Johannes O. and Annie H. Johnson
Johannes proved up a quarter in 34, 6N 49W in 1893.
Maybe the John Johnson born Nov 1847 in Sweden, married 22 years in 1900 Logan County to Annie H. Johnson, also born in Sweden. They have Carrie, 18, Iowa, Annie 12 and Minnie 10, both Nebraska, and sons John C. 9 and Shorley 4, both Colorado.
In 1910 Weld County, Anna is widowed, 55, and with her are John C. 19, Sherley 14, and Anna 23 - a teacher.
John Christopher Johnson registered with a Greeley address, saying he was born Feb 25, 1891 near Sterling, Colorado, married, and was teaching at the State Teachers College.
Shirley Arthur Johnson registered with a Greeley address, born March 8, 1896 at Sterling.
John F. Meyer and Maggie M. Johnson married May 31, 1914, recorded in Logan County.
In 1920 Atwood precinct, Logan County, Maggie M. Meyer is 36, married to John F. Meyer 43. They have Edna G. 4, John K. 2, Sophia A. nine months, and brother Shirley A. Johnson, 23, is living with them.
Walter B. Daniels and Anna G. Johnson married Jun 12, 1926, recorded in Denver.
1929 Greeley "Shirley Johnson, a brother of Mrs. Walter Daniels, and John Meyer, her brother-in-law were overnight guests at the Daniels' home Thursday night. The men were en route to Denver with a truck load of lambs from their home in Sterling."
In 1940 Shirley is 44, living with sister Maggie Meyer, 56 and her son John K. Meyer, 22.
FindaGrave # 65225013 has Shirley A. Johnson 1897-Dec 1, 1942 buried in Greeley. Anna H. Johnson 1854-1935, spouse John Christopher Johnson 1847-1909, and son John Christopher Johnson 1891-1973 are also buried there.
In September of 1911 a man by the name of John C. Johnson was riding a narrow gauge train over the continental divide at Marshall pass, his first trip to the western slope. He was on his way to Gunnison, Colorado to help start the Colorado State Normal School at Gunnison. Originally a school with the sole purpose of training students to become teachers, the Normal School has since evolved into Western State College. Not only was John C. Johnson instrumental in the history of Western State, but he underwent his own evolution through the years he spent in Colorado, and the impact he made on the Gunnison valley in general, and Gothic in particular, has been huge.
Far from having an academic family history, John C. Johnson was born to Swedish immigrants living in a house made of sod on the eastern plains of Colorado. While I have friends who have an earnest passion for reconstructing the lifestyle of poor farmers, I'm sure that young Johnson was eager to escape the life of toil in agriculture that wedded people to the land. Of course, the son of a farmer wouldn't be used to having things in life handed to him easily, and John C. Johnson took the lessons of hard work he learned from his family and applied them routinely to his life in academia. In 1911, after graduating from the Normal School in Greely, Johnson hopped on a train to Gunnison to start another school. On September 12, the Normal School at Gunnison was fully operational.
Now, "fully operational" a century ago meant something a little different than it does today. Today, Western State College has a huge campus, a proud (but losing) football team, and many other organized sports teams. They offer classes in Holistic Shamanism and Outdoor Recreation, as well as your more conventional standards like Business or English. In 1911, the doors opened to 13 students. Sports teams were non-existent, and terms like Holistic Shamanism probably didn't even exist in the English language. John C. Johnson was instrumental in changing all of that.
He started with the sports teams. Within two years, he personally organized the first basketball team and football team. Johnson rented an old church and converted it into a gymnasium, since for strange and complicated reasons the gymnasium at the college had a ceiling only eight feet high. How the engineers of the late 19th/early 20th century could build a transcontinental railroad, but fail to make a gymnasium big enough to actually play sports in is something that confuses and perversely delights me. In any case, the problem allowed Johnson to exercise his brain and his social skills while looking for a way to exercise the body. Johnson, also the coach of the school's fledgling teams, somehow managed to obtain everything the school needed for a sports program; from a building, to backboards, to opponents. Also immediately popular, and foreshadowing the eventual economy of the Gunnison valley, was the ski team Johnson started in January of 1912.
Between 1911 and 1928, Johnson served as coach, faculty, and then dean of the Colorado State Normal School, which became Western State College in 1923. Also during that time, Johnson made the trek up to Gothic, and fell in love with the East River Valley. He had been operating the Rocky Mountain Biological Station in Taylor canyon, under the supervision of Western State College. By 1927, however, the political climate in Colorado was changing, and due to a change in leadership in both the state and the school, Johnson found himself a target of the Ku Klux Klan, and both his position at Western State, and the RMBS were terminated. These were dark times for Western State College, but out of them came the birth of the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Gothic.
