Memories Buried in the Past

During my wanderings on the property here in Cherry Creek, I've come across two headstones that cropped up out of soil, barely noticeable behind outbuildings. Cherry has a cemetery nearby that's been in place since the 1860s, but for some strange reason these souls found their final resting place here.

One headstone was for former owners Frank and Sarah Stevens. I thought it odd that they were only 50 and 46 respectively, and died the same day. Betty explained to me that they were victims of a buggy accident. In light of how rough the roads still are, it's a distinct possibility that a buggy that hit a big rut could overturn -- and if it had been further down the road on the hairpin curves with clifflike edges, that would be all she wrote. Walt Whitman wrote about "Omnibus" accidents, in which large coaches like trolley cars being pulled by teams of horses occasionally crashed into each other in Manhattan. Death and mayhem often ensued.

The other headstone was for a soldier, Francis Biffar, who'd been encamped in the area to prevent Indian raids. Apache and Yavapai Indians occasionally decided to attack the miners and farmers in the area, take their food and horses and even kill them if they were in a really bad mood that week. So the military was sent in for a couple of decades to minimize these events. This soldier, however, died of natural causes from an unidentified disease. I thought it sad that he was a New York native whose family apparently didn't have the interest or money to claim his body. Or he had no family, which was also the harsh reality for many.

My brother forwarded an email to me recently which described life during the period the three had lived in the area. It throws into sharp relief how soft and easy our lives are in comparison. Here it is, with a few edits -- there were too many exclamation points!!!

The year is 1908. One hundred years ago:

The average life expectancy was 47 years.

Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.

Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.

There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles of paved roads.

The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.

The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower.

The average wage was 22 cents per hour.

The average worker made between $200 and $400 per year .

A competent accountant could expect to earn $2,000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer, $5,000 per year.

More than 95 percent of all births took place at home .

Ninety percent of all doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION! Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press AND the government as "substandard."

Sugar cost 4 cents a pound. Eggs were 14 cents a dozen. Coffee was 15 cents a pound.

Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.

Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.

Five leading causes of death were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke

The American flag had 45 stars..

The Las Vegas population: 30.

Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn't been invented yet.

There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.

Two out of every 10 adults couldn't read or write.

Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.

Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. Back then pharmacists said, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health."

Eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.

There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE United States.

Now I forwarded this from someone else without typing it myself, and sent it to you and others all over Canada and the United States, possibly the world, in a matter of seconds! Try to imagine what the means of communication might be like in another 100 years.