Ute Lakes Fishing & Recreation Club

UTE LAKES FISHING AND RECREATION CLUB

History or Highlights as recalled by Roland W. Giggey

A Patent from the United States of America for this land, dated November 15, 1909, was issued to ARNOLD J. BECHBELL and recorded in Teller County, January 21, 1910, in Book 25, Page 224, file number 70706. It appears the patent was issued for mining purposes but no ore(s) of any kind were discovered.

The Teller County records show that finally The Rule Creek Investment Company came in to possession of the above property. The Rule Creek Investment Company was owned by H.J. OEHM, then residing in Cripple Creek, Colorado. On June 29, 1926, reception number 114296, Teller County, H.J. Gehm of said Rule Creek Investment Company filed map and specifications for a proposed Rule Creek Reservoir. Mr. Gehm thereafter did not proceed with construction of the dam. On September 11, 1928, J. W. BARRON recorded a warranty deed from the Rule Creek Investment Company, by H.J. Gehm, conveying the above described property, reserving for himself (Gehm) what turned out to be, after subdivisions 1 and 2 had been created, lots 3 and 4 in block D. (Members have heretofore been furnished maps of subdivisions 1, 2 and Miller.) The deed from the Rule Creek Investment Company to J.W. Barron was recorded February 18, 1939.

On August 10, 1939 a Plat of UTE LAKES CLUB was filed in the Teller County records, reception number l40,003, showing suPdivisions 1 and 2. (Miller subdivision on was created later.)

Before this time there had been no lake on the Club property, merely small fish ponds which had been built by Mr. Gehm. Heretofore,  Mr. Barron had formed Ute Lakes Fishing and Recreation Club and had sold some of the lots in 1 and 2 subdivisions to residents in Kansas, and it was reported at that time only Kansas people would be sold lots and become members of the Club. But sale of the lots was slow due to the fact that there was no lake on the property as heretofore anticipated by H.J. Gehm.

As stated, the sales of lots in subds. 1 and 2 were slow, possibly due, also, to the fact that World War #2 was going on in Europe – 1939 and thereafter, but before our country became embroiled. About this time Mr. Barron contacted the San-Orr Construction Company of Kansas (owned by Mr. M.C. Miller) to build a dam according to the map and specifications heretofore filed by Mr. Gehm.

The construction of the Ute Lake dam proceeded and was completed in 1941. However, by this time the sale of lots to Kansas people came to almost a standstill after the United States became involved, fully, in World War #2. No further sales of lots and membership in Ute Lakes Fishing and Recreation prohibited any “cash flow” to Mr. Barron. In the meantime J.W. Barron deeded Ute Lakes property to Ute Lakes Club, a Colorado Corporation he organized. This occurred May 5, 1941, recorded in Teller County records, book 247, page 503. Thereafter there were several conveyances affecting the Ute Lakes Club, the property finally resting in the name of J.W. Barron.  Further, the San-Orr Construction Company had not been paid in full for the dam construction. Subsequently, the Miller Subdivision was created and it appears that the creation of this subdivision and later being deeded to Miller satisfied the indebtedness owed Mr. Miller. The Miller Subdivision Plat was filed for record in Teller County February 14, 194l, file #143-970. Mr. Miller later built a large modern house on his property, newly acquired. Mr. Leonard Whitlock, of Kansas., was later the owner of the Miller Subdivision, having purchased from a Mr. B.J. O’Leary. Later the estate of Mr. Whitlock transferred the house and 28 lots in the Miller Subdivision to Mr. Emmet A. Blaes, of Wichita, Kansas. Our Club still owns 4 or 5 lots in the Miller Subdivision which were owned by a Mr. Dryden, a former president of Ute Lakes Fishing and Recreation Club.

On or about February 15, 1944, James W. Barron passed away.  On August 12, 1948, in Book 250, Page 541, File# 155,369, the Ute Lakes property as heretofore set forth was quit-claimed to one JEWELL CURRY (CURRIE) of Colorado Springs, Colorado.

To be cont….