Historical Society Note: This biography of Jacob Schmidt and Family would never have surfaced if it were not for this Web Site, which descendents of many, even of the earliest, Colorado City Pioneers, in their geneological online research, have found, communicated with society members, filled in gaps, and given us stories, photos, artifacts, and biographies of the before and after lives of their relatives who were in Colorado City. Facts and perspectives no local historians had ever unearthed over the last 140 years.

The Jacob Schmidt Family of Colorado City

by

Catherine Dymkoski

Jacob, Henry, Louise, (deceased Reinhold painted in), Bertha

Jacob Schmidt Family History

Jacob Schmidt and Bertha Braun were early residents of Colorado City, who arrived in the United States just before the turn of the century. Jacob arrived in New York City on August 28, 1883 via Hamburg, Germany and Le Havre, France on the SS Hammonia. Bertha arrived in the United States sometime in 1884.

Jacob Schmidt was a resident of Colorado City area about 1888 until 1913. He was born Johann Jakob Schmidt in Heiningen, Germany, on January 3, 1865. He died in Fremont County, Colorado, at 49 years of age. It’s not known how he came to Colorado. He was a merchant most of his life. It’s believed he learned the baking craft from a relative living in Ohio before he emigrated to Colorado.

Jacob’s wife, Bertha (Verena) Braun, was a resident of Colorado City from about 1888 until her death in 1950. She was born in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, on October 16, 1854. She died in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on August 22, 1950 at 96 years of age. She was 11 years older than her husband, Jacob. It’s said that Bertha came to the United States as a governess for a wealthy family who are believed to have settled in Monterey, California. But this hasn’t been established as fact.

It’s not known whether either of them became United States citizens.

It’s also not known how Jacob and Bertha met, or when and where they were married. They had four children, one of which died in infancy. Another child, a boy named Reinhold, died at the age of seven (7) years. Their remaining children, Henry Schmidt and Louisa (later called Louise) Schmidt, lived full and productive lives.

Jacob and Bertha owned a bakery in Leadville, Colorado - a silver camp. The bakery had an adjoining small residence (about 20 ft. x 30 ft.). While in Leadville their oldest child, Henry was born (September 11,1887). It’s not certain whether or not their daughter, Louise, was born here as well (December 24, 1890). A family story relayed was that Bertha delivered her daughter, Louise, on Christmas Eve, and then went to work the next day to accommodate walk-in customers. Jacob and Bertha eventually left Leadville for better business opportunities in Colorado City.

Jacob and Bertha bought a bakery in Colorado City at 516 Colorado Avenue (now 2516 West Colorado Avenue), called the “City Bakery”. (Letter from Henry to his uncle Rudolph Schmidt, dated March 29, 1956)

The Bakery. Jacob is at Screen Door 516 West Colorado Avenue, Colorado City Joe Krantz, in other Colorado City photographs identified as owning Star Loans is at left. The 7th to right is Jack Gillespie, barber shop owner. In other Colorado City photos they are identified collectively as the Colorado City Swells

According to Jacob’s son, Henry, “…Father sold the bakery along in 1896 and bought a saloon with a Louie Rumph, whom he later bought out and then continued in the saloon until prohibition.” (Letter from Henry to his uncle Rudolph Schmidt, dated March 12, 1956)

First Saloon Building. Jacob is right of tree. This was at 612 Colorado Avenue, location is today 2613 Colorado Avenue. Even numbers in the 1890s were on South Side of the Avenue. Evens Switched to North Side in 1910s

Bertha Schmidt, was a Christian Scientist, and detested the saloon business. It’s said that she would not accept any money from it. It’s unknown, though, how she made her money. It’s believed the saloon may have included a “genteel” area for families where they could eat meals while the husband had a beer at the bar. Jacob would have been bartender and Bertha was apparently, the baker/cook. (Note: A ledger of Henry’s personal expenses and income were written on stationery of the Zang Brewing Company.)

Here is very rare two sided Advertising Card made for the Saloon soon after the new building was built in 1904. The card was only located and won at auction on Ebay in 2008.

