Telluride Oral Histories
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Alta Cassietto's Obituary
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An article, located in the Telluride room of the Wilkinson Public Library. The publisher is unknown. This is Alta Cassietto's obituary.
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Alta Cassietto's Oral History Recording
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An oral history recording, between Davine Pera and Alta Cassietto, which took place on February 8, 1990. Here is the transcript:
Alta Cassietto-CD’s 1 and 2
OH25
Disc1
1. Introduction between Pera and Cassietto.
2. How Alta’s father arrived in Telluride.
3. Where her father was born.
4. How Alta’s mother arrived in Telluride.
5. Mother’s brother in Rico, a third sibling all in the area.
6. Her mother arrived in the U.S. with a relative, they were separated before reaching Colorado and her mother was forced to finish the trip alone.
7. Family spent significant time early on in Cedaredge where Alta’s mother had three uncles who offered support.
8. Father worked at the Alta mine through an early Gold King lease. Mentions an archaic hatpin with a gold nugget that was mined by her father and worn by C.D. Wagner’s mother.
9. Discussion of Reno connection and Telluride, the Wagners, Phiefs, and Lu Long.
10. Parents marriage and her birth in Cedaredge during the winter., close to Christmas.
11. Family travels back to Italy, father returns to Telluride alone to work while the rest of the family remains in Italy for seven years.
12. Alta recalls journey by boat from Italy to NYC, speaking not a word of English.
13. Alta speaks of the day the U.S. signed the armistice for World War II as well as the flu epidemic that struck the country. Alta missed an entire year of school.
14. First school memories are shared, including when Nellie Men us married Ballard, a very significant name in the growth of Telluride.
15. Discussion of the relevance to Alta’s name and the history of the mine.
16. Location of the “Old School”, Van Atta was her first grade teacher. Alta mentions the Levenitiz girls.
17. Alta recalls all the different locations her family lived in the Telluride.
18. Alta reveals the changing of the name Ballinger to Ballard and its significance.
19. Their 1940 house was owned buy J. Niccolino and was at one time used as a church. Today, it is the Johnstone Inn.
20. Miner’s Union Hall, labor strike of 1902 and 1903, as well as the Episcopalian Church.
21. All the various churches in Telluride are discussed. The Christian Science Church and the Recreation Hall which is now the Oak St. Inn.
22. Crackaw families, there were two in Telluride, their moves West as mining declined in 1919.
23. Alta’s job at the newspaper in 1927, gathering news and working in the office. Her father’s death in the Carbinero Mine in 1926 prompted the offer as their family was suffering from severe poverty. Mentions Sylvia Lines and Eriksons.
24. Influence that Dad Painter had on developing Alta’s interest in history.
25. Post office history, the various contacts Alta utilized from Painter’s influence. Alta states that these contacts were a great aide in documenting the post office’s history. This is when Alta discovers that she was the first postmistress.
26. Alta recounts an incident when a heavy drinker entered the post office and wanted to mail his horse to Placerville. Mention of P.E. Long and the Express Office.
27. Discussion of why the post office was located in the middle of the saloons on Main St.
28. Alta talks about the mining accident that claimed her father’s life. The month was August. His salary was $3/day. Alta still possesses one of his pay cards in which it reveals that her father worked every single day of that particular month.
29. After his death, their family had only $50. Her mother took to washing and ironing for income. Alta recalls making $75/monrth from the newspaper that, at the time, was printing both a daily and weekly paper.
30. Alta tells of her raise at the newspaper to $100/month and of taking the Postmast exam in Montrose. Out of the five people who took the exam, she was the only female and one of the three who passed.
31. Discussion of the Historical Museum and the collection of items from Painter’s house that live there. Davine and Alta talk about the value of antiques and their significance in the history of the Telluride.
32. Painter’s two hats: the Abstract Company and the newspaper. The Lavendars are mentioned.
33. Nan Leino’s start with the Abstract Company. Discussion of the Commonweal Club and its role in the community.
34. Schedules for the two trains that ran to Telluride, including trips to Rico, Ridgeway, and even Durango.
35. The Galloping Goose and its schedule at the time, including a memory of Alta’s of when she took the Goose to a wedding in Cortez. Discussion of the type of life people led on the mesas, including the Sunshine and Wilson mesas, and the Vanderveers family. Mentions of the “black slide” and the closing of the railroad.
