Abraham Lincoln Wilson papers
Scope and Contents
LEDGERS, II. LEDGERS, III. NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS.
I. DIARIES includes bound diaries written by Wilson between April 23, 1894 and January 23, 1925. They start out by documenting his move to Gunnison, Colorado, and continued to take place in that area. II. LEDGERS includes an expense ledger from May 1925. III. NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS contain church program from the Protestant Episcopal Church in Denver, Colorado, articles clipped from Gunnison, Colorado newspapers including obituaries of A.L. Wilson, and an article on a political campaign in Boulder by A.L. Wilson’s brother George. It also includes a magazine, Architectural Concrete, highlighting the architect that designed the new Boulder Courthouse after it was destroyed by a fire in 1932. Lastly, this section includes a letter to George and Dorothy Wilson from Arthur Boase and Chemistry formulas notes. The IV. OVERSIZE folder contains full newspapers from the Gunnison News-Champion, Vol. 46, no. 5, January 30, 1925, The Gunnison Empire, Vol.9, no. 3, January 29, 1925; The Gunnison Republican, Vol. 26., no. 49, January 30, 1925.
Dates
- 1894 - 1925
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for access.
Conditions Governing Use
Limited duplication of materials allowed for research purposes. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
Historical Sketch
Abraham Lincoln Wilson was a prominent figure in the Gunnison community for thirty-one years. Wilson was born in Philadelphia in 1861, and named after the recently inaugurated president, Abraham Lincoln. His grandfather, William Wilson, was a colonel during the Revolutionary War.
Abraham Lincoln Wilson received mechanical engineering education, and served as a water works engineer in Bristol, Pennsylvania. He participated in a project to construct a water system for Mexico City. As a result of his work in Mexico, he began to suffer from chronic stomach disturbances. In 1894, he moved to Gunnison, Colorado. Despite the opinion of eastern doctors that he would only have a few months to live, A.L. Wilson’s health began to turn around after his move to the Rockies. Along with his brother, George Evans Wilson, Abraham Lincoln Wilson took up a forty-acre track on the Gunnison River, six miles west of Gunnison. A.L. Wilson converted his residence into a fishing resort called the Jointed Rod Resort. This was among the first resort of its kind in the area. Through his resort, he built a network of acquaintances throughout the county, state and nation. Also, A.L. Wilson was very involved in the local school district, serving on the district school board as a director for many years, and also as on the county high school board. His brother George became an engineer in Boulder County.
Abraham Lincoln Wilson suffered from illness for much of 1924. On Wednesday January 21, 1925, A.L Wilson was engaged in lifting large chunks of ice from the river and strained himself, resulting in breaking a blood vessel in his stomach. In the face of continuous hemorrhages, Wilson remained hopeful of recovery, but passed away quietly January 27, 1925. A.L. Wilson never married.
Extent
1.5 linear feet (4 Boxes, Oversize)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
A. L. Wilson (1861- 1925) moved to Gunnison, Colorado, in 1894 for his health. He ran a fishing resort called the Jointed Rod Resort. The collection contains a 21 volume diary from 1894-1925, plus clippings on the Episcopal Church, the University of Colorado, and the Boulder Chautauqua.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged into the following series: I. DIARIES II. LEDGERS III. NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS IV. OVERSIZE
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Sarah Fallik
- Date
- February 13, 2013
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the University of Colorado Boulder Libraries, Rare and Distinctive Collections Repository
