Brodhead, Colorado

Brodhead is an extinct coal mining town located in Las Animas County, Colorado, United States. The townsite is located at coordinates at an elevation of .

The town site is about north of Aguilar on the western side of Interstate 25 approximately 18 miles (29 km) north of the town of Trinidad. Nearby points of interest include the Ludlow Monument, a monument to the coal miners and their families who were killed in the 1914 Ludlow Massacre.

The population was a mix of Mexican and European immigrants. Some of the miners are known to have come from Stafford, England.

History Brodhead was a mining company town built and owned by a company formed by three brothers: Henry C. Brodhead (President) who was married to the author Eva Wilder Brodhead, Albert G. Brodhead (Vice President), and Robert S. Brodhead (Secretary and General Manager.) The Brodhead post office operated from August 14, 1902, until April 29, 1939. The mines operated between the late 1890s and the mid-1960s. The Brodhead brothers had previously operated a mine in Gonzales Canyon between 1896 and 1899.

1911 The 1911 Gazetter Publishing Company Business Directory listing for Brodhead, Las Animas Co. describes the town as:

Coal mining town in Las Animas county, 2 1/4 miles north of Aguilar, the railroad point. Stage to Aguilar and Lynn. Population 300.

And lists notable residents as:

Carl V. Bates, Physician F Baudina, General Merchandise Store, G B Norman (Manager) Howell & Bennett, Boarding House Las Animas Coal Co, Win Burt (Superintendent) E C Reck Jr., Postmaster (The Post Office had opened on Aug 14th 1902 and was closed on April 15th 1913 Colorado Post Offices Bauer W, Ozment J, Willard J ) J M Williams, Saloon

1929

The 1929 edition of the American Mining & Metallurgical Manual lists the Temple Fuel Company operating in the canyon as:

F.R. Wood, Trinidad, Colorado, President, General Manager. Alexander Shields, Brodhead, Colorado, Superintendent. Brodhead Colliery, (110,000 Tons) Slope. Steam Electric Plant. 7 Electrical Coal Cutters. Trolley Electric Locomotives, 200 Men.

A Post Office had also re-opened on July 19, 1915, only to close again on Apr 29th 1939

Mining around Brodhead

There were a number of mines in the canyon: Mine Name (Also Known As)OperatorOperating DatesBrodhead #1Brodhead Coal Co1949-1951Brodhead #2 (Alfreda)Vasquez and Vigil1947-1950Brodhead Coal Co1950-1958Brodhead #3 (Las Animas)Las Animas Coal Co1900-1911, 1917–1919Brodhead #4aBrodhead Coal Co1958-1965Brodhead #9 (Temple #9)Temple Fuel Co1911-1939 Brodhead #10 (Alta)Temple Fuel Co1911-1913, 1917–1919, 1920–1922Brodhead #11 (Alta)Temple Fuel Co1911-1913, 1917–1919, 1920–1922

Deaths in the Mines

There are a number of deaths known at the mines, which, in common with all mining then and now was a dangerous occupation, including:

NameDate of deathNationalityOccupationYears of Mine ExperienceAge at DeathMarital StatusSurviving ChildrenCompany nameMine NameCause of death/commentsJacob GARCIA,19 Sep 1922 MexicanMachine Miner230SingleTemple Fuel Co.Brodhead No. 9ElectrocutedRoy GRAVIS31 Jan 1904 American Miner 20 SingleBrodhead Roof FallThomas GREGORY13 Nov 1936 American Mine Foreman 36 50 Single Temple Fuel Co. Brodhead No. 9 Squeezed between the motor and the roofDeno GUERRI4 Sep 1929 Italian Motorman 4 21 SingleTemple Fuel Co. Brodhead No. 9 ElectrocutedIsidro TAFOYA10 Nov 1922 American Machine Miner 5 34 Married1 Temple Fuel Co. Brodhead No. 10 Rock FallCerillos TRUJILLO8 Feb 1928Mexican Pick Miner5 34 Married3 Temple Fuel Co. Brodhead No. 9 Rock Fall

Brodhead, Colorado

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