Laura

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Username:: troutbend
Name:: Laura
Location:: Estes Park, CO
Birthday:: 08/01
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Life & Events > How They Died: Giant Dynamite

How They Died: Giant Dynamite

Today one of my cousins sent me some news clippings from 1897 about the death of our great-grandfather's brother. It's always nice to find out how our relatives died.

Publication:Daily Journal (Telluride, San Miguel County); Date: Jul 15, 1897;
Johnny Ismay Almost Fatally Injured by an Explosion in the Union-Smuggler Mine Last Night

Notice to Red Men

Odd Fellows Attention

The Improved Order of Red Men was a fraternal organization that didn't allow anyone who wasn't a white man as a member. It was an offshoot of The Sons of LIberty (who staged the Boston Tea Party) and its goal was to promote allegiance to the flag and maintain the customs and rituals of the indigenous peoples. Irony there. But it was probably an excuse to get together and drink. And dress up.

Anyhow, prior to these articles, we didn't realize our relative died in Telluride, we thought he died in Michigan. It's a beautiful place to die.

posted on Nov 25, 2012 7:00 PM ()

Comments:

Fascinating find, Laura. As one who is digging into old records looking for family historical records, finding this would be a big deal. Family history is so interesting, and I'm glad your have this rare link to yours.

comment by marta on Nov 26, 2012 5:01 PM ()

My cousin subscribes to Ancestry.com for one month a year and finds things like this.

reply by troutbend on Dec 3, 2012 11:16 AM ()

It is sad that he was injured so badly but I know you are glad to know how
he died. I love family history or actually just history. Everyone should
gather all the information they can about those who have gone before.

comment by elderjane on Nov 26, 2012 4:51 PM ()

I was so glad to find out my great-great grandfather survived the Civil War because if I hadn't known that, every time I read about someone getting killed at the battle of Shiloh, I'd wonder if that was him. He died on a ship headed for the gold fields of Nicaragua. My cousins insist that he is buried in the VA cemetery in Baton Rouge, that the ship turned around and brought his body back, but of course we know they wouldn't do that.

reply by troutbend on Dec 3, 2012 11:14 AM ()

How tragic and so young. That 24 hours before he died must have been awful.

comment by boots586 on Nov 26, 2012 1:11 PM ()

Gosh, yes. I hope he was comatose, but I'll bet he wasn't, and they probably didn't have good painkillers in those days, either.

reply by troutbend on Dec 3, 2012 11:10 AM ()

What a fascinating and tragic story, and he was so young. The bottom photo is absolutely great. As for the Indian aspect, one can't go around thinking everyone who loves to play Indian was part of the great tragedy that decimated Indian life. The early settlers and the fledgling government acted badly toward the indigenous tribes. Progress was going to do it anyway, but distributing blankets infected with smallpox was definitely not moral and it is a chapter we should all be ashamed of.

comment by tealstar on Nov 26, 2012 8:00 AM ()

I think he just liked to hang out with the guys after a hard shift blasting rock at the mine.

reply by troutbend on Nov 26, 2012 11:43 AM ()

A bunch of white guys dress up in Indian wigs and think that they've "improved" on the original??? Can anyone actually look at those ridiculous photos and not laugh in disgust? Sorry, I don't wish to demean the deceased, but "The Improved Order of Red Men" sounds blatantly in line with the slaughter of the indigenous peoples who weren't themselves allowed to maintain their customs and rituals, since they were too busy dying at the hand of the invading white man.

comment by steve on Nov 26, 2012 7:33 AM ()

I'm not assuming anything. They call themselves the IMPROVED Order of Red Men.

reply by steve on Nov 27, 2012 5:48 AM ()

Not to be so outraged -- why do you assume they thought of themselves as "improving" on the original. Maybe they just enjoyed playing dress-up the way kids do who play cowboys and Indians. It wouldn't be the first time grown men couldn't let go of their childhood dream.

reply by tealstar on Nov 26, 2012 3:20 PM ()

Oh, don't get your panties in twist. It is a fraternal lodge type organization, and yes, those old photos look silly, but it's not worth getting all hot and disgusted over. Google it some time.

reply by troutbend on Nov 26, 2012 11:42 AM ()

WOW!

comment by jondude on Nov 26, 2012 6:56 AM ()

It's a corker, isn't it?

reply by troutbend on Nov 26, 2012 11:37 AM ()

comment by kristilyn3 on Nov 26, 2012 6:47 AM ()

No, it's not sad, because now we know where and when and how one of our relatives died. And he wasn't doing anything wrong at the time or in prison, that's always a bonus.

reply by troutbend on Nov 26, 2012 11:36 AM ()

Poor man , he must have suffered a lot before he died no morphine back then

Was a member of the IOOF 50 years ago, at the time they were a benevolent society and you joined them to get free medical attention by paying into their fund at meetings , when i moved to Pt Augusta in 1958 there was no lodge there so i became a non finacial member, then when my mother went into a home at age 80 it was into one of there homes, so they still operate here.
You could be right about those red men using it as an excuse for drinking,
Looking at that photograph, i reckon it could be a bad place to be in when it rained enough to cause flooding, looks like it could act like a funnel from the hills behind

comment by kevinshere on Nov 25, 2012 9:08 PM ()

Looks like they had some heavy rain in 1914 and it caused their creek to flood the city.

reply by troutbend on Nov 26, 2012 11:35 AM ()

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How They Died: Giant Dynamite