Sampson Community Club
On this page is our quarterly newsletter, the "Squeaky Squirrel." For your convenience as well as information, it has been reprinted, in part, here.
The Squeaky Squirrel
A
newsletter about and for our Mountain Community by Miss Dee, published
author (a.k.a. Dee Lee)
September
15, 2006
More Memories: Cottonwood Gulch by Jan Clawson
At the top of Maxwell Hill Road is Cottonwood Gulch. There are no cottonwood trees, I planted one once but it died, and it's not just a gulch.
Forty years ago when I moved here, I didn't think I'd stay, yet, forty years later I'm still here despite cold winters, snow and icy roads.
The first of the properties in Jefferson County belonged to Joseph Berens, which has been owned by six different parties. Evidence still remains evident by the many holes dug through the hills, that the Colfax Mining Company once owned it. I have no idea what they expected to find, perhaps gold. All the holes are mostly filled in by now. At sometime, squatters settled on the school section, which borders my property. No school was ever built of course, but Government laws were followed in dividing up the land.
The persons (i.e. squatters) lived there long enough to build a house, barn, and dig a well. Further evidence of their plan to stay is an apple tree and a rhubarb patch. The former resident Ray McCloskey explained that a large cleared area was a potato patch. I was curious about that until I visited the Kuehster Ranch. They showed me a potato barn and said that raising potatoes was a "cash crop." The story goes, as stories do, that moonshiners lived down the valley. Perhaps it is more than a story, I've seen the remains of a still along Whiskey Gulch.
Much of my information comes from Joyce Freeman. Joyce lived in this house and worked for Sam Huffman during the 40's and 50's. She lived on this property until her death.
At sometime, perhaps the late 1800's, someone built a single log room cabin, which is now my sitting room, and then a second log room, which is now my kitchen. As time went on other rooms were added, which is now my home.
As most areas, this valley has had a colorful past.
* * * Jan Clawson is our good neighbor, a 40-year
local area historian, and a brilliant writer. Jan has kindly agreed to share
her knowledge of the area and some of her memories with the Squeaky Squirrel
readership. Jan, from all of us history-buffs, thank you!
The
Squeaky Squirrel, a quarterly newsletter, is published on the 15th
of March, June, September and December. Deadlines for ads and submissions
are the 27th of February, May, August, and November. If you have a story,
an idea or a suggestion, please contact Miss Dee at (303) 697-2558,
e-mail her at missdee001@earthlink.net or drop a note in the Sampson Community
Club's mailbox: 16150 Sampson Road, Littleton, CO 80127. Please include
your evening phone number.
www.sampsonclub.org
Lovingly Remembered
Lila Kint passed away June 23, 2006. She was one of our local area historians and a very busy writer. For several years she wrote the column, "Up the Creek," for the High Timber Times/Canyon Courier, authored the Squeaky Squirrel column "Canyon Memories," wrote articles for the Denver Post and the Rocky Mountain News, authored two books, and helped edit the book, Mountain Memories, From Coffee Pot Hill to Medlen Town, (Limited Publications, Lakewood, Colorado). And Lila started a writing club she affectionately called the "Wordy Matrons."
Lila and her husband, Jim, moved to our community in 1953, as newlyweds. She and Jim married in 1951 in Sargents, Colorado, near Gunnison. In speaking with Lila's daughter, Kathy Mergl, Kathy described her mother as, "loving, strong, gracious and proper." Kathy's daughter, Megan, is quoted as asking, "How can anyone not love grandma?" Kathy told me, "If you gave a project to Lila, it was as good as done."
I asked some of Lila's friends and neighbors to describe to me, in one sentence, their impression of Lila and this is what I received. "Lila was always pleasant, friendly, and a good neighbor," Jan Clawson. "She was always good-natured and pleasant," Faye Benway. "It was such a relief to know that I could count on Lila," Dee Lee. It goes without saying but Lila will be missed.
Next...
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September 30th October
27th & 28th November
18th November
25th
5:00 p.m.
6:00 p.m. Potluck Dinner, 27th 5:00
p.m. 10:00
a.m.- 4:00 p.m.
Chi-Histri-Pok 7:00
p.m., 27th & 28th Annual
Membership Mtg. Craft Fair Haunted
House &
Thanksgiving Dinner
Coordinator: Coordinator:
Coordinator:
Coordinators:
Dee Lee
Karen George Dave
Pettus Val Cukr (303) 697-8862
(303) 697-2558 (303)
697-3283 (303)
697-8780 and
Karen
needs volunteers! Candy
Vallado (303) 697-6049
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Chi-Histri-Pok September
30th 5:00
p.m. 
Wow! The name tells you something, doesn't it? This event is a once in a lifetime! The Board of Directors chose the three most popular events, taken from the "Event Questionnaire" on the Membership Application Form we sent out this past February, and combined them into one event, "Chi-Histri-Pok."
