This week in history June 3, 1922: Cattle, courts and cars – Summit Daily

This week in history as reported by The Summit County Journal the week of June 3, 1922.

1stherd of cattle crosses range Thursday

A herd of about 230 head of cattle crossed Hoosier Pass Thursday. They came in from South Park country and were on their way to Yampa in Routt County. The cattle made the trip over the pass in good shape and experienced no difficulty in crossing the divide.

The large herd from the Hanks brothers, consisting of about 2,000 head of cattle, is due to cross Hoosier Pass sometime today and should arrive in Breckenridge by evening. They left Villa Grove on last Sunday morning and have been on the way ever since.

Thomas case in district court

The case of the People v. J.W. Thomas in an alleged cattle rustling and killing affair was in district court this week. The people were represented by District Attorney W.H. Luby and Thomas was defended by John T. Bottom of Denver.

Guy Dowling, a son-in-law of Thomas, was the main witness for the state, having implicated himself in the cutting and preserving of the meat and giving it away. He stated that he knew the time that the steer was killed and that the brand, which was Guy Henrys, was cut from the hide.

He took other witnesses to the place where the removed hide was buried and uncovered it. The hide was not in any condition to present as evidence, so the jury had to draw conclusions from verbal evidence.

The cross examination lasted three or four hours, calling for many ranchmen from the lower Blue River Valley as witnesses, some even coming from Kremmling. The prosecution was carried on by the Blue Valley Stockgrowers Association in interest of the cattle industry.

All attorneys presented good arguments, with Bottom evidently making the strongest argument. The jury returned a verdict in less than one hour and Thomas was acquitted. It was not the aim to convict this one man, but to prove that the cattlemen are willing and ready to defend their interests.

Hoosier Pass now easily travelled

Several cars have crossed the range via Hoosier pass this week from both sides, and each day brings in reports of an improved condition in the road. The Park County side has been worked with a grader and is rather soft, but no trouble is experienced getting over the road.

On this side of the range, the snow and ice has entirely disappeared from the road and the shoveled-out drifts have been greatly widened by the quickly melting snow. With only a couple of exceptions, the road is drying up rapidly to the top.

Word of the opening of the pass has spread rapidly and many are now taking advantage of the fact by coming this way. People anxious to get into Grand and Routt counties have been coming through and others who are going to Denver from the Western Slope are now being routed over this way.

Berthoud pass still remains closed and the latest reports are that it will not be opened until sometime the latter part of next week. Efforts will be made to get a team across Sunday, which, if successful, will mean that it may be opened earlier in the week.

Local news notes from all around Summit County

Jefferson Geiger is the arts and entertainment editor for the Summit Daily News and managing editor for Explore Summit. Email him at jgeiger@summitdaily.com.

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This week in history June 3, 1922: Cattle, courts and cars - Summit Daily