People

: John Otto; John Otto was the primary advocate and force behind the creation of the Colorado National Monument. During the winter, he broke trails on the Monument. In the summer, he worked under the direction of Grand Mesa National Forest supervisor Ray Peck on the Grand Mesa, breaking the Wild Rose Trail and other trails. He also served as the Colorado National Monument's first park custodian, and was an acquaintance of George Vernon "Vern" Wood and Darwin Burford. Burford met Otto in 1923 when he had sheep on Glade Park. At this time, Burford was using the Liberty Cap Trail in the Colorado National Monument for his sheep and John Otto "caused a ruckus" about it and wrote to the Department of the Interior to make Burford stop using the trail. Around World War I, Otto organized a donation campaign of buffalo nickels to bring buffalo to Mesa County. He also secured funds from the Grand Junction Elks Lodge to bring Elk to Monument Canyon. The Elk left and established herds on Pinon Mesa, and then on the Uncompahgre. According to rancher Donald “Don” Rogers, Otto fancied himself a game warden and would try to intervene in cases of poaching. According to Dorothy Beard and Marjorie Likes, whose family homesteaded in the area, Otto believed that he had eradicated rattlesnakes from the Monument. He offered a bounty to anyone who could bring a dead rattlesnake and proved him wrong. *Public domain photograph of John Otto on the Colorado National Monument.

: John P. Kettle; He was born in Indiana to Stephen V. Kettle, a farmer and teamster, and Elizabeth Kettle, a homemaker. He grew up there and in Nebraska. He married Osa Nannette Cox on November 8, 1899. They moved to the Pear Park area of Mesa County, Colorado in 1907, where he grew apples and pears.

: John Peep; He was born John Pepe to Italian immigrant parents. He was an early Twentieth century cowboy and rodeo rider. He worked on Joe Pace's ranch at Westwater on Pinon Mesa. Brother of Joseph "Joe" Peep. Son of Giuseppe "Joseph" Pepe.

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