(History of the Roaring Fork Valley can be more easily understood if the visitor reads Famous Aspen and Glenwood’s Early Glamor.)
ASHCROFT WAS A BIGGER TOWN THAN ASPEN
Ashcroft had two outlets; one over the passes, Taylor and Cottonwood, to Buena Vista’s railhead, the other over Pearl Pass to Crested Butte.
Franz Berko, 1958
From Leadville
Independence is the town of many names—and yet it never had an official post office of “Independence!”
It happened this way: the camp was started in the spring of 1879 by a group of prospectors from Leadville, headed by Billy Belden. They found an excellent gold placer at the head of the Roaring Fork and settled down to mine. They called the placer and their camp Belden. On the Fourth of July they made another big strike a few yards away and in their jubilation renamed their holdings, Independence, because of the day.
Meanwhile their camp had attracted newcomers who were resented by the first arrivals, and feuds began to flare. The placer claims led to lode discoveries, and by 1880 the Farwell Company of Leadville had secured a dozen of the best properties. They began construction of a mill. At the same time a town promoter, William Kinkead, moved in and changed the name to Chipeta in honor of Chief Ouray’s wife. In January, 1881, he secured a postmaster’s job for himself with a post office called Sidney.
The Farwell Mining Company disliked Kinkead’s action, and six months later they obtained a post office under the name of Farwell. A third group, antagonistic to both the first petitioners, obtained a post office in February, 1882, under the name of Sparkhill. That same year the first two post offices were discontinued, and Sparkhill won. But half the residents still called the settlement Independence.