John Washington "Jack" Stewart
Marriages
Delsie Bell Martin-Stewart - 1879
Burial Details
Obituaries
Unknown
John Washington and his wife Delsie Bell Martin-Stewart arrived in Dotsero in 1882 from Missouri by way of Leadville. Their marriage date could be 1879 in CO. They built their homestead in 1902 in Dotsero where now the Stephens Nursery stands. They raised cattle and sheep up in Sweetwater. They gave birth to five children Audra in 1842, Claude in 1885, Edna in 1886, Maud in 1890 and Carl in 1894. Delsie Bell was considered to be half Indian and half White and was known as the only white woman living in Eagle County for miles. When she gave birth to Audra, she was considered and recorded as the first white child born in Eagle County.
John Washington Stewart is also a Civil War Veteran.
It is believe that John Washington Sewart was married with children when he met and ran off with Delsie Belle Martin. It was said the first wife changed her last name.
John Washington Stewart obtained the first recorded water rights on the Colorado (formerly called Grand) in Eagle county. He was at Red Cliff waiting to catch a train. He was standing on a railroad track facing away from another train and was hit and killed at age 73 years, 9 months and 10 days. He had lost his hearing so he did not hear the train. During his time in Dotsero he opened a saloon to accommodate the miners and other settlers. In 1920 Delsie Belle sold the Sweetwater ranch and bought a home in Eagle, CO. She died on 1-17-1947 and is buried in the Cedar Hills at Gypsum, CO.