Building Today

The location of Jacob Schmidts Saloon and Beer Hall today. Built by Jacob in 1904 next to the original site of his first saloon at 612 Colorado Ave. In fact part of that building is visible on the right of the advertising card. It carries the name "Pikes Peak Family Liquor House" and in 1906 its proprietor was names Stine. That building no longer exists.

The brick building is an outstanding sample of brick and decorative iron Victorian Architecture. It was used as an apartment house in the 1960s and 70s. It is today a commercial building at 2611 West Colorado Avenue. The Beer hall was in two long rooms on the first floor, gambling was on the 2d Floor, Beer Coolers were in the basement. The notorious Red Light District was across the alley to the south facing Cucharras Street. And the Denver and Rio Grande narrow guage railway tracks were also on Cucharras Street. The Colorado City passenger stop was right at the 6th Street corner close to Jake's Saloon, delicatessan and restaurant. Everyone going to or from Cripple Creek during its heyday had to stay overnight in Colorado City and take the Midland Train the next morning. Thus business was good in the Schmidt Building.

Inside 'Jake's Saloon and Beer Hall.' Jacob is on the right. ( Joe Fairbanks in background) It also, according to an 1890's Polk Directory and the Advertising Card, a German Delicatessan - which was probably operated by Bertha. It was, and still is, a large building.

Jacob Schmidt's Souvenir Wooden Beer Mugs, given away around Christmas, together with other gambling paraphenalia the Old Colorado City Historical Society collected over the years and now displayed in its History Center/Museum. The Wooden mugs are valuable collector's items today.

Jacob’s business appeared to be thriving. Around 1900, he bought the former "Love" home at 931 Colorado Avenue (now 2932 West Colorado Avenue). The home is now gone, but it was a large two-story home with stone and wrought iron fencing around their acre of land. They owned that for perhaps 17 years.

This home called by a family member their 'Love' home was built in what what was in the upscale (for Colorado City) 'Love and Quinby' real estate addition to Colorado City. Hassell Decorative Iron Fence. 1 acre of land. Red Stone border possibly bought from Bott&Langmeyer 1860 pioneers who quarried near the Red Rock Canyon in that period and sold building 'stone.'

In 1901, when Henry Schmidt was 14 years old, his father, Jacob, prompted him to “get out there and work.” And so, he left school after 8th grade to attend business trade school in Colorado City for one year. He studied to become a stenographer, a profession that included learning shorthand, typing, and bookkeeping. Stenography during this era was predominantly a male profession, although women were becoming more commonplace in the work force. There were two types of shorthand that were taught to stenographers in the United States, Pitman and Gregg styles. Henry learned the Gregg style of shorthand, which was a phonetic and cursive style and was the easier of the two to learn. He retained some of his shorthand skills throughout his life.

In 1904, at age 17, Henry was employed by the Colorado-Midland Railway Company where he worked as a purchasing agent, office stenographer, and payroll clerk. In 1906, Henry got a free pass from the railroad for a trip to San Francisco. He went there to see the damage done by the earthquake, and then went on to Long Beach, California.

Henry’s salary was $75 a month, $10 more than the company foreman received, a married man with children. He worked for the railway company until 1907, after which time he started working for his father, Jacob, in his saloon. Henry said, “Father was rather hard on the help and rather exacting and kept wanting me to quit and tend bar for him. It was very much against Mama's desire but I gave in and was in the saloon for over seven years. I didn't drink anything and got along o.k. that way.” (Letter from Henry to his uncle Rudolph Schmidt, dated March 29, 1956) Henry received $100 a month working in the saloon. It was there, he said, he acquired a cordial manner for dealing with patrons. (The Industry News, Los Angeles, California, May-June 1972)

By age 21, Henry had saved $2,500 from his earnings. He was convinced he could make money by investing his savings in a Colorado tire and inner tube firm. Shortly after his investment, however, Colorado was hit by one of its worst snow storms and a damper was effectively put on the market for automobile tires. Henry was close to penniless. (The Industry News, Los Angeles, California, May-June 1972)

In his free time, Henry was a pitcher for the Golden Cycle indoor baseball team, who became the champions of the American Indoor Baseball League (Fall 1908) and also the Colorado Springs Independent League (Fall 1909). Later, he pitched for the West Side team, the 1910 champions. Henry’s prowess as a pitcher won him accolades from a sports reporter for The Denver Times---“Schmidt is admittedly one of the best indoor pitchers in these parts…Never was he more accurate and never was his delivery more baffling…Schmidt’s fine pitching at critical moments enabled the Golden Cycles to beat the West Side indoor baseball team”.

