South Platte Valley Historical Society Society`````````````````````````````South Platte Valley Historical Society

 

Rebuilding the Past - For the Future

Last Update

January 24, 2011

MY GRANDMOTHER'S SCRAPBOOK

 

PART II

A true story written by 

Mrs. Phyllis Ceretto

 

The Winbourn's had now moved from their home on the island surrounded by the Platte River and Lupton Bottom Ditch to their new home on the mainland about a quarter of a mile north.  This was also built of logs.  One of the milk houses was made of grout, a concrete-like mixture of lime and gravel.  This land west of the river was called Lupton Bottoms.

 

However, they lived here for a very short time, as this home was destroyed by fire.  They built a new home which was still further north.  This time a large barn was built of grout.

 

By this time Mr. Winbourn was a prominent citizen and politician of Weld County.  He was very much interested in the building of the first Union Pacific Railroad depot in Fort Lupton.  He owned much of the land where the town now stands after purchasing eighty acres from the railroad company.

 

During this time the Twombly Store, a red brick establishment, had been built. Beside it Mr. Winbourn built a hotel in which space was left for a store which he established later. The Twombly Store became the Fort Lupton Mercantile, and was the gathering place where families visited when they came to town to do their trading.

 

By this time the Winbourn children had grown to be young men and women.  Junie was about sixteen and had attracted the eye of several young men in the community.  A cousin told the following story concerning her at this time.

 

"I remember one day as I was driving up to the Twombly store, George Twombly rushed out and told me my cousin, Junie Winbourn, then a young girl about sixteen years of age, was about to run away with a youth whose name I do not recall.  So I turned my team of horses around and started for the W. G. Winbourn ranch.  I recall that my team was a couple of big, heavy mares and were hitched to a hay wagon.  I soon had them on the run to head off cupid.  There was a long wooden bridge across the Platte River, just this side of the Winbourn place.  As I took this bridge on the run my heavy team and wagon made enough noise to awaken the dead.  As I dashed up to the main entrance to the Winbourn place, W. G. Winbourn came running out.  I told him what was about to happen in his family, and he took Junie into a strong room and locked her up.  Then he called a family council and decided to take his daughter down to some relatives in Alabama where she would be safe as far as this aspirant to her hand (and W. G...'s broad acres) was concerned.  About two months later, on a bright June morning, my cousin Junie returned to Fort Lupton and with her came her new husband, William Burge.  Her father was astounded but welcomed this new son-in-law and took him into his home.  The son-in-law began to make Mr. Winbourn nervous by just loafing around, so he let him help with the breaking of some wild horses.  This proved to be too much for the new groom since he was unaccustomed to horses.  The first wild team he hitched ran away and threw him out of the wagon, breaking both

legs at the ankle.  When W. G. came home, he found his son-in-law in bed in the front room, and after several months of close association, decided as a matter of self protection to stake Will to a dry land farm.

 

"Twenty years later, Will owned most of the farms in his neighborhood, had more real money than his father-in-law, and had quite a family of big, husky boys.

 

"So, if Rachel and Lucy, my two steady mares who galloped over the Winbourn bridge just in time to spoil romance, had fallen in the river and broken their necks, there would be no Burge family in the Fort Lupton community today."

 

However, a letter found in Junie's scrap book years later proves this story slightly false. Junie did come home married when she returned from Scottsboro Academy, Scottsboro, Alabama, but she wrote her parents first.  Her father wrote this letter in answer.

 

"Ft. Lupton, Colo.

August 7, 1883

 

Junie Winbourn

 

Dear Child yours reaceived wich finds us all in good health and one of the most prosperous years Colorado has had for a number of years plenty of rain and good Crops.

 

"Well Junie you have asked my consent to marry Wm. Burge well it is a most serious thing to give a Child away to another man not knowing what will be the consequence But believing that he is a honest and industrious young man I will give my consent hoping he will make you a good afectionate husband and you make him an afecationate wife I could not consent if I thought he would keap you thair I could not bear the idea of your staying thair A Child is to a Parrent until you have children of your own.  Write soon and often as it is a great treat to reaceive a letter from you

 

Your Father

W. G. Winbourn"

 

They obtained their marriage license at Jackson County Court House, Woodville, Alabama, and were married on August 21, 1883.  In September Will and Junie Burge came to Fort Lupton and established a home two miles west of town.  Here they lived happily and fourteen children were born to them.

 

The End

Do you have a family story (historical) that you would like to publish on our web site, or would you like to do research and write articles (historical) for this web site--if so please contact the web committee at lancaster.lupton@spvhs.org.

 

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