Having learned the pratfalls of being involved in an institution that was subject to the whims of policy and politics, Johnson was determined to continue his work in biology free from the fetters of a government funded institution. In 1928, with the help of his wife, Vera Adams Johnson, he started renting some buildings from Garwood Judd (who may or may not have had the right to rent them) in Gothic, and established the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory. With Aute Richards, A.O. Weese, and L.A. Adams, John and Vera Johnson incorporated the lab, and began the exciting, but often tedious work of documenting the biological processes that occurred in the high mountain valley. Through the years, Johnson put much of his own money into the non-profit lab, buying standing buildings and renovating them, building new laboratories and cabins, and conducting painstaking research. While for most of its history, the lab has been hanging by a financial thread, Johnson's spirit of putting his own sweat, blood, and money into the lab has persisted to this day. As recent as a decade ago (before complicated building code regulations were being enforced) researchers and staff would still come together to build the newest house, outhouse, or community structure that was needed.
Johnson, by the way, returned to Western State College in 1966 after a 38 year absence. He died in 1973.
The Gothic town site was established in 1879 following a silver strike up Copper Creek in what is now the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness area. The town grew rapidly and within two years contained as many as 3000 residents. The town of Gothic had a brief life and was fading into oblivion. In 1928, Dr. John C. Johnson formerly of Western State College, with others founded the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory on the town site, purchasing several of the buildings and land. Initially the Lab used many of the original buildings from the mining days as laboratories, classrooms and dormitories. Over the years RMBL has developed a reputation as one of the leading terrestrial field stations in the world. Each summer 150 scientists and students conduct research and classes. Seven buildings in the town site have been designated for their historical value including the Gothic Town Hall, Swallow’s Nest, Ore House, Mammal Lab, Barclay Cabin, Mc Cloud Cabin, and the Richards Cabin.
Mary Eleann Linvill 1879-1972 # 56337220 and Horace Chase Linvill are buried in Sterling. They were married April 21, 1912, recorded in Logan County.
Mary E. Linvill owned a property west of Sterling, between County Road 27 and 25, which she willed to the Rocky Mountain Biological Labratory, in Crested Butte. Linvill's wish was to have it held under her name, the Mary Johnson Linvill Botany Research Preserve.
It's kind of a rugged property with rough terrain. The property was natural prairie, it's never been plowed or tilled and remains in the same condition it was before Colorado was settled. Linvill wanted the property to remain the same to provide an opportunity for botanists, biologists and nature lovers to study a portion of the Great Plains as it existed in its natural state.
The Rocky Mountain Biological Lab has owned the property since the 1970s, they have erected a memorial marker in Crested Butte for her, but since Crested Butte is so far away they feel like they aren't doing justice for the property.
"Basically they wanted to give it to us, but they're not sure how they can do that legally since it was willed to them,"
The city has made the decision that they will hold the property the same way Linvill wanted it to be held and included it as a part of the PLR department.
"It could be used as a museum outlet where classes could go out and see what the prairie looked like when the wagon trains were coming through and all of those things,"
Many of Linvill's items, including her wedding dress, are now at the Overland Trail Museum.
The laboratory's attorney said they think that because the city is going to hold it under the conditions of the will, it can just be an exchange.
Right now the attorney is right now drawing up a resolution for the city council to vote on, saying the city would accept the donation of the property and keep it under the outline of the will. The attorney is also researching what the courts will require for that transfer.
"It's very exciting, that we can have this piece of natural prairie land that we can take school groups to or inform people about and they can go out and explore,"
The house, machinery, and other items mentioned in Linvill's will are no longer there.
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Carrie Nellie (Johnson) Olson -1882-1973 # 48396246 and Henry Roy Olson are buried in Haxtun.
Walter Blaine Daniels probate was in Weld County court in 1972.Anna G. Daniels (Dec'd); Milliken, Colo., Wife. (The Administrator is Harold L. Daniels, son.
FindaGrave has Walter B. Daniels 1884-1971 and Anna G. 1886-1972 buried in Greeley # 65218670
"Mrs. Anna G. Daniels of Rt. 1 Milliken. Mother of Harold L. Daniels of Milliken. Sister of Mary Lindville of Sterling, Carrie Olson, of Haxtun, and John C. Johnson of Denver. Services 2:30 p.m. Thursday 1 from the Adamson Memorial Chapel. Interment Linn Grove Cemetery." January 4, 1972 Greeley Tribune
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