COLORADO STATE CAPITOL
The Colorado State capitol was built between the years 1889 to 1894. A construction crew of approximately two hundred forty men worked on the project including sixty men at the quarries in Gunnison, 129 stonecutters, a dozen black-smiths, and wagon crews to transport the quarried granite from the Denver railroad station to the construction site on Broadway.
Many of the skilled stone-masons at the Aberdeen quarry site and the Denver Capital construction site were immigrants from Scotland, Ireland, and Europe. They were represented by the National Quarrymen's Union, Branch 46 with president Alva Adams. Some of these men were probably acquaintances of Geddes and Seerie who had previously worked as stone masons before establishing themselves as stone contractors.
"GEDDES & SEERIE" Stone Contractors
William F. Geddes and David Duff Seerie were awarded the contract to build the capital in early 1889. Geddes and Seerie, both skilled stone masons, arrived in Denver in 1880. William F. Geddes, born ca. 1859 Pennsylvania, , was the son of Irish immigrants while David Duff Seerie, born 1862, Parish of Tealing, near Dundee, Scotland.
They incorporated the contracting firm "Geddes & Seerie" contracting large-scale projects in the Denver area including the building of the Cheesman Dam of Colorado, the Pathfinder dam of Wyoming, and the Brown Palace Hotel.
William F. Geddes and William Harvey traveled to Gunnison on the western slope of Colorado, to inspect the granite cliffs that extended for several miles along the divide. Satisfied with the quality of the stone, they selected the Gunnison granite for their Capital building project, in June of 1889, and named the quarry site "Aberdeen."At the Aberdeen quarry site boarding and mess houses were established for the workers. Supplies came in from local farmers and from Denver by train. The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad built a six mile track to connect the quarry site with their narrow gauge railroad line.
The quarried slabs, some weighing 14 to 15 tons, were shipped to Denver via the railroad. Upon arrival by train in Denver, the granite stone was transported by wagons to the cutting sheds to be delivered in finished form at the building site..
"The stone was cut and dressed on the capitol grounds-all six-cut work. About 179 men were employed, 129 of whom were stonecutters. It is a busy scene in the enclosure surrounding the grounds. There is music in the ring of the stonecutters' hammers, the creaking derricks, and the chorus of 12 anvils in the blacksmith shop. Fifteen carloads are received per week, much of large dimensions. The architect prepares the diagram with the name of the cutter, the hour, and the, and final date, and the cutters prepare the pieces." Twelve blacksmiths were employed, one smith being required to sharpen the tolls of twelve cutters. (1)
National Quarrymen's Union, Branch 46, at Aberdeen
List of Stonemasons at Aberdeen Quarry
President - Alex McDonald
Vice-president - Axel Carlson
Secretary -Peter C. Olsen
Yard Stewards - Wallace Moore
and William Thompson
George Amprimo Albert Anderson Magnus Anderson Batiste Battistie August Beyer John Beyer G. Bossego George T. Boutin Mike Brennan Charles Chalman Anton Calonge Rocco Condy William F. Conley |
William F. Conley Lorenzo Deronsedi Charles Edberg T. Emanuel Jacong Fornandes Carl D. Frommer Antonio Gross J. P. Gunstrom Peter Helm David Henderson Tobia Jenello Henry Jensen Alex Johnson |
Andrew Johnson Frank Kalb Jack Kelley N. P. Longval P. L. Matteson Charles McCormick John McGuire Colin Moore Otis Moore John Nelson Peter Peterson Charles Romano |
Henry Sampson Robert Selby Charley Snyder George Stone Osmond Stone Osmund Stone Thomas B. Van Cleave Wissitie Wessintin John Whelen Mell Wright Peter Zare S. F. Zugelder |
List of Men employed by "Geddes & Seerie" in the year 1892
GRANITE CUTTERS
Achorn, J. D Addie, W. J. Anderson, Andrew Bayha, C. W. Bell, Stephen R. Benzie, James Bildner, Frank Bird, Charles Bishop, John H. Bochm, Paul Bourke, Michael Bowman, John Boyle, William F Brandrey, Marshal Brines, R. A. Brown, George Brown, Robert Burnie, Thomas Burns, Lawrence Butz, A. L Bystrom, John L Caravatti, Angelo Carling, John Cash, H. T. Catto, James Chalmers, Andrew Chapman, James E. Colovizzae, E. Cook, William H
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Culley, William |
Kochen, Oscar |
Riley, J. F. Roberts, Henry Roberts, John Roberts, Pierce Rodgers, Charles Rundle, Joseph T Ryan, John Sanders, Albert Sarah, Harry Sarah, James Scott, Alexander K Scott, James F Seerie, Edward Sheehan, Michael J. Skyles, Frank Strobel, Edward C Stumke, Henry C Swanson, K. M. Tighe, John Tighe, Martin Toth, William Valentine, B Vetter, Carl Warren, John Whalen, John Williams, William B Winn, Thomas Young, Martin |
LABORERS | STONE CUTTERS | ENGINEER | |
Gold, Joseph Johnston, Emil Johnston, Lars Kerr, Andy Lindblom, August
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Jajietta, Jeroloma Macdonald, William J Murray, John A. Price, Rufus |
Werner, Ed |
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Civil War Memorial |
July 4, 1890 - Cornerstone Laid
Huge crowds, thousands of people, who had come in by train, filled the streets, waiting to see the parade which was to open the ceremonies for laying the cornerstone of the new capitol building. The militia, 400 strong, from Fort Logan, accompanied by the grand marshal, marshals, staffs, bands, and drum corps, comprised the largest peace-time military parade many had ever seen. Colorful floats built by merchants added to the pageantry. Pioneers, many of them founders of the sate, marched in the parade and the mining exchange members drove burrows throughout the cheering throng.
Alva Adams made one of the principal addresses for the Masonic Grand Lodge, which had charge.
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Sculptor was cast at his father, Hiram Powers, studio |
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