Route M Reopening Near Denver Delayed to End of August

The reopening of Route M near Denver has now been pushed back to the end of August, the Worth County Commission learned Monday. That means that Route 169 and Route W will be closed for bridge work at the same time, which will result in a logistical nightmare to get around, especially for rock hauling when the Norris Quarry gets rock again. The tentative plan is to fix the Marlowe Creek bridge west of Grant City in Spring 2026.

After using a lot of oil for a time, the red truck suddenly quit using oil; however, it is still using a gallon of fluid a day. The county got quotes for possible repairs. The cost for a head gasket is $4,000. The cost for a cracked head is $10,000-$15,000. The cost for a complete overhaul is around $25,000.

The Road & Bridge crew got compliments for their work along the Lynch bottom, where they knocked down brush, put in a new tube, and worked on a crossing, which will make it a lot easier to get combined through.

The county has finished delivering tax rock for north of Allendale. The rock quarry at Bethany is still holding up. Road & Bridge foreman Jim Fletchall reported that he got all the small tubes put in for the year and is waiting for some big ones to come in.

 

 

Denver Revival in 1907 Saved 107 Souls

The November 21st, 1907 issue of the Gentry Sentinel reported that a recent revival meeting at the Denver Methodist Church had 107 new conversions and the church greatly revived. Among other entries:

–G.F. Bram and B.D. Bollinger returned from south Texas. They reported a pleasant trip and a fine country. The latter bought a tract of land and will move to it in the near future.

–Another revival was taking place at Hills Chapel.

Life in Fairview, aka Denver, Back in 1857

In the September 14th, 1932 Times-Tribune, they printed a story about Denver 75 years before, back in 1857, when it was known as Fairview. There were still several settlers alive at that time who were willing to talk.

Among old-timers who were there back in 1857 who were still around in 1932 include Maggie Magee (91), Luke Martin, who resided on the same farm for more than 80 years and who was born in Denver, and Samuel Murray, who lived east of Denver and who had been married 67 years. When he first came to Denver in 1857, Murray recalled that there were two or three small stores. Mrs. Murray had been there all of her 80 years. When Mr. Murray went to school, he want to a subscription school in Denver at the rate of one cent a day at a place north of Denver.

In 1857, Mr. Samuel Pratt was the teacher at Fairview and taught 40-45 pupils, including Charlie Kent, Mr. Smith of the New Albany Hotel, and Mrs. Annie Barber, who still lived in Denver in 1932. 

One of the oldest buildings in Denver was a log cabin built by Al Robinson, which was built in 1864 and was still standing in 1932. There was a fireplace, and a notch for a rifle to bring down wild game.

One of the biggest institutions in Fairview was Mother Saville, who entertained many people in her home and who organized the first Sunday school in the village, in a house next to the Robinson log house.

Other people who had lived in Denver for 75 years or more and who were still alive in 1932 were Dr. Osborn, Virginia Wylie, Mrs. Bob Johnson, Mr. & Mrs. Harve Spain, Sam Elliott, Mrs. McComas, and Mr. & Mrs. Tom Sowards.

The piece was written by an R. Birbeck, who wrote, “The pioneer has come and gone, but his influence lives on. One of these old-timers has remarked, ‘The teachers and preachers have helped to make the country what it is,’ but how much more have these pioneers with their 75 years and more influence in and about the village of what was Fairview, now the town of Denver? Their days are but days of history we must help make, but in a different way in which science has changed our mode of living.”

Sowards Family Featured in 1912 St. Joseph Observer

The Mr. & Mrs. Henry Sowards family, which owned Sowards Ford, now the Denver Access, was featured in the September 28th, 1912 St. Joseph Observer. They had 15 children (10 sons and 5 daughters), including three pairs of twins. As of the writing of that article, all were living; they ranged in age from 37 years to 60 years.

They had, at the time, 78 grandchildren, and many more great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren.

The Sowards family came from Ohio to Missouri in 1860. They were known as “spirit workers,” according to the Observer. They were governed by the advice of good spirits and warned by “rappings” of evil that was to come. These powers were shared by some members of their family, down to the fifth generation.

When the Grant City Light Weights Came Up Big in August 1881

Denver had a long tradition of baseball, and one of its earliest games was when one of their boys challenged Grant City in 1881, claiming that they were light weights, that they had been practicing while the Grant City boys had not, and that they would be easy pickings.

A game was hastily arranged, as reported by the Grant City Star. Dell Eighmy was appointed to be the umpire, Robert Bates and John Dawson were the scorers, and the Grant City team came to Denver, where they stayed at the Commercial Hotel.

The first two innings were all in Denver’s favor, as they scored six in the second to jump out to an 8-3 lead. But then Grant City’s hitting machine just got started. They scored eight in the second and six in the third to make it 17-8. Denver came storming back in the fourth with 12 to go up 20-17, only for Grant City to put Denver on the ropes with six in the fourth and three in the fifth to go up 26-21.

On the brink of defeat, Denver came back to tie it at 26-26 in the seventh, only for Grant City to score 11 in the bottom of the seventh to win 37-26.

Chas. Saville was the captain for the Denver squad. The Grant City contingent, for not having practiced, hit at will, getting two home runs each from Fatty McMahan and Troy McMahan and one each from Doug Sullivan and Mion McMahan. They also hit a bunch of triples as well.

Four years passed, and a rematch was arranged on September 1st, 1885. This time, it was a totally different outcome as Denver came to Grant City and got a 62-31 win. George Bullfinch was the umpire, while Mion McMahan and John Dawson were the scorers.

But Denver went on to field teams for several decades, challenging other teams in the area, often successfully. Pat Abplanalp recalled that as late as the 1950’s, baseball institution Elton Ridge would gather up kids in the back of his pickup and take them to other towns in the area to take on their next opponent. And in his late 60’s, Craig McNeese recalled that while coaching an American Legion team that Worth County was trying to start up at the time, Elton Ridge would throw batting practice and could still befuddle the much younger batters.

The 1890 Denver Chatter Editorializes on Economic Development

From the May 1, 1890 Denver Chatter. The views and opinions are that of the Denver Chatter and do not necessarily reflect the cooperative membership, board, or editor of the Sheridan Express.
Denver is in need of a first-class hardware and furniture store.

Denver is one of the best points of the state for some enterprising firm to start a manufactory line. The best limestone can be had, and wood is plentiful and cheap, and Denver lime has always been in demand which far exceeds the supply.

Some of Denver’s property holders who own over hundreds of thousands of dollars of real estate are too poor (?) To build or repair the sidewalk in front of the residence lots fronting the principal streets of town.

Denver will be a city of more importance with two trunk lines of railroad extension from Omaha, and a line from Darlington to Mount Ayr, giving us direct communication with all the great cities of the West. Let all our citizens put the shoulder to the wheel and keep the ball rolling until the end is accomplished and the whole country be benefited.