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ENLARGE
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — In my never-ending quest for local historical knowledge, I just keep opening Pandora's Box as it were.
It started out with Mantey Heights and my wanting to know about this Mr. Fred Mantey. I knew that Fred Mantey had orchards on Mantey Heights and that he had pumped water up to his orchards electrically.
West of Mantey Heights was Wellington Heights and J. A. Wellington's water wheel. Wellington's fruit growing and irrigating predated Mantey's by a good 30 or more years. John A. Wellington homesteaded 160 acres south of the canal in 1890. His 160 patented acres granted to him by President Benjamin Harrison included land south of the Grand Valley Canal from 15th Street to 27th Street and North to Orchard Avenue.
The land included some land north of the canal between 15th Street and the edge of the cliffs below Mantey Heights. Wellington was made famous by building his magnificent Ferris Wheel-like water wheel that sat in the middle of the canal at the end of 17th Street.
Most of us local boomers remember that 17th Street went through from Orchard to Patterson at one time and made a big curve as it went past the old brickyard
Wellington grew apples and pears that we know of, with the wooden water wheel pumping water from the canal into a flume that then took the water to his orchards north of the canal. I don't know how long the wheel operated or even existed but when the Highline Canal was completed in 1915 his wheel would have become obsolete.
When Grand Valley Irrigation relined the canal in that area, they didn't find any remains although they did find the wooden pylons from the 17th Street bridge. J. A. Wellington passed away in 1901.
His second wife, Mrs. Amanda McKay, whom he married in 1890, and his son, George E. Wellington, were to inherit Wellington's estate which included his orchards and a business property at 428 Main St. and another chunk of land in Pear Park.
Best I can tell, George was J. A. Wellington's son by his first wife, Almedia Taylor Wellington, from Michigan whom he married in Mesa County in February 1884, a year after he purchased his downtown property.
Amanda and George were the only heirs, and with a “deficiency” of around $16,000 on Wellington's estate, the lands were court ordered to be sold including the Wellington home that sat on the knoll overlooking the magnificent water wheel that attracted the awe of all those who were allowed to ride it and marvel at its efficiency.
Wellington's homestead, proved up and gifted to him in 1890, went on the block and was snatched up by several prominent businessmen. A Mr. Samuel L. Carson purchased the part of his land that included “fifteen statutory inches of water in and from the Grand Valley Canal” for a total sum of $3,000.
Smaller sections south of the canal sold for as little as $450 to H.B. Whitney, J.C. Glassford, Fred Mantey, W.H. Borschell and others. The Louis Brodak family would soon acquire much of Wellington's original homestead and with Fred Mantey and William Moyer, would start the brickyard that sat on the same piece of land as J. A. Wellington's water wheel.
Fred Mantey would go on to buy the land to the east around 1910 and develop Mantey Heights nearly 30 years later. One-hundred-year old fruit trees can still be found on Mantey Heights and again, that's a couple of more stories — the brickyard and Mantey Heights. Stay tuned.
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Reach Prissy at 260-5226, or email priscilla.mangnall@gmail.com.
It started out with Mantey Heights and my wanting to know about this Mr. Fred Mantey. I knew that Fred Mantey had orchards on Mantey Heights and that he had pumped water up to his orchards electrically.
West of Mantey Heights was Wellington Heights and J. A. Wellington's water wheel. Wellington's fruit growing and irrigating predated Mantey's by a good 30 or more years. John A. Wellington homesteaded 160 acres south of the canal in 1890. His 160 patented acres granted to him by President Benjamin Harrison included land south of the Grand Valley Canal from 15th Street to 27th Street and North to Orchard Avenue.
The land included some land north of the canal between 15th Street and the edge of the cliffs below Mantey Heights. Wellington was made famous by building his magnificent Ferris Wheel-like water wheel that sat in the middle of the canal at the end of 17th Street.
Most of us local boomers remember that 17th Street went through from Orchard to Patterson at one time and made a big curve as it went past the old brickyard
Wellington grew apples and pears that we know of, with the wooden water wheel pumping water from the canal into a flume that then took the water to his orchards north of the canal. I don't know how long the wheel operated or even existed but when the Highline Canal was completed in 1915 his wheel would have become obsolete.
When Grand Valley Irrigation relined the canal in that area, they didn't find any remains although they did find the wooden pylons from the 17th Street bridge. J. A. Wellington passed away in 1901.
His second wife, Mrs. Amanda McKay, whom he married in 1890, and his son, George E. Wellington, were to inherit Wellington's estate which included his orchards and a business property at 428 Main St. and another chunk of land in Pear Park.
Best I can tell, George was J. A. Wellington's son by his first wife, Almedia Taylor Wellington, from Michigan whom he married in Mesa County in February 1884, a year after he purchased his downtown property.
Amanda and George were the only heirs, and with a “deficiency” of around $16,000 on Wellington's estate, the lands were court ordered to be sold including the Wellington home that sat on the knoll overlooking the magnificent water wheel that attracted the awe of all those who were allowed to ride it and marvel at its efficiency.
Wellington's homestead, proved up and gifted to him in 1890, went on the block and was snatched up by several prominent businessmen. A Mr. Samuel L. Carson purchased the part of his land that included “fifteen statutory inches of water in and from the Grand Valley Canal” for a total sum of $3,000.
Smaller sections south of the canal sold for as little as $450 to H.B. Whitney, J.C. Glassford, Fred Mantey, W.H. Borschell and others. The Louis Brodak family would soon acquire much of Wellington's original homestead and with Fred Mantey and William Moyer, would start the brickyard that sat on the same piece of land as J. A. Wellington's water wheel.
Fred Mantey would go on to buy the land to the east around 1910 and develop Mantey Heights nearly 30 years later. One-hundred-year old fruit trees can still be found on Mantey Heights and again, that's a couple of more stories — the brickyard and Mantey Heights. Stay tuned.
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Reach Prissy at 260-5226, or email priscilla.mangnall@gmail.com.
