In 1937, Verne purchased the Adams Ranch 10 miles west of Grover, Colorado on the highway to Cheyenne, Wyoming from his in-laws, Eli and Maude Zink. He continued to operate the Seed House in Burns for a time but eventually gave it up and went into full-time ranching and farming, raising Registered Polled Hereford Cattle and dry-land wheat. The ranch was on a natural spring which emptied into a lake and stream known as Crow Creek. The fishing was not good (mainly "Suckers") but there were ducks on the lake during the fall and winter and antelope roamed the prairie. The family lived here until the early 60's, at which time he sold the property and moved to Fort Collins, Colorado until his death. During his retirement years, he was an avid fisherman, learned and taught Spanish, and was known to ride motor bikes. The picture to the right of Verne and a grandson was taken in 1972. Boredom was not a part of his vocabulary. He was always willing to be a friend to his fellow man who was "down and out." He supplemented his income by loaning money out at an interest rate lower than the current rate. Verne would sit down and tell the history of the Grover area to anyone who was interested, and he was know to embellish the facts at times. He died in 1986 at 86 years of age and is buried in the Home of Peace Cemetery in Grover, Colorado with his parents. Click on the link to see his stone. |
CHARLES VERNE PHILP (My Dad) Son of Charles Thomas Philp and Merta Mae (Peck) was born 12 July 1899 in Denver, Colorado. The family homesteaded in Grover, Weld Co., Colorado around 1909 on the dry Colorado prairie. He attended school in the Old Opra House at Grover and was a member of the first graduating class in 1918. After graduation, he attended Teacher's College in Greeley, Colorado. Around the end of World War I, Verne entered the US Army as a private. Although he never saw active duty, his barracks came down with a deadly flu virus. Many died but he and a friend lived because a woman brought them chicken soup every day (known to have antibiotic properties). |
CHARLES VERNE PHILP (My Dad) Son of Charles Thomas Philp and Merta Mae (Peck) was born 12 July 1899 in Denver, Colorado. The family homesteaded in Grover, Weld Co., Colorado around 1909 on the dry Colorado prairie. He attended school in the Old Opra House at Grover and was a member of the first graduating class in 1918. After graduation, he attended Teacher's College in Greeley, Colorado. Around the end of World War I, Verne entered the US Army as a private. Although he never saw active duty, his barracks came down with a deadly flu virus. Many died but he and a friend lived because a woman brought them chicken soup every day (known to have antibiotic properties). |
Above: Verne at his homestead in Iron Mountain, Wyoming with his horse "Kels" Below: The Verne Philp family in 1938 at their ranch in Grover, Colorado |
In 1919 Verne took a homestead when he was 19 to 20 years of age at Iron Mountain, Wyoming. There was no water on the land and he had to haul it in his wagon. He had one horse, a one-room cabin as seen in the picture to the left and a small barn. He buried his jars of canned food in the sand of a dry creek bed to keep it from freezing. He had many stories of the blizzards and rattlesnakes that he experienced on his homestead. He supplemented his income while on the homestead by working for ranchers in the area. He also taught school at Little Bear Wyoming and Buford, Wyoming on the Ferguson Ranch. Teaching school was not an easy job in Wyoming at that time. He told us stories of bullies that he had to whip in order to get control of his class. This usually meant whipping the father of the bully also. There were other "homesteaders" in the area and there were occassional social events and friends to visit. When he had proved on his homestead (after 7 years), he sold it to John Jordon. Verne knew many people including the silent film actor, Tom Mix. He loved horses and played polo on his horse, "Babe." After selling his homestead, he spent a time with his parents on their farm in Colorado where he courted and married my mother, Florence (Zink) on 19 Aug 1929 who was thirteen years his junior. She lived down the road from his parents. They took their honeymoon in New Mexico where he again attended college and she took piano lessons. Around 1930, Verne and Florence moved to Burns, Wyoming where he started a wholesale feed and seed store (See picture below). He was instrumental in turning the Burns town square from a weed-patch into a park. The business was not lucrative, however, during the depression. Because they had no money many people paid him with their possessions a couple of which I still have (a gold baby necklace and a Nortaki tea set). |
In 1937, Verne purchased the Adams Ranch 10 miles west of Grover, Colorado on the highway to Cheyenne, Wyoming from his in-laws, Eli and Maude Zink. He continued to operate the Seed House in Burns for a time but eventually gave it up and went into full-time ranching and farming, raising Registered Polled Hereford Cattle and dry-land wheat. The ranch was on a natural spring which emptied into a lake and stream known as Crow Creek. The fishing was not good (mainly "Suckers") but there were ducks on the lake during the fall and winter and antelope roamed the prairie. The family lived here until the early 60's, at which time he sold the property and moved to Fort Collins, Colorado until his death. During his retirement years, he was an avid fisherman, learned and taught Spanish, and was known to ride motor bikes. The picture to the right of Verne and a grandson was taken in 1972. Boredom was not a part of his vocabulary. He was always willing to be a friend to his fellow man who was "down and out." He supplemented his income by loaning money out at an interest rate lower than the current rate. Verne would sit down and tell the history of the Grover area to anyone who was interested, and he was know to embellish the facts at times. He died in 1986 at 86 years of age and is buried in the Home of Peace Cemetery in Grover, Colorado with his parents. Click on the link to see his stone. |
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Verne at 4 years of age. |
CLICK ON THE GENERATION OF MY PHILP FAMILY BELOW TO GO THERE: |
