Johannes O. and Annie H. Johnson
Johannes proved up a quarter in 34, 6N 49W in 1893.
Maybe the John Johnson born Nov 1847 in Sweden, married 22 years in 1900
Logan County to Annie H. Johnson, also born in Sweden. They have
Carrie, 18, Iowa, Annie 12 and Minnie 10, both Nebraska, and sons John C. 9 and
Shorley 4, both Colorado.
In 1910 Weld County, Anna is widowed, 55, and with her are John C. 19,
Sherley 14, and Anna 23 - a teacher.
John Christopher Johnson registered with a Greeley address, saying he was
born Feb 25, 1891 near Sterling, Colorado, married, and was teaching at the
State Teachers College.
Shirley Arthur Johnson registered with a Greeley address, born March 8, 1896
at Sterling.
John F. Meyer and Maggie M. Johnson married May 31, 1914, recorded in Logan
County.
In 1920 Atwood precinct, Logan County, Maggie M. Meyer is 36, married to John
F. Meyer 43. They have Edna G. 4, John K. 2, Sophia A. nine months, and
brother Shirley A. Johnson, 23, is living with them.
Walter B. Daniels and Anna G. Johnson married Jun 12, 1926, recorded in
Denver.
1929 Greeley "Shirley Johnson, a brother of Mrs. Walter Daniels, and John
Meyer, her brother-in-law were overnight guests at the Daniels' home Thursday
night. The men were en route to Denver with a truck load of lambs from their
home in Sterling."
In 1940 Shirley is 44, living with sister Maggie Meyer, 56 and her son John
K. Meyer, 22.
FindaGrave # 65225013 has Shirley A. Johnson 1897-Dec 1, 1942 buried in
Greeley. Anna H. Johnson 1854-1935, spouse John Christopher Johnson
1847-1909, and son John Christopher Johnson 1891-1973 are also buried there.
In September of 1911 a man by the name of John C.
Johnson was riding a narrow gauge train over the
continental divide at Marshall pass, his first trip to
the western slope. He was on his way to Gunnison,
Colorado to help start the Colorado State Normal School
at Gunnison. Originally a school with the sole purpose
of training students to become teachers, the Normal
School has since evolved into Western State College.
Not only was John C. Johnson instrumental in the
history of Western State, but he underwent his own
evolution through the years he spent in Colorado, and
the impact he made on the Gunnison valley in general,
and Gothic in particular, has been huge.
Far from having an academic family history, John C.
Johnson was born to Swedish immigrants living in a house
made of sod on the eastern plains of Colorado. While I
have friends who have an earnest passion for
reconstructing the lifestyle of poor farmers, I'm sure
that young Johnson was eager to escape the life of toil
in agriculture that wedded people to the land. Of
course, the son of a farmer wouldn't be used to having
things in life handed to him easily, and John C. Johnson
took the lessons of hard work he learned from his family
and applied them routinely to his life in academia. In
1911, after graduating from the Normal School in Greely,
Johnson hopped on a train to Gunnison to start another
school. On September 12, the Normal School at Gunnison
was fully operational.
Now, "fully operational" a century ago meant something a
little different than it does today. Today, Western
State College has a huge campus, a proud (but losing)
football team, and many other organized sports teams.
They offer classes in Holistic Shamanism and Outdoor
Recreation, as well as your more conventional standards
like Business or English. In 1911, the doors opened to
13 students. Sports teams were non-existent, and terms
like Holistic Shamanism probably didn't even exist in
the English language. John C. Johnson was instrumental
in changing all of that.
He started with the sports teams. Within two years, he
personally organized the first basketball team and
football team. Johnson rented an old church and
converted it into a gymnasium, since for strange and
complicated reasons the gymnasium at the college had a
ceiling only eight feet high. How the engineers of the
late 19th/early 20th century could build a
transcontinental railroad, but fail to make a gymnasium
big enough to actually play sports in is something that
confuses and perversely delights me. In any case, the
problem allowed Johnson to exercise his brain and his
social skills while looking for a way to exercise the
body. Johnson, also the coach of the school's fledgling
teams, somehow managed to obtain everything the school
needed for a sports program; from a building, to
backboards, to opponents. Also immediately popular, and
foreshadowing the eventual economy of the Gunnison
valley, was the ski team Johnson started in January of
1912.
Between 1911 and 1928, Johnson served as coach, faculty,
and then dean of the Colorado State Normal School, which
became Western State College in 1923. Also during that
time, Johnson made the trek up to Gothic, and fell in
love with the East River Valley. He had been operating
the Rocky Mountain Biological Station in Taylor canyon,
under the supervision of Western State College. By
1927, however, the political climate in Colorado was
changing, and due to a change in leadership in both the
state and the school, Johnson found himself a target of
the Ku Klux Klan, and both his position at Western
State, and the RMBS were terminated. These were dark
times for Western State College, but out of them came
the birth of the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in
Gothic.
