People

: Charity J. Bowers; Student at Colorado Christian University, graduated December, 2014.

: Charles "Charley" Ela; An early Mesa County pioneer. He was born in New Hampshire to Jacob Hart Ela and Abigail Pearson (Kelley) Ela. His mother’s name as listed in birth records is Abigail Pearson Moore, indicating that she may have been married once before her marriage to Jacob Ela. Charley’s father was a printer and publisher, a depot master, the US Representative for New Hampshire’s First Congressional District, and an auditor in Washington D.C. His mother was a homemaker. According to his great-nephew, William McHarg Ela, Charley came to the Little Dolores River area in 1881 as part of the Palisade Land and Cattle Company, a ranching interest. He seems to have died around 1883 and his brother William Phillips Ela arrived to take his place in the business.

: Charles "Charlie" Arthur Kessinger; A second cousin to Mary Belle (Powers) Plaisted. They married around 1911. The 1920 Census shows Charles as a laborer in a lodging house. They had four sons. According to Mary Belle (Powers) Plaisted's Oral History interview, Charles held a belief that "the world owed him a living". He was not a good provider, and she had to resort to begging and gathering coal by the tracks in order to support she and her children. Charles and Mary divorced on October 10, 1921.

: Charles "Charlie" Burg; The oldest known homesteader in Unaweep Canyon, Colorado. He came in 1881. He was in a US Army regiment stationed in Montrose, Colorado in the 19th century, and was acquainted with the Ute who lived in the area. He was also and early rancher in the area.

: Charles "Charlie" Downing; According to multiple interviewees for the Mesa County Oral History Project, he was the chief of fire for the Grand Junction Fire Department, and lost his arm trying to fight the Grand Junction train depot munitions fire in 1943, when a Denver and Rio Grande train carrying US Army munitions caught fire and shot off several bombs. According to Frank Kreps, who succeeded Downing as the fire chief, Downing retired from the position of fire chief, but as the department could not find anyone suitable as a replacement, he remained the chief on an interim basis for a number of years. He finally retired for good in 1953, and Kreps replaced him in 1954.

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