Charles Frederick "Charley" Nogal
Marriages
Rosetta Metheny Nogal - January 1, 1880
at Cedar Vale, Kansas
Burial Details
Obituaries
Eagle Valley Enterprise page 1 - July 30, 1948
OLDEST RESIDENT OF EAGLE COUNTY PASSED TO HIS REWARD TUESDAY. Active At The Age of 92; One of Eagle's First Men Will Be Buried Today.
A long, full life was ended Tuesday night, when a true pioneer of Eagle died in his sleep, following a short illness. Charley NOGAL, who has lived on his ranch just outside the city limits of Eagle for 63 continuous years died at 11:30 Tuesday evening, following a three day illness.
Always energetic and ambitious, Mr. NOGAL had walked into town Saturday for a visit with friends and to pick up the mail, and buy his daily cigar. That evening, he complained of not feeling well, and the following day was ill. Charley had never known a sick day in his life until two years ago, when he suffered an attack of mastoid, and again last fall was confined to his home for a few weeks because of poor health. Up until those two times, he had taken care of his ranch chores daily, and was always up and around long before the sun came up every morning.
In a few weeks Charley would have celebrated his ninety-third birthday..on Sept. 16, his spry step and his clear mind and unfailing memory belied his 90 odd years. Today many old friends will gather in the Methodist church to pay their last respects to a life-long friend, when memorial services will be held by Rev. B. E. BULKLY Baptist minister of Wolcott and pallbearers will be men who have known him for many years. Burial will be by the side of his wife, Rosetta Metheny NOGAL, who passed away 8 years ago and was laid to rest in the Eagle cemetery.
Surviving are his daughter, Ruth HOWLAND, who has made a home for her father for many years; two sons, Edgar and Ernest, both of Eagle; three granddaughters, Mary Ruth PRATT of Glenwood Springs; Jean McDOWELL and Betty HOWLAND of Boise, Ida., and four great-grandchildren, Billy PRATT; Brian, Patricia Ann and Dennis McDOWELL.
Pallbearers are: Hume S. WHITE, Hans LARSEN, G. D. ROBERTS, Bert WOLVERTON, E. J. BINDLEY, A. B. KOONCE.
For a man such as Mr. NOGAL, who has been with a town since before its birth, and lived in the heart of community life to see the town grow to the size of Eagle, an obituary leaves so much unsaid. For this reason in the next issue of the Enterprise will be the first of a serial of not only the history of Mr. NOGAL, but also the history of Eagle.
The articles will be based on data compiled by D. A. ZARLINGO, former superintendent of Eagle school, and published in 1944 by the State Historical Society.
Eagle Valley Enterprise page 1 - August 6, 1948
Life of Charles NOGAL is a History of Eagle County.
Life of Charles Nogal is a History of Eagle County
The following is the first of a series of articles taken from the July, 1944, issue of the Colorado Magazine, written by D. A. Zarlengo of Denver, former superintendent of the Eagle schools. The series is used in place of an obituary for Chas. F. Nogel, who passed away last week, nearly 94 years of age, and who had much to do with the growth of the community of Eagle. It was an autumn evening in the fall of 1943 that I crossed the high wooden bridge over the Eagle river near the town of Eagle, Colo. A short distance from the main highway is the cozy home of C. F. Nogal. I soon found myself seated across a small table opposite Mr. Nogal, now in his eighty-eighth year. At such a ripe age one would expect a person to be slow in thought and manner, but not Mr. Nogal. His attitude and memory were sharp and clear. Born in Mahoney county, Ohio, on September 16, 1855, he was the only one of thirteen children to be “raised on a bottle.” A little man now, his daughter, Mrs. Ruth
Howland, remarked when he mentioned that he weighed twelve pounds at birth; “Why, you were almost full grown." Much of the first sixteen years of his life he spent helping his father at brick laying and stone cutting. During this time hd often heard of the Wonderful western land, but had no opportunity to see it until some time after the Civil war. A half-brother, Frank Ackley, after retirement from active service in the conflict, had set-
tied with his wife in Cedarvale, Kan. Ackley wrote often to the Nogals and spoke of the many opportunities of the unsettled West. It was one of these letters which inspired young Nogal to join the ever moving liow westward. Packing his few belongings, he boarded a westbound train for Chicago. This was during the fall of 1871, but still vivid to his recollection are some of the scenes of the great Chicago fire, which he encountered during his brief stay in that city. When he arrived at Fort Scott he had to transfer to a covered wagon. Duyng this portion of the journey he had to share the back part of the slow moving rig with six hogs. “It wasn’t so bad in the day time, but I could hardly sleep at night.” Cedarvale was located on the Big Caney river, north of the Osage Indian land. Life here was not very exciting and desiring a change, he accepted a position as helper during the harvest in Cherokee county. This proved very successful and five years passed by before he again set out for Cedarvale. In the year 1880, C. F. Nogal married a local girl, Rosetta Metheny, whom he had met at a school dance. This step encouraged him to take up a nearby ranch. Not long after their first anniversary they were blessed with a boy, Edgar. The Indians in that day roamed freely about the country. One evening just before Nogal returned from the fields, Mrs. Nogal stepped out to draw water. When she entered the house she discovered an Indian seated near the stove, whetting his knife. Startled, she returned and headed for the yard; but the Indian followed. Her pace was slow and when she finally had to face the redman she learned to her chagrin that he wanted only a melon. “The Indians sure like melons,” said Mr. Nogal. It was not infrequent that Nogal would start) a conversation with one of the numerous wayfarers who passed through the town, and many a time he would afford lodging to such a traveler. It so happened that one of his guests was H. A. Hockett, who was traveling with his son. Quite naturally the cnversoation of the evening turned to individual interests and it was thru this man that Nogal learned of the Eagle Valley, where Hockett was one of the first homesteaders. “It is a good farming country too,” was one of his remarks to Nogal. This was interesting, but it was something said about the weather that really aroused Nogal to a westward move. The climate oi Cedarvale did not agree with him, and he later was able to say, “We never struck a healthier country than Eagle. To Be Continued.
