mesa, a summit, was listed at 37°09'06"N, -103°27'08"W, in on October 13th, 1978 in the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) and can now be found here. Other settlements listed on the page include Abeyta, Atwell, Brodhead, Alcreek, Buster, and Tobe.
Abeyta is an extinct town that can be found listed in the GNIS as a populated in Las Animas County, entered into the system on October 13th, 1978 with a latitude of 37°04'47"N and longitude of -104°11'11"W.
There isn't anything by the name of Atwell in Las Animas county listed in the GNIS. Googling the name doesn't seem to pull up anything but people with Atwell as a surname. Atwell is not listed on any census on Ancestry.com, either.
The Alcreek rural post office was located about eight miles southeast of Tobe, and was in operation from 1916 to 1935, according to Name Places on the Colorado Prairie by Ray Shaffer. According to someone in the Las Animas County Genealogy forum, "Several individuals completing the WWI registration in Las Animas County, Co. listed Alcreek. Co. as their place of residence. It is my understanding that nothing remains to positively locate the site but if you draw a line northeast from Branson to where it intersects U.S. 160 you would be fairly close."
Brodhead Canyon, a valley, is listed at 37°24'40"N, -104°40'37"W in the GNIS. Brodhead itself is now a ghost town, "about 2.25 miles (3.6 km) north of Aguilar on the western side of Interstate 25 approximately 18 miles (29 km) north of the town of Trinidad." It was another site for coal mining. Typing Brodhead into Google Maps pulled up an option for "Broadhead Mine". This happens to match the same coordinates. Thanks, Google! If you keep scrolling down, you'll see screengrabs from Google Maps showing the rotting foundations of what were likely the homes of residents in Brodhead.
My search for Buster, Colorado turned up nothing except for a brief mention of a family's residence there in a family history book.
Tobe, Colorado still exists, and was listed in the GNIS as a populated place at 37°13'09"N, -103°36'42"W on October 13th, 1978.
I plugged as many of these locations as I could into Google Maps to help visualize.
While doing so, it occured to me I should probably Google search the phrase "near Flues" and "Colorado". The names and dates are most important. Here is what I found:
"Mrs. Mayme Holmes of this city received word last week that her mother-in-law, Mrs. Martha M. Holmes, had died at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Gay Hodges, near Flues, Las Animas county, Colorado, and had been buried on a claim which she was proving up." · Wednesday, September 19, 1917 · Barber County Index from Medicine Lodge, Kansas · Page 1 · newspapers.com · Accessed Jan 17, 2017
"35 Years Ago This Week (From the Star of June 1, 1917.) Bob Platt and Russell Hodges went to Colorado last Friday, taking a load of furnishings to their claims near Flues, Colo. Mr. Platt returned Wednesday with his wife and children, who had been holding down the claim." Friday, May 30, 1952 · The Western Star from Coldwater, Kansas · page 2 · wss.stparchive.com · accessed Jan 17, 2017
Then I attempted a search for "Flues, Colo".
"Seth French Ingham was born at Osweco [sic], New York, June 14 1849 and died at his home near Glencoe Oklahoma, Dec. 26, 1916 aged 67 years 6 months, and 12 days...To this union thirteen children were born, six of who are living,...Mrs. Mattie J. Burwell of Flues, Colo." Descendants of Seth French Ingham - genealogy.com - Accessed Jan 17, 2017
"Roll of Honor:... Edgar Hogue, Flues, Colo." Thursday, January 18, 1917 The Beaver Herald from Beaver, Oklahoma · Page 10
"R. M. Piatt, Flues, Colo." Wednesday, February 12, 1919 Barber County Index from Medicine Lodge, Kansas · Page 4
"618 MEMBERS OF THE A. V. M. A... Platt, R. M., Flues, Colo." [Note: There are addresses included for many others listed, but not for R.M.] Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Vol. 52, 1918, Chicago, Illinois, USA
"MARRIAGE LICENSES...Nettie Roark, Flues, Colo...27" The Enid Events. (Enid, Okla.), Vol. 25, No. 38, Ed. 1 Thursday, June 27, 1918
"Don Bentura Guará, respetable y laborioso taoseño, regresó de Flues, Colo, el miércoles" - [Translation: "Don Bentura Guará, respectable and hardworking taoseño (resident of Taos), returned from Flues, Colo, on Wednesday."] Friday, July 27, 1917 La Revista popular de Nuevo Mexico from Taos, New Mexico · Page 8
"In 1917 [Gladys Mauck Van Ordstrand] taught in the Reno County High School at Nickerson and in 1920 in Flues, Colo. In 1923 she began teaching at Ashland...2" Friday, January 19, 1968 The Emporia Gazette from Emporia, Kansas · Page 3
"In 1917 she taught in the Reno County High School in Nickerson and in 1920 in Flues, Colo. In 1923 she began teaching at Ashland..." The Emporia Gazette (Emporia, Kansas) 20 Dec 1974, Fri Page 1 [Note: Yes, this looks like a reprint. This article can be seen below.]