At 5:00 p.m., a few of our long-time residents of the area will share some history or stories of our beloved local. If you have heard some history about the area, we're hoping you will share, too.
Around 6:00 pm., a chili-tasting contest (including
distinguished judges) with 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prizes to be awarded. So
bring a big pot of your hot and sassy, not so hot and sassy, "special
ingredient," delicious homemade chili and enter the contest! After the
judges have made their decision, we'll all eat chili! And after dinner, around
7:00 p.m., for those so inclined, a poker game downstairs!
History Sharing, Chili Cook-Off Coordinator:
Dee Lee (303) 697-2558. $5.00 per adult, $2.00 per child. (No charge to contestants)
Pre Holiday Trunk Sale 
October
21st 1:00
- 5:00 p.m.
Come see what "Beautiful Accessories by
Lynn" has for sale!
Haunted House 
October
27th & 28th 7:00 p.m.
The Halloween Potluck Dinner begins at 6:00
p.m. and the Haunted House opens at 7:00 p.m. Please bring a dish to share,
perhaps a pumpkin to carve, and a ghost story to tell.
Coordinator: Karen George (303) 697-3283. Karen
will need volunteers!!!
$3.00 per person to go through the Haunted House.
Annual Membership Meeting & November
18th 5:00
p.m.
Thanksgiving Dinner
Please bring a dish to share and join us for
Thanksgiving dinner. After dinner, at the annual membership meeting, renew
your membership or become a member, share your feedback or suggestions, and
cast your vote for President and Secretary because these two Board Members
are "movin' on."
Coordinator: the President, Dave Pettus (303)
697-8780.
Craft Fair 
November
25th 10:00
a.m.-4:00 p.m.
One Day only to shop for those perfect
holiday gifts made by our talented crafters!
Coordinators: Val Cukr (303) 697-8862 and Candy
Vallado (303) 697-6049.
The Greenhouse Corner 
Grab your basket and head to the garden because it's
harvest time! Even one or two tomatoes and one pepper can be made into some
delicious chutney!
And because it's harvest time, be certain you
keep up on the weather forecasts: if it's going to dip to 39 degrees in Denver,
it will be 29 degrees here. 29 degrees is a hard frost and that will kill
your veggies.
Be prepared to cover your garden during a hard
frost with Plant Guard sheets (available at garden nurseries) or paper bags,
newspapers or sheets. Don't use tee shirts, towels or plastic bags: tee shirts
and towels are too heavy and will break the stalks. Plastic holds in the cold,
which is exactly the opposite of what you want to do, which is keep in the
heat. Paper bags or newspapers placed over your veggies will hold in approximately
15 degrees of the earth's warmth and the Plant Guard sheets will hold in 25
degrees. Your covers can be removed about 10:00 a.m. the following morning
unless it's snowing.
While you are at the nursery purchasing some Plant Guard sheets, buy some spring bulbs, bone meal, and a bulb auger. This nifty little gardening tool fits on the drill so it does all the work of making holes for your bulbs. And next, mosey around in the gardening tools and supply area. This is the time for clearance sales.
Here are a few more Gardening Do's as the end of gardening season approaches.
#1 Put your seeds in the refrigerator or in a cool, dark place until next gardening season.
#2 Plant your Spring bulbs. Plant 3 times the depth of the height of the bulb: if the bulb is 1" long, the hole should be 3" deep. Add Bone Meal to the hole before you plant and dust the bulbs with Baby Powder before planting because critters dislike the taste, which insures that they won't dig up your bulbs.
#3 Pick up or dig up and throw away any dead veggie debris and remove the mulch when you no longer need it. You want the sun, air, and rain/snow to revitalize the soil.
Late October:
#4 Collar your
roses to help protect the roots and the base of the bush. Use the container
your roses came in or purchased collars, fill the collar with straw (heavy
on the bottom) and fill it to the top.
#5 Tree Wrap
your special trees with "Tree Wrap," available at garden nurseries.
Wrap the trunk up to the first branch to help protect the tree against the
wind and the cold.
#6 Clean the gardening
tools in a bucket of sand and one cup of cooking oil. This mixture will help
remove dirt or mud and the coating of oil will help keep the rust away.
We Had Tons of Fun
…at the June Roll-Off Spruce Up. We ended up ordering two 30-yard roll-offs and they both ate a lot!
…at the Barbecue/Ice Cream Social. Wonderful
music, provided by Don Coenen and his group, filled the schoolhouse as we
ate barbecued lunches and enjoyed a world of ice cream and special toppings.
…at the Pig Roast. The roasted pig was,
once again, absolutely delicious as were the many side dishes! The Pig Roast
is the best way to mark summer's end.
