I was listening to an oral history archive of my grandparents (Jack and Mabel Fowler) the other day as part of my book research. During the interview, Jack mentioned that his father, Frank Fowler, had hired a professor from the Colorado School of Mines to study and report on Eldorado’s artesian springs. I was intrigued and began searching for the document.
I belong to the Arapahoe County Library District, even though I live in Douglas County, Colorado. In Colorado, by virtue of residing in the state, a person can belong to any library. I belong to Arapahoe Library District because they provide the Prospector service, which allows library cardholders to access collections throughout the region, including the University of Colorado Library, University of Wyoming Library, Denver Public Library, and many others, including the Colorado School of Mines library. So when I performed a search for a document about Eldorado Springs, the following record appeared:
I was intrigued by the dates, 1972 and 1905. It was unclear why two dates would appear, but 1905 would be the correct date for the original report I sought, the one Frank Fowler commissioned.
I called Arthur Lakes Library for an appointment, but first the Reference Desk needed to verify the document actually was in the Mining History Archive.
I received a call back a few days later confirming the document was available. I was quite interested in seeing the color section, as I imagined it to be quite beautiful and interesting. I made an appointment to visit and allowed time to visit Eldorado Springs and get to Red Rocks Amphitheater that evening for a concert.
Tolli and I set out for Golden at noon that day, as we had taken half a day off. We arrived on campus and parked near the library, and presented ourselves to the front desk, where the report was waiting for us.
The librarian checked the report out to me once I gave him my driver’s license to hold in collateral. The report was a small document bound in a craft paper cover. He handed the report to me and said we could look at it at the small student desk across from the Library’s front desk. They allow patrons to photograph the materials, but not to photocopy, as that could damage the report.
Tolli and I rushed over to the small desk and began reading the report. It is a very well written summary of the geology of Eldorado Springs, along with recommendations and comments on how one might access hot water as opposed to the warm water that issued from the springs at that time.
At the end of the report, a Denver Water Department certificate of analysis reported that this was not mineral water, but perhaps the purest natural water the chemist had ever tested.
Missing was the color section… I walked over to the front desk and asked, and the librarian reported that there was no other document to go with this report, that if the section didn’t appear with the report, then it wasn’t available. I pointed out that the description clearly states that a color section is available, but he said it did not come with the report. He noted that the report was a 1972 copy of the original, and that the color section must not have been provided.
I went back to the desk and we looked through the report again. This time we noticed a name and contact information on the back inside page:
Now we have a lead, but we have not located the color section yet. The updated listing at the library now notes, no color section available. Not yet…
I checked Google to see about the address in the back of the report. It appeared that there was no house or apartment there anymore. Still, I wrote a letter to Sylvia Warner at the address, inquiring about the color section. Here is what I got in return:
I reached out to an expert on Professor Lakes, Dr. Simmons and Katherine Honda, who wrote the book, The Legacy of Dr. Lakes.
Dr. Simmons sent an image which she said was drawn at about the same time, as a point of reference. The image she sent is an Economic Section of Ralston Creek:
Still Looking!
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