Having learned the pratfalls of being involved in an
institution that was subject to the whims of policy and
politics, Johnson was determined to continue his work in
biology free from the fetters of a government funded
institution. In 1928, with the help of his wife, Vera
Adams Johnson, he started renting some buildings from
Garwood Judd (who may or may not have had the right to
rent them) in Gothic, and established the Rocky Mountain
Biological Laboratory. With Aute Richards, A.O. Weese,
and L.A. Adams, John and Vera Johnson incorporated the
lab, and began the exciting, but often tedious work of
documenting the biological processes that occurred in
the high mountain valley. Through the years, Johnson
put much of his own money into the non-profit lab,
buying standing buildings and renovating them, building
new laboratories and cabins, and conducting painstaking
research. While for most of its history, the lab has
been hanging by a financial thread, Johnson's spirit of
putting his own sweat, blood, and money into the lab has
persisted to this day. As recent as a decade ago
(before complicated building code regulations were being
enforced) researchers and staff would still come
together to build the newest house, outhouse, or
community structure that was needed.
Johnson, by the way, returned to Western State College
in 1966 after a 38 year absence. He died in 1973.
The Gothic town site was
established in 1879 following a silver strike up
Copper Creek in what is now the Maroon
Bells-Snowmass Wilderness area. The town grew
rapidly and within two years contained as many
as 3000 residents. The town of Gothic had a
brief life and was fading into oblivion. In
1928, Dr. John C. Johnson formerly of Western
State College, with others founded the Rocky
Mountain Biological Laboratory on the town site,
purchasing several of the buildings and land.
Initially the Lab used many of the original
buildings from the mining days as laboratories,
classrooms and dormitories. Over the years RMBL
has developed a reputation as one of the leading
terrestrial field stations in the world. Each
summer 150 scientists and students conduct
research and classes. Seven buildings in the
town site have been designated for their
historical value including the Gothic Town Hall,
Swallow’s Nest, Ore House, Mammal Lab, Barclay
Cabin, Mc Cloud Cabin, and the Richards Cabin.
Mary Eleann Linvill 1879-1972 # 56337220 and Horace Chase Linvill
are buried in Sterling. They were married April 21, 1912, recorded in
Logan County.
Mary E. Linvill owned a
property west of Sterling,
between County Road 27 and
25, which she willed to the
Rocky Mountain Biological
Labratory, in Crested Butte.
Linvill's wish was to have
it held under her name, the
Mary Johnson Linvill Botany
Research Preserve.
It's kind of a rugged
property with rough terrain.
The property was natural
prairie, it's never been
plowed or tilled and remains
in the same condition it was
before Colorado was settled.
Linvill wanted the property
to remain the same to
provide an opportunity for
botanists, biologists and
nature lovers to study a
portion of the Great Plains
as it existed in its natural
state.
The Rocky Mountain
Biological Lab has owned the
property since the 1970s,
they have erected a memorial
marker in Crested Butte for
her, but since Crested Butte
is so far away they feel
like they aren't doing
justice for the property.
"Basically they wanted to
give it to us, but they're
not sure how they can do
that legally since it was
willed to them,"
The city has made the
decision that they will hold
the property the same way
Linvill wanted it to be held
and included it as a part of
the PLR department.
"It could be used as a
museum outlet where classes
could go out and see what
the prairie looked like when
the wagon trains were coming
through and all of those
things,"
Many of Linvill's items,
including her wedding dress,
are now at the Overland
Trail Museum.
The laboratory's attorney
said they think that because
the city is going to hold it
under the conditions of the
will, it can just be an
exchange.
Right now the attorney is
right now drawing up a
resolution for the city
council to vote on, saying
the city would accept the
donation of the property and
keep it under the outline of
the will. The attorney is
also researching what the
courts will require for that
transfer.
"It's very exciting, that
we can have this piece of
natural prairie land that we
can take school groups to or
inform people about and they
can go out and explore,"
The house, machinery, and
other items mentioned in
Linvill's will are no longer
there. |
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Carrie Nellie (Johnson) Olson -1882-1973 # 48396246 and Henry Roy Olson are
buried in Haxtun.
Walter Blaine Daniels probate was in Weld County court in 1972.Anna G.
Daniels (Dec'd); Milliken, Colo., Wife. (The Administrator is Harold L. Daniels,
son.
FindaGrave has Walter B. Daniels 1884-1971 and Anna G. 1886-1972 buried in
Greeley # 65218670
"Mrs. Anna G. Daniels of Rt. 1 Milliken. Mother of Harold L. Daniels of
Milliken. Sister of Mary Lindville of Sterling, Carrie Olson, of Haxtun, and
John C. Johnson of Denver. Services 2:30 p.m. Thursday 1 from the Adamson
Memorial Chapel. Interment Linn Grove Cemetery." January 4,
1972 Greeley Tribune
Back to Logan County Biographies.