36. Alta recalls some of her favorite times during adolescence. These include mushroom, raspberry, and black currant picking. Originally, in the northern mountains of Italy, her family had been mushroom pickers.
CD2
1. Pera’s discusses her family’s move to Telluride in 1952 and how her parents lived up on Wilson Mesa. Alta mentions Mrs. King and they talk about some of the hardships involved in mesa living.
2. Alta recollects the many dances she attended every Saturday from the age of eighteen and on. Dances were held at the Swede Finn Hall, the Opera House, and the Elks Building.
3. Alta offers information about the quality of school curriculum, courses that were offered, and teachers she had. She specifically mentions her sixth grade class that had a total of 39 students.
4. Alta explains the reasons behind the high school’s decline. Mines began to close, the stock market crash of 1929, and the 1934 depression.
5. Alta talks of her 36-year career in the post office and the changes she witnessed in the mining business. Mining was very much a hot and cold industry. For example, during war years, metals were needed and mining increased. The post office was also used as a bank where countless money orders were issued.
6. Alta discusses the various forms of live music used for the Saturday night dances. They hired orchestras and band from all over the region as well as local artists. One band came all the way from Paonia. One local band was affectionately called the “Footwarmers”.
7. Alta discusses the strengths and talents of the 1925 Telluride class. E. Rella is a particular highlight for his musical and theatrical talents and his later successes in Rome. The basketball team was also spectacular.
8. Discussion of the two Telk boys who later became post office inspectors. Perino’s Silver Bell grocery store which is now Ace Hardware and the two sisters from Telluride who were talented violinists and went to the San Francisco orchestra after graduation.
9. Alta reminisces about the old opera house in the railroad building. There were actually two opera houses in town and it was here that Alta witnessed her first circus.
10. Alta describes the various establishments that all lived on the same block in Telluride. They included: Chicago Store for dry goods, barber shop, tailor, theatre, newspaper, Abstract Company, a restaurant and one of the opera houses.
11. Mention of family businesses: Pekkarine, Goldsworthy, Perino. Alta talks of old ticket stubs from Pete Perino’s grocery store which today is the Toggery.
12. Alta explains the exodus of people from Telluride when silver dropped. Some went to Durango for ironworks while others relocated to California.
13. Discussion about the two mortuaries in town; the first located across from Rose’s and the second up on the East End of town affectionately referred to as “Swamp Land”. Alta mentions when Hunter bought this land.
14. Mention of the cigar factory in town, directly behind the post office.
15. Alta talks of the newspaper office and what it meant to her to work there from 1927-1934. Then about her term as postmaster and her retirement in 1970. She worked 43 years at the post office and reflects on the changes of the town and its people.
16. 1905 was the height of population in Telluride as all mines were running. There were wooden sidewalks. Alta pays tribute to the amazing work ethic of the miners who often did not see the light of day for weeks at a time while digging underground.
17. Alta comments on the tragedies, crimes, past-time in the saloons, hurly girls, the opera house and the “Mules Skinners Ball”.
18. Susan Karcher, the town’s seamstress, did all the costumes for the ball and the “ladies on the line”. Alta points out that these women where respected in the community. Notes that Alquist takes as lady from the line as his second wife.
19. Alta discusses the Tomkins Christy Hardware store, today the Excelsior Café, Jewish women, the Oberts who was the town’s druggist and his wife who was a pianist.
20. Ballards various homes around Telluride, Alta talks of her sister’s death, and mention the Miner’s Union Building.
21. Alta mentions her brother Bert who enlisted in the services and how he managed to become a typist for the army.
22. Alta explains the circumstances around the shooting death of Mr. Baisch, mentions Frank Wilson and C.D. Waggoner.
23. Alta talks of highgrading, boot-legging of whiskey, and robberies.
24. Alta again mentions the two sisters who traveled to the San Francisco Orchestra. Their names, Aurora and Alba, both mean sunrise.
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Art Inama's Oral History Recording
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An oral history recording, that probably took place in 1979. This was side A of a cassette tape, owned by the Wilkinson Public Library, in Telluride, Colorado. The interviewer was Joy L. Poole.
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