Because every town needs a park, a library and a newspaper
Carbondale’s weekly
community connector
Volume 12, Number 34 | October 1 - October 7, 2020
Mashed or baked, Bonedale has always loved its potatoes By Roberta McGowan Sopris Sun Staff A discussion of what potatoes and their cellars have meant to the Roaring Fork Valley normally doesn’t begin with the story of a train robbery. The 1904 robbery, sometimes called “The Great Potato Train Heist,” is a fascinating tale, but let’s first see how the Carbondale spud story began, and how potatoes became the crop of choice for Western Slope farmers. Since 1909, Carbondale has annually celebrated Potato Day in late September or early October. This year, the event will feature Carbondale's history through the eyes of its women from five different eras. The theme of this year's agricultural based festival is "Spuds and Suffragists - Women Voting Proudly for 100 Years,” as noted on the website. Carbondale Historical Society’s John Williams explained both the history and present day importance of potatoes. The Thompson House, built in 1887, was a good place for him to start. Its root cellar has an outside entry that allowed easy access to the storage area. The inside of the home has direct access via a narrow staircase to retrieve produce. “Potatoes, carrots, beets and other food could be good for close to a year,” Williams reported. Carbondale has a number of “retired” potato cellars. One is on the Strang Ranch, where Kit Strang remembered being told their cellar was built in the 1920s but is just used now for extra storage. Her daughter Bridget added it’s starting to deteriorate and is no longer safe. Bonfire Coffee Company has an indoor vintage elevator which goes down to the basement's former root cellar. Although public access is not allowed, it’s worthwhile to take a look at the lift’s wooden door. New Castle Gardens owners Steve and Michelle Cox also have gathered information on the history of the potato and sell organic seed potatoes. Michelle referred to the Irish Potato Famine of 1845-1849 as the impetus for people to leave that island nation, explaining, “More than 1,000,000 Irish were forced to leave their homeland and fled primarily to the United State, Canada and Australia” She also said Colorado is now the second largest producer of potatoes in the United States. One of the earliest books about Colorado potato farming is “The Potato,” written in 1912 by E.H. Grubb and W.S. Guilford. It explains how the influx of people to the Roaring Fork Valley was spurred first when gold and silver were discovered near Aspen.
Continued on page 11 Bonfire Coffee Company's vintage lift. Photo by Roberta McGowan
Carbondale/Cowen Center.
Brand new car wash !
5 *limited everyday * time offer !
$ 00