2005/2006 Board Members Electronic Mail
President, Dave Pettus (303)
697-8780 Would
you like to receive the
Vice President, Virginia Temmer (303) 697-7272 Squeaky
Squirrel electronically?
Secretary, Dee Lee (a.k.a. Miss Dee) (303) 697-2558 Please
contact Mitch Tanenbaum at
Treasurer, Brian Lambert (303) 697-8933 MTanen@prolynx.com.
A Special Thank You to
Anonymous, for weed whackin' around the front and sides of the schoolhouse.
The Barbecue & Ice Cream Social Crew: Dave Pettus, Barbara Asprey, Dee and Mike Lee, Sami Pettus, Robert Manzanares, Alyssa Strietelmeier, and Virginia Temmer, for your assistance and expertise with this fun gathering and for all the yummy ice cream you provided.
The Calling Committee Crew: Janet Clark, Janie Lambert, and Kevin and Michelle Temmer.
Jan Clawson, for donating a pancake griddle to the Club, donating several "Baby's Breath" plants to the Schoolhouse flowerbeds, and for contributing your enchanting column, "More Memories," to the Squeaky Squirrel.
Don Coenen and his group, for playing all that wonderful music at the Ice Cream Social.
The Flowerbed Maintenance Crew: Dee
and Mike Lee, Camille and Michaela Anthony,
Jan Clawson, Robert Manzanares, Dave Pettus, Virginia Temmer, and Kim TerraNova.
Dave George, for your contribution of Strawberry ice cream to the Ice Cream Social.
Brian Lambert, for performing your duties as Treasurer of the Sampson Community Club.
Dee Lee, for performing your duties as Secretary of the Sampson Community Club, coordinating the Calling Committee, for writing both the Squeaky Squirrel and the script for the Sampson Community Club's website, and tending the Club's flower beds.
Mike Lee, for maintaining the Club's website.
Diane Neil, our Welcome Committee Hostess.
Dave Pettus, for performing your duties as President of the Sampson Community Club.
The Pig Roast Crew: Glick Bishop, Bryn Shepeck, Susan Welder, and the many chefs and volunteers who helped make the Pig Roast a successful and pleasant event.
Robert Manzanares, for weed whackin' around the flowerbeds.
The June 10th Roll-Off Spruce Up Crew:
Dee and Mike Lee, Dave Pettus, and Virginia Temmer.
The Squeaky Squirrel Prep Crew: Dee and
Mike Lee, for preparing the newsletter for mailing.
Mitch Tanenbaum, for printing the Squeaky Squirrel and e-mail blasting the Club's announcements.
Virginia Temmer, for performing your duties as Vice President of the Sampson Community Club.
Kim TerraNova, for donating several "Snow on the Mountain" plants to the Schoolhouse flowerbeds.
The Window Replacement Crew: Camille and Michaela Anthony, Robert Manzanares, and Virginia Temmer.
And thank you, members, for paying your yearly
$20.00 dues. If you need to pay your dues or would like to join the Sampson
Community Club, please mail your $20.00 membership dues along with your name
and telephone number to the Club's mailbox: Sampson Community Club, 16150
Sampson Road, Littleton, CO, 80127. If you have any questions, please call
one of the Board Members listed on page 4.
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TerraNova Studio
www.TerraNovaStudio.com
(303) 697-0229
Beginning and intermediate sculpture in water base clay
Classes
beginning October 6th & 7th
Have you ever wanted to make something for your
garden, deck or your home? Kim TerraNova, our talented local artisan and instructor,
will teach both beginning and intermediate sculpture in water base clay on
Friday & Saturday mornings, 9 a.m. to noon, beginning October 6th and
7th, 2006. Please give Kim a call for additional information and/or to register
for class (303) 697-0229. Give it a try, sculpting can be tons of fun, relaxing,
and who knows? There could be a Michael Angelo inside of you!
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Pre Holiday Trunk Show
Sampson Schoolhouse, 16150 Sampson Road
October 21st from 1 - 5:00 p.m. &
For Sale:
December 2nd from 1 - 5:00 p.m. Stuffed
Animal
Collection
Purses * Jewelry * Scarves
Over
70 cute
Shawls
* Alpaca Capes
and cuddley critters.
Custom Tie-Dyed Sweats
A
great start
for
the business
"Beautiful Accessories by Lynn"
entrepreneur!
(303) 478-4250 cell
phone Call
Dee Lee
(303) 670-0604 home phone (303)
697-2558
If you have questions, please call Lynn.
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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * If
you would like to be excluded from our mailing list, please contact Miss
Dee at (303) 697-2558 or at missdee001@earthlink.net.
Need a place to rent for a special occasion? The Sampson Schoolhouse is
available. Call Virginia Temmer (303) 697-7272.