In addition to baseball, on Saturday nights, after the saloon would close, Henry and one of his friends would fix themselves sandwiches and hike up nearby Pikes Peak.

In an article by Bill Reed of The Gazette about Jan MacKell’s book, Brothels, Bordellos & Bad Girls: Prostitution in Colorado 1860-1930, he wrote that the West Colorado Avenue saloons were in the vicinity of the brothels on West Cucharras Street. Since the last brothel of madam Laura Bell McDaniel was located at 2612 W. Cucharras Street, and Jacob Schmidt’s saloon was located at 2611 West Colorado Ave. (formerly 612 Colorado Ave.) it’s probable that some of Jacob Schmidt’s saloon patrons were also clients of Ms. McDaniel.

In 1913, Colorado City voted to become dry.. It’s not certain when they sold their saloon after that. According to Henry, “(Father) continued in the saloon business until prohibition, 1914, I think.” (Letter from Henry to his uncle Rudolph Schmidt, dated March 12, 1956). Like some of the other shut-down saloon's owners, he tried to make it in the still-wet town of Ramona, just 6 blocks north of Colorado Avenue on 4th Street (today's 24th street). That too closed down when the state went dry. But Jacob was gone before that happened.

At this same time, Jacob began the Central City Mining Company in Cripple Creek. With his son, Henry, he worked his mines. (Jacob’s grandchildren still own the mineral rights to the “Colorado”, “April Fool” and “Gold Dollar” mines.) But it was a short-lived operation. Henry recalled, “On at least two occasions…I was almost killed. Once, while we were tracking a vein that ran back into the end of the cave, a watermelon-sized boulder fell from the cave ceiling and hit me on the head. It took seven stitches to sew that one up. Another time, I was moving some dynamite that had already been capped for blasting and a large rock fell right in the midst of the sticks. It would have been all over if they had gone off, but for some reason they didn’t.” (The Industry News, Los Angeles, California, May-June 1972)

Jacob and Bertha then bought a fruit ranch near Penrose, Colorado

Henry said of their fruit ranch “It wasn’t much good…The land was dry and it was harder than the devil to make any money off it.” (The Industry News, Los Angeles, California, May-June 1972) Henry said his father, “…worked his head off and things were not bringing in a return for the effort. Fruit was cheap and the place needed so much in the way of improvements, etc. Mama and I worked along with him. Louise also would alternate between the Colorado City home and the ranch. It was quite different from the saloon business where you could see something coming in each day and it finally got too much for him.” (Letter from Henry to his uncle Rudolph Schmidt, dated March 12, 1956) It’s believed that Jacob’s last hope for making the ranch work was dashed when the water he depended on for the fruit orchard was diverted or just completely shut-off.

1914 Picture (after being forced to close the Saloon) on their Apple farm at Penrose, Colorado. Son Henry is behind wheel of their 1911 Maxwell. Jacob is leaning on the car. Hired hand Jim Hader at rear.

Bertha on the Apple Farm, 1914. Orchard in the background.

On May 14, 1914, Jacob ended his life at his fruit ranch with a self-inflicted gun shot wound. It’s not known how Bertha made her livelihood in the years after her husband’s death.

After his father’s death, Henry stayed in Colorado City. He opened a tire shop with a business partner, but their business didn’t last long. Following World War I, Henry moved to Simla, Colorado because money was being made there in wheat farming. Henry built a hardware store there, Simla Hardware Company, on Sioux Avenue (In 1978 the brick building was occupied by Simla Auto and Truck Salvage).

