314 E. 2nd Street

Description

Real estate appraisal card. 314 E. 2nd Street, lot 17, block 24, in Salida, Colorado. This house was built in 1901 according to Chaffee County Assessor records. Charles Herman Saunders (b.1872), an employee of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, lived here in 1903 with his wife Elizabeth Luella Redmond Saunders (b.1877). Charles Saunders and Luella Redmond were married in Salida in 1901. Charles was born in Abington, Illinois, arriving in Colorado in 1896. Luella was born in Missouri. By 1910 the Saunders family was living on West 1st Street. Charles Saunders died in June 1918 in a train accident while working as a brakeman on the Montrose passenger run. He fell from his train a mile west of Sargents. The Salida Mail reported, "Mr. Saunders was not missed from the train until fifty minutes later. The train was backed up and he was found lying at the foot of an embankment." At the time of his death he had six sons and one daughter. Mr. Saunders was called "a popular employee of the railroad and a highly esteemed citizen. At the time of his death he lived on a little ranch that he had begun to develop with Guernsey cattle. Elizabeth Luella Saunders left Salida in 1935 and died in November 1976 at the age of 99. In 1906, Leo Welch, a machinist with D&RG, lived at this address. Mr. Welch was born in Texas in 1879. He married Pearl B. Welch, also born in Texas in 1879, in 1900. They had three children together: Helen T. (b.1902), Harriet F. (b.1903), and Katherine F. (b.1905). By 1910, the Welches lived at a different house in Salida. By 1920, Pearl was working as a trained nurse at a hospital, and her daughter Harriet was a switchboard operator for a telephone company. Helen was also living with her sister and mother in that year. Leo was not living with Pearl, Helen and Harriet in 1920, but Pearl was still identified as married. By 1930, Pearl was a widow, living as a lodger along with her daughter Katherine at a rooming house on F Street. During 1930, Pearl was still working as a trained nurse at a hospital. Charles L. and Nina K. Gatchel lived at this home in 1922. David L. and Barbara A. Gatchel also lived here. No occupation was listed for any of them in the city directory. In 1930, Harry E. and Augusta Waggoner resided at this address. Harry (b.1890) worked at and owned Waggoner's Fire Shop, a store specializing in the repair of auto tires. He and Augusta (b.1892) were both born in Colorado. Bert D. and Jean Ronald Murnane lived here in 1951. Bert (b.1910) was a bread distributor for Wonder Bread. The son of Frank and Grace Murnane, Bert was a lifelong resident of Salida, who graduated from Salida High School in 1928. Bert and Jean had a daughter, Patsy Ruth. Bert died of a heart attack in this house in February 1976. He was survived by his wife, Jean, and daughter, Patsy Ruth. History Colorado's Architectural Inventory Forms have more information and are available at the Salida Library.