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GARFIELD
COUNTY, COGENWEB PROJECT
Charles Fravert
Charles Fravert is another notable early
resident, and another Ohioan who moved to Rifle. He was born
April 1860 in Marion Ohio, and in 1878 moved west to
Leadville, then a booming mining town.
February 13,
1887, He married teacher Lucie Peebles from Carbondale, in a
Methodist ceremony. She was 20 years old and was also
originally from Ohio. The wedding took place at Satank which
is basically part of Carbondale.
In 1893 they relocated
to the Glenwood area. He drove the first stagecoach from
Glenwood to Leadville. It is recorded that at one time he
carried Kit Carson but that is unlikely sincre Carson died
in 1868
Fravert also did some prospecting and took a
homestead.
Their daughter Dorothy was born in Glenwood in
1895. The family moved to Rifle by 1900 and he developed a
coal mine which state reports name as the Rifle mine. It
blew up in 1902 killing one miner. He also owned an ice
house in Rifle. He was a founding member of the Rifle
chapter of the Woodmen of the World.
In 1902 he was
appointed by the Governor as water commissioner for district
No. 39. The district consisted of all the lands in Colorado
on the north side of the Grand river from the Roaring Fork
to Rhone (Roan?) creek.
Also in 1902, Fravert was one of
the heroes of the Rifle fire. He climbed to the top of the
Rifle House on a ladder held to the side of the building, I
believe out a window, and fought the blaze from there.
In
Rifle, he was a contractor and built many houses. About
1910, He built the power plant and the electric transmission
line from the falls into Rifle. He also built the lighting
system for the town of Longmont. There is a report that he
built a power plant at Glenwood.
In the 1910 census, he
listed himself as a grader, and he had built the Rio Blanco
side of the government road to Meeker. It is reported his
services were frequently in demand in bridge building and
construction. Both Fravert Reservoir and Fravert Avenue are
named for him.
In 1915 he won a major city of Rifle
contract to extend the waterworks system. In 1918, he ran
for and was elected Garfield County Sheriff at which time
they moved back to Glenwood.
In 1923, they moved to Grand
Junction. In 1929, he was elected president of the Mesa
County Wool Growers' Association.
He passed away in May
of 1949 at 88 years of age.
                 
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