Roots in Northern Colorado - Bales | Onstott

It's really fun to find an old picture out in the wild and be able to recognize someone in it.

I was in the midst of creating a list of places that my 3rd great grandparents, John Calloway Bales and Ida Belle (Onstott) Bales lived in Northern Colorado. My dad is retired and honestly doesn't really know what to do with himself. I thought if I gave him addresses of houses his 2nd great grandparents lived in, and locations of buildings they spent time in, he might enjoy some sightseeing and learning about his ancestors. Something about seeing places in person with context really helps bring the past alive.

Of course, my quick little list turned out to be a bigger project than I anticipated. Even though I had the basic facts already, when I tried diving into some details, I learned that more newspapers had been digitized, and I couldn't help but read every mention of "John Bales" that I could find. Through this, I learned that John played several key roles in the early days and founding of Wellington, CO. One of the things he did was serve as the chairman for the first Wellington Volunteer Fire Department which started in 1906.

1907 Wellington, CO - Volunteer Fire Department

Before learning that, however, I'd recognized him from a 1907 photo. He's in the front row with the magnificent moustache - which he wore in all of the photos I've ever seen of him. His facial hair has made him quite memorable! I'd stumbled across the photo which was published in a book I have yet to find but is quoted frequently: History of Wellington and the Boxelder Valley, 1864-1996 by Arlene Briggs Ahlbrandt. I'd love to know where she found the photo! And if there are more....
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John Calloway Bales was also the police magistrate of Wellington and was later appointed to policeman in Fort Collins, CO. Here he is in his policeman uniform, a few years after the fire department photo was taken:

John Calloway Bales, Policeman, Fort Collins, CO

Along with this photo, my dad also has John's pocket watch. 

I'm close to finishing my scavenger hunt list of places and hope my dad might learn more!