Mr. and Mrs. Nogal on their golden wedding anniversary.
Eagle Valley Enterprise page 1 - August 13, 1948
The Railroad Comes to Eagle Valley.
THE NOGALS AND EAGLE COUNTY.
The Railroad Comes to Eagle Valley
It was early spring, 1885, when the the famiy packed a few necessities ? and headed toward the West, j They went by wagon to Winfield, ; Kas., and there they took the tram , for Colorado. The last lap of their . journey was from Pueblo to Red t Cliff on the Rio Grande narrow gauge. They arrived at Red Cliff i on March 20. < Eager to move on Nogal hired a j mule ot carry his wife and Edgar ; while he walked with luggage in his • hand. Two feet of snow were on the ground and more fell as they ; slowly covered the short distance to Minturn, which at that time con- ; sisted of “only a house or two." Here he was able to borrow a buckboard j and a horse, and so the journey con- : tinued to Allington, located at the mouth of Squaw creek, where they put up for the night. The next day ; was more cheerful and Nogal again ; hitched the horse and was on : the way with his family. About < three o’clock that afternoon, Mrs. i Hockett saw visitors at her door She was soon out and eager to ; assist the young couple, and in a • fashion typically western, she soon ’ had them comfortably situated. Her ; solicitious manner was most wel- : come to Mrs. Nogal, who was pretty well run down, from tho ? journey and from her “expectin’ ’ condition. At last they were in Castle. The Nogals made their home with the Hocketts until after - Arthur Ernest came—May 21. During this time Nogal received word that his stock was not receiving proper care back in Cedarvale. He decided to return there 1 to sell the possessions left behind. , This was a difficult decision, for what small amount they had before ‘ coming west was by now about : spent. But with the few dollars that were left, Nogal influenced a good natured conductor to put him in a Small compartment of a train. Thus the better part of the distance was covered for the small amount of ? two and one-half dollars. At Cedarvale, he sold everything and bought a wagon for the return trip. Days passed, but never a did. he think of sending word to his wife, who was becoming some-
what impatient and worried. Each day when the mail came in and Hockett would empty the bag on his bed for the neighbors to pick over, Mrs. Nogal would find no letter remained for her. The irony of it all was that her husband latter became postmaster. Twenty-seven days passed before the trip to and from Cedarvale was completed. That summer was spent in helping the neighbors with their farm work. In the month of September, 1885, Nogal located out the 1 “Stone Pile ’80.” The name hacl a great deal to do with the fact that it was still available for this piece of land nad an unusal covering of stones and boulders left on it by an ancient glacier. However, it really turned out to be one of the finest ranches in the valley. The winter looked hard and cold for these young people. Nogal had saved but $4O through the summer. A cabin was built on the new site and a story goes with the logs used in that first cabin. They came from the first bridge over the Eagle river. Because of poor construction, the bridge received little use and it was condemned. It’s final collapse killed Mrs. Harry Hernage, while she was driving her cows over it. The first winter was spent in this cabin. Nogal and his family lived mostly on game, and a small amount of cash provided miscellaneous needs. The next year, 1886, proved more profitable. A stage route was established through the valley, and as Nogal’s cabin was on the road. A large tent was secured and *n this a number of beds were placed. Two stages made their headquarters at this station. One came from C-lenwood Springs, the other from Minturn. During the three summer months he did a thriving business which netted him well over $2OOO. Already the railroad had begun its work an the grading through the valley. While this work was going on a crew of some eighty men enroute to a new location took quarters at the stage station. Mrs. No gal stayed up all night to cook a fifty-pound sack of flour into bisquits and to prepare deer meat for oreakfast. (To be Continued.)
Eagle Valley Enterprise page 1 - August 20, 1948
The Nogals and Eagle County: The Town Gets a Name.
Who's Who in Colorado, 1938 page p.433
By Alice T. Bacon, "Eagle County," p. 427-436:
Nogal, Charles Frederick: Stockman; b Mahoney Co, Ohio, Sept 16, 1855; ed pub sch, Columbiana, Ohio; m Rosetta Metheny Jan 1, 1880 Cedarvale, Kan; s Edgar, Arthur E; d Mrs. Ruth Pauline HOWLAND; 1885 to Eagle Co from Kan; among first permanent white settlers in valley; 1885 to date, owner, Nogal ranch, Eagle Co; 1885-1887 opr stage station near Eagle; 1887-1893 owner, opr Nogals Store; first postmaster, Eagle; built first fram building; 1892-1902 owner, opr Nogal Hotel; 1885 to date, ranching, stock raising, exclusively since 1902, 2 ranches near Eagle; former mbr bd, Eagle Co sch dist No 4; res, Eagle.