About 1914, Louise, Jacob’s daughter, married Chester A. Huff. They had one child, a son, Don H. Huff. Chester Huff became Henry’s partner in the hardware business. They sold hardware, farm implements, tractors, and automobiles. Their partnership lasted four (4) years.

Henry Schmidt met his future wife, Beulah Blair, in Simla, Colorado. Beulah’s sister, Georgia, and her husband, I.E “Emmett” Alford, owned a farm near Simla. She went there to teach. Beulah taught grades 2 through 8 in a one room school house called Fairview. Henry and Beulah were married in Golden, Colorado in June 1917.

Henry called his years in Simla, “the good years.” (The Industry News, Los Angeles, California, May-June 1972) However, things were about to change for both Henry and Louise. Chester was an unfaithful husband and had been embezzling money from their hardware business. Louise divorced her husband. In 1918, with the sale of the hardware store, Henry said “…to get rid of him (Chester) I took a farm in on the deal…” (Letter from Henry to his uncle Rudolph Schmidt, dated March 29, 1956) Henry, Beulah and their children (Henry Blair “Hank” Schmidt, Robert Dean Schmidt, and Jean Louise Schmidt) lived on their farm outside of town. They raised corn and wheat. He said, “It also was an uphill deal and I lost all I had along with some of the money Mama loaned me.” (Letter from Henry to his uncle Rudolph Schmidt, dated March 12, 1956)

Finally, in 1923, Henry moved his family to California with the hope of a new start. He had received a Western Union Telegram from Julian H. Grunze, a family acquaintance, encouraging him to come to Los Angeles. The telegram read, “ Scale about ten. Big demand for plumbers. Some open shop. Building booming. Come and see. Think you can make it here. Will meet you. Wire me or take electric from Los Angeles to SAM. Store at Lankershim. Armstrong there. Will notify me.”

Three (3) years later, in Santa Monica, California, Henry and Beulah had their fourth child, Marillyn Schmidt.

All this time, Henry still owned his farm and debts were piling up back in Simla. Then the Depression hit in 1929. Julian Grunze closed his business suddenly one day. Henry decided to sell his farm in Simla to retire his debts there.

Louise never remarried. She raised their son, Don, with the help of her mother, Bertha. In an interview by the Denver Post (Feb. 28, 1954) Louise said, “I started out to be a wife and mother, not a career girl, but the time came when I had to go to work to support myself and my son.” She enrolled at a business college. She continued, “I always loved mathematics, and bookkeeping and accounting came easy for me”.

After business college she worked in the office of H.H. Mitchell, certified public accountant, and helped audit the city books in 1922. She was later offered a position in the City Auditor’s office as an assistant to Leo Dorlac. In March, 1924, she became secretary to A.M. Wilson. Then, on May 1, 1929, she was appointed City Auditor by unanimous vote of the City Council. At that time, Colorado Springs was one of four cities in the U.S. that had a woman in the position of city auditor. (1949, Colorado Springs newspaper, “Society and Club Activities- Woman of the Week”)

Louise was described as being a woman of great charm and distinction; her smile almost constant, and her ready humor a bright spark in a world of dull figures. Louise remained active in her professional life until her retirement as Colorado Springs City Auditor, some 35 years or more. (Letter from Henry to his uncle Rudolph Schmidt, dated March 12, 1956). She was a member of the Municipal Finance Officers’ association. She assisted in writing the text book, The Support of Local Government Activities. She was also a member of the Public Employment Retirement association of Colorado and server on the legislative committee of the organization beginning in 1944. And, she was a charter member of the Business and Professional Women’s club, and member of the First Church of Christ Scientist. In 1951, a Denver Post article about Louise’s achievements said, “she won an honorable mention plaque awarded by Government News magazine, in competition with 400 outstanding annual financial reports submitted in a nationwide contest. She was the first woman ever to receive the award.”

Louise’s son, Don, was a graduate of Colorado College, class of 1935, and was a Tiger basketball star during his college career. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Don, an engineer for the Department of Interior, became executive assistant to the chairman of the Interior Missouri Basin Field committee, Bureau of Reclamation. He was also a member of and secretary for the Missouri Basin inter-agency committee, an advisory group in the development of the basin (Souix City Journal-Tribune, Iowa, January 19, 1950, front page photo). In 1957, he was designated the chairman of the department’s Northwest Field Committee. (Billings Gazette, Montana, December 12, 1957).

