LeDonne Family

James V. and Matilda Zarlingo LeDonne of New Castle

             

Rifle Creek Golf Course

A brief bio for Jimmy LeDonne
Peter James LeDonne (aka Pete or Jimmy) was born February 20, 1915, in Grand Junction according to his WWII draft registration.
His parents were James V. and Matilda Zarlingo LeDonne of New Castle. The family moved to Mt. Harris in 1917.
According to one reference, the family returned to Silt in 1929. There they owned and operated the Harvey Gap coal mine. From 1938 to 1942, the senior LeDonme worked for Union Carbide at Nucla.
The younger James married Ina Kathleen Beagles in Rifle on October 31, 1936. They had three children, Teresa, Stephen James, and Sharon. Their daughter Teresa passed away in her childhood at the age of 12.
Ina was born April 6, 1914 in Oklahoma.
From age 2 to 14 James lived at Mt Harris. According to one reference he was playing football at Hayden Union High School in 1931
Then, his parents moved to Silt. At age 20 a document shows he was living in Silt. The next year, 1936, he was married in Rifle.
His daughter Teresa was born in Silt in 1938. The 1940 census has him still in Silt.
However, his 1940 draft registration has him in Uravan employed by United States Vanadium Corp. Sometime after that, James entered military service and served in the Army in WWII. There is a photo of him in his Army uniform captioned 1942 or 1943.
In 1947, James purchased the building at 121 east 3rd where the original Ute Theater had been. The new Ute Theater opened January 1948.
He converted the building into store space and a number of businesses were housed there. He opened his bowling alley in the basement. Just a guess, but maybe they had an apartment upstairs?
In 1951 that building burned. The fire was serious enough that the Vanadium fire department and Glenwood fire departments were called.
That old Ute had itself burned in 1944 then was restored. The original Ute had opened there in 1935. Before that, about 1920, the building had housed the Pastime pool room.
In 1964 the Telegram owners bought the building. LeDonne was one of the principals in the golf course and so he and Kathleen next managed the golf course.
He was a good friend of Mike Cross. When Mike bought out Glover Jewelry, Mike moved that business moved in with the collection of stores at the bowling alley. Soon Mike moved on to the McLearn building.
Back in 1951 when the bowling alley building had burned, the stores there were: Bowling Lanes Mike Cross, Ferns Beauty, and Garfield Electric. It eventually also housed the Chapman's sporting goods store and.Nina',s beauty shop.
The building was rebuilt. A comment remembers the bowling lanes then being main floor.
James passed away December 19, 2000 in Rifle. Ina passed away July 12, 1996 also on.Rifle. They are both burried at Rose Hill.

Yes the Bowling Alley was in the basement

This picture is of Jim LeDonne left and Mike Cross right

 

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