Rachel (Langeland) Bottolfson
Marriages
Erick Bottolfson - January 1865
Burial Details
Obituaries
Unknown - February 16, 1929
One more of Eagle Counties [sic.] respected citizens has joined the innumerable caravan, when Mrs. Rachel Bottolfson answered the last summons at the home of her granddaughter, Cornelia BETZ, Sunday, February 10 at 2 p.m. from a 12 hour ailment resulting from hemorrhages of the stomach. Rachel Langeland Bottolfson was 85 years old the 19th day of September, 1928; and had retained her faculties and activeness till the day of death, feeling just fine on retiring Saturday night.
Much can be written of Mrs. Bottolfson, as she was a true pioneer. It was always interesting to hear her tell of many incidents, remembering some instances on board the ship, as a child of 5, she with her parents coming from Norway to America, first settling in Wisconsin, remaining there about 3 years. She told of how she and her oldest brother drove the cattle and sheep, how her father sawed and hewed 4 wheels and made sort of a wagon, and placing his house hold effects and family, with the exception of herself and brother, who walked and drove the cows and sheep, and all immigrated across the prairie, into the wilderness and settled at Decorah, Iowa. The country being infested by Indians, in fact her aunt and family were scalped and killed in the Sippirt Lake, Iowa, massacre.
Rachel Langeland grew to womanhood at Decorah Iowa, and was engaged to be married when the Civil War broke out and two of her brothers and her sweetheart enlisted, and in the Battle of Shiloh her intended sweetheart fell,and one brother was killed at Gettysburg and one was among the unknown soldiers.
The Langeland and Bottolfson families had bee neighbors in Wisconsin and Iowa, but in 1857 the Bottolfson family moved to South Dakota. In 1859 Erick Bottolfson and six other young men left Vermillion South Dakota for Colorado, coming by ox team to Denver and arriving in early summer. They then separated and started prospecting, Eric going to Boulder County. After 5 years he returned to Iowa and Rachel was wooed and won by the stallwart gold miner, and they were married, January 1865.
Colorado and its gold again called and Eric was forced to leave his bride, as her mother would not consent to her braving the danger of the Indians, her fear being grounded on the massacre which had claimed her own sister. Five years later in 1870, Mrs. Bottolfson and her son came on the first train into Denver which had been finished that fall between Chicago and Denver, Mr. Bottolfson going back to Iowa after them. They then made their first home on Gold Hill, Boulder county, until 1879, when Mr. Bottolfson came to Red Cliff--Mrs. Bottolfson and the two boys coming over Loveland Pass and down the Blue Corning to Red Cliff by Eagle Park on August 7, 1880, and the Old Homestake the year following. Mrs. Bottolfson made her home in Red Cliff until 1904 when she moved to Gore Creek on a ranch until the past winter she made her home in Pomona, Cal. Coming back to Colorado for the summer amid the old haunts and her dear friends which always means so much to her.
Mrs. Bottolfson saw Red Cliff in her infancy, saw it grow to quite a camp and town, saw it recede, come back again and truly was its Guardian Angel of its earlier days, was nurse, doctor and counselor and was always called when closing the eyes of death, ably assisting doctors at bedsides of four and the first baby cry from many of our grown men and women were attended by her loving care and nursing.
One of her great desires was to see the short cut to Denver finished take an auto trip over Loveland Pass to Wheeler and come once again to Red Cliff over the same route she traveled, or for the most part walked as the hills were so steep, nearly 50 years ago; she helped to build Red Cliff, as she was an enthusiast, of schools, churches, and anything for its betterment--took part in all its activities, the auxiliary of the G.A.R. of which she was a member, of the Emerson Circle and etc. Grandma Bottolfson will live long in the memories of Eagle Co. folks.
She buried her entire family, her only daughter lies buried at Gold Hill, Colo., her husband and three sons are lying in Greenwood Cemetery, Red Cliff.