Louise cared for her mother, Bertha Schmidt, until her mother’s death in 1950. Louise and Bertha resided at the Gutmann Apartments for many years until they moved to 216 N. Cascade Avenue in Colorado Springs.

Long lived Bertha in 1944, on her 90th Birthday.

From 1930 to around 1972, Henry owned his own tile contracting business in Santa Monica, California, called Henry Schmidt & Son Tile Company. He quit the tile business to turn everything over to his eldest son, Hank Schmidt.

Henry was also an inventor. On October 1, 1927, Henry, applied to the U.S. Patent Office for a patent on his tile marking and cutting gauge. On August 14, 1928 he received his patent (No. 1,680,805). The tool, used by tile contractors, cut a tile quickly to the correct dimension or angle before installation. In 1930 he traveled the U.S. his wife, Beulah selling his tile cutter. Their children stayed with Beulah’s parents on their Kansas farm. Henry sold the tool, called the “Schmidt Board”, for $5 and $7.50.

To market his invention, Henry prepared a typed letter, a somewhat early form of business brochure, describing his “Schmidt Board” which he also called the “Schmidt Tile Gauge”.

Then, in 1969, Henry developed the “Economy-Rack” (later called Econo Racks), which proved to be a timesaving device for setting tile. The metal frame rack was placed on the surface to be tiled. It had the exact spacing needed for tile pieces to be laid in. After turning his tile business over to his son, and with his son’s help, Henry kept making “Eono Racks” for many years.

Henry is remembered by his children and grandchildren as sharp witted, industrious, soft-hearted, gentle, and creative.. He and Beulah lived frugally, but were always generous with their money when it was needed.

Jacob, Bertha, Louise, and child Reinhold are buried in the Westside's Fairview (earlier Colorado City's) Cemetery.

Jacob & Bertha Schmidt Block A02, Lot 066, Plot C
Reinhold Schmidt Block A02, Blot 066, Plot SW

Louise Schnidt (They misspelled her maiden name. Her married name was Louise Huff)
Block 016, Lot 007, Plot SW

This information was assembled by Catherine Hughes Dymkoski, November 21, 2007. Information came from family photographs, a series of newspaper articles, family correspondence, and a few recollections of events by Hank Schmidt, Robert Schmidt and Jean Schmidt Hughes

(Added Note from Catherine's emails.- Randolph Schmidt, Jacob's Brother who, according to the 1892 Colorado City Polk Directory was the 'Bakery Clerk' was for an unknown time in the Pikes Peak region. Other facts were:

Jacob's brother Rudolph Schmidt was also a resident of Colorado Springs. He lived until he was 83. His obituary from the Seattle Telegraph Gazette says:

"Rudolph Schmidt, 83, died Sunday of a heart ailment at his home, 6716-12th Ave. N.E.
Mr. Schmidt was born in Germany. He came to the United States and Seattle in 1900, went to Alaska in 1910 and returned here in 1917. He was a retired cook. He formerly operated the Snow Hut Cafe. He was a member of Calvary Baptist Church.

Survivors: Wife, Agnes; daughter, Mrs. John Wayerski, Los Angeles; stepdaughter, Mrs. Douglas Webb, Seattle; sister, Mrs Pauline Rosenthal, Los Angeles; two grandchildren.

Services: 1 p.m. Wednesday, Johnson and Sons chapel; burial, Mount Pleasant Cemetery. (Seattle)

The program Catherine has for his memorial service says he was born November 16, 1876 and died December 13, 1959. The service was at Johnson & Sons Chapel of the Chimes. Pallbearers were: Martin Iverson, Percy Berget, Douglas Webb, John Ekstedt, Herbert Johnson, L.C. Fowler. The service was officiated by Rev. Samuel Quiring.

Colorado Naturalization Papers of Jacob Schmidt. (Note the Court Clerk - Edgar Howbert, Irving Howbert's Brother)