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Volume 11, Number 34 | October 3, 2019
A little camera trickery but no digital manipulation was necessary to capture these ghostly figures in the Thompson House dining room. Photo by Will Grandbois
Meet the ghosts of Potato Days past By Will Grandbois Sopris Sun Staff If the Thompson House isn’t already haunted, it certainly will be on Oct. 5. In conjunction with the ghostly theme of this year’s Potato Day, The Carbondale Historical Society is jumping right in to October with a ghost walk at the nationally-registered building next to Triangle Park. While Hillcrest Cemetery was long considered and even publicized as the venue (the Town later shut down the plan citing “logistical issues”), Historical Society President Sue Gray thinks the house will prove the right choice. “I think it adds another dimension that we wouldn’t have had at the cemetery,” she said. The Thompson House is, after all, one of the oldest and grandest homes in Carbondale, preserved with all its original contents. And while the cast of characters were originally limited to those in the old part of the cemetery (it may still be worth the
trek to visit their graves before or after the event), Hattie and Myron Thompson can now hold court as well. Guests will circulate through the house at 15-minute intervals between 6 and 8 p.m. on Oct. 5 — tickets are $10 per person at carbondalehistory.org. After hearing from the specters of some of Carbondale’s chief characters, they’ll have a chance to mingle on the enclosed porch. No food, drink or dogs are allowed, although supervised children are welcome. It’s not really intended as a spooky affair, but rather a enjoyable and edifying encounter with history — and a last chance for folks to view the house for the season without making an appointment. “It’s our only fundraiser of the year, really, but more than the money I think it’s important to connect the community with the historical society and museum,” Gray said. “I had way more fun doing this than I thought it was going to be, just because the people involved are so enthusiastic and really taking on the roles. I think if you know how your town was founded, why and by whom, you have a more complete idea of the character of the community and how it’s evolved.”
These particular characters — Samuel Bowles, Sarah Jane Grubb, William Dinkel, Edna Sweet and the Thompsons — all have connections to potatoes, in particular. “Potatoes are what put Carbondale on the map originally,” Gray explained. “It’s how we fed the miners. Then our potatoes became famous across the country. That lasted from around 1900 to the 1940s.” Bowles supposedly grew the area’s first potato crop from peelings in his ranch along the Crystal River (then called Rock Creek) just down from the Grubb place. Eugene Grubb would later literally write the book on potatoes, but Sarah Jane will also tell you about the accomplishments of her other children. If the event were at the cemetery, William Dinkel’s gravesized tombstone would steal the show. His started his fortune by bringing flour through deep snow over Independence Pass during a shortage in Aspen. He helped run the first stage stop, post office and bank in town and is widely regarded as one of Carbondale’s chief founders. Continued on page 14.
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