JOHN KELLY
Obituaries
Eagle Valley Enterpirse page 1 - June 17, 1938
Body of John Kelly Found in Eagle River
FELL IN RTVER AND DROWNED WHILE FISHING MONDAY EVENING —WAS A RESIDENT OF COUNTY SINCE 1882 .
The dead body of John Kelly was found floating in the water of the Eagle river just above Eagle Tuesday morning by residents who liv ? in the river settlement along the state highway on the east outskirts of town . Mr . Kelly was seen going up the river with his fishing pole Monday afternoon , and it is presumed that he was fishing in the river and fell into the water and was drowned sometime that evening , as examination made of the body under direction of Coroner Young determined that he haj been dead about twelve hours when the body was found . John Kelly had been a resident of this county for nearly sixty years Just when he came to Colorado is noi known . But in 1882 he was living in the mining camps on the Blue river around Dillon and Breckenrldge When the rush to Camp Defiance was started by gold discovery on the head of Grizzly creek above Dotsero , he was attracted to that camp . But he never reached it . according to the story he told the writer years ago . Many uf the prospectors from the Blue whe wen ; to Defiance followed the Ute tral . across the Gore range , down the Coloiado river and up Red Dirl crok below Burns Hole and out onto tlMi Flat Tops and to the mining
carap b y way of Deep Lake on thu old Glenwood trail Kelly stopped on Bed Dirt . He thought there would be a well established travel over that route . Hf so . uaU . ed on the creek , built a cabin and intended to run a place for the accommodation and entertainment of travelers over th e route-. But the excitement died out as quickly as it started , and Kelly was alone in hi ? cabin . However , he remained there and filed on the land ! which was later owned by Herman Sholtz ani . recently sold by him . Kelly came to the Eagle neighborhood about the time of the Ladj Belle discovery on Horse Mountain and lived orl Salt Creek , eventually taking up a homestead on that creek just below Bill Taylor s present home He lived here until a few years age when he sold the land to C . F . Lloyd . Nothing of his early life or family was known here . According to the meager records of his life in the Welfare at the courthouse he was born In Pennsylvania December 12 , 1847 , which would place Ids age at past 90 years . When he purchased a . fishing license a few weeks ago Mr . Kelly gave Is age as 88 years but the former age is probably correct . He has been on the old-age pension list for some time and ma king his home i Eagle .
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 7 - June 19, 1938