"Baxter Enlo of Flues, Colo., is a guest at the O. P. Quillen home" Thursday, July 29, 1920 The Liberal Democrat from Liberal, Kansas · Page 10
"Called to the Colors: Twenty-five Beaver county men have entrained the past week for training camp. Those who left Thursday, August 1st, were:... Geo. Maltbie, Flues, Colo." Thursday, August 8, 1918 The Beaver Herald from Beaver, Oklahoma · Page 1
"Confesses Car Theft: Harry Martln, held in Jail at Ft. Morgan, Colo., charged with violation of the postal laws, has confessed to having stolen a Dodge, touring -car belonging to John Yeagor of Larued, which was recovered near Flues, Colo., by Undersheriff Jennings and Mr. Yeasor a, couple of months ago. Martin, who has a half dozen alias names, says In his confession that ho and a man named Callahan stole tho Dodge car- at Lamed nhont March 1st, last, and drove It to Kluea^C'nlo., where Callahan sold It to JHB, Murray, giving Martin $200 of the sale money." Monday, December 18, 1922 The Hutchinson News from Hutchinson, Kansas · Page 2
"PONIES AND WAGON OF HUTCHINSON MEN FOUND Colorado Farmers Form Searching Parties for Bodies- Letter Tells News. News of the drowning of Ilert Sutton, and his father, J. ,1. Sutton, near Springfield, Colo., is told in the letter received by Stella Dunston, of 424 Third ii venue east, from her brother- in-law, Ernest Hurwell, of Flues, Colo., close to where the accident occurred. It was written Friday, August 25. The letter states that news of the drowning of the two men was sent to the sheriff, who immediately wired Hutchinson and also started an investigation. The ponies and a few other articles were recovered and the wagon,-which had been washed four miles lines of bettor training for Hie bar, I clown Butte creek at tho time the hut the progress Is very slow and the j men were drowned, was also found. A pressure, for brio!' and easy ways to i trunk, a pair of shoes and other artl- got a license to practice is continuous, des were discovered and a juniper - was found la a tree. On that day the creek was going down and neighbors were watching." Wednesday, August 30, 1916 The Hutchinson News from Hutchinson, Kansas · Page 10
Alphabetical List of Post Offices.: Flues, Colo. is listed. - United States Official Postal Guide, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1925, p711
"Ethan Allen LUKE was born July 2, 1860 in Williams County, Ohio and passed away July 3, 1929 at his home in Los Angeles, Calif...Only a few fathers have the large number of children he and his wife leave behind. They are... Thomas W. and Jonathan B. of Flues, Colo." - Ethan Allen Luke, Sr. - findagrave.com
"Mrs. J. P. McDermott was called to Flues, Colo., Tuesday where her brother is very ill." Thursday, June 28, 1928 St. Clair Chronicle from St. Clair, Missouri · Page 4
The next obvious step after combing the internet for mentions of Flues is to look into the people who resided and/or worked there, one by one, to help triangulate its location. But before doing so, I decided to take a peek around Mesa De Maya on Google Maps, satellite view to see if I could find something that looked like a ghost town. But of course, I'm not sure what to look for, so I peeked near Broadhead Mine instead. Following the road between Brodhead Canyon and Adobe Canyon, I recognized the remains almost immediately:
Eerie. Well, now I know what to look for!
My next step will be seeing if I can find some of these coordinates, or nearby coordinates, in the GNIS. Extremely tangential, but by process of elimination (finding names for each site) I can determine which are absolutely not the mines I'm looking for. I consulted the Mineral Resources On-Line Spatial Data, and the modern sites aren't even listed. My guess is they're private wells.
So I still don't know where Flues was, but I think I at least have a good start.
According to two marriage certificates in Colorado Statewide Marriage Index, 1853-2006 found on familysearch.org, Flues was located in Baca County. The certificates are dated 1916 and 1921.
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