The McGonigle's Leadville "home".
One of the fantastic tales surrounding our ancestors is how their house remained unscathed from a Colorado forest fire. In one tale, it was said that the McGonigles poured holy water on the house and roof. Another tale says it wasn't a fire at all, but an avalanche. We may never know the "true story", but I believe that there was a fire...but it wasn't a forest fire. It was a fire that destroyed many of the buildings around 121 East Sixth street home...the address of the McGonigles, and their building was "miraculously" saved from the fire, a blaze that started next door to the McGonigle business. It would also explain how 'holy water' could be found in large quantities. The Annunciation Catholic Church was kitty-corner to their building (only separated by an alley)...and I suspect that the priest was blessing water at a rapid pace while it was being poured on the 6th St. buildings.
This fire occurred in 1888, and within a year, the Mcgonigles took their possessions, their fortune acquired, and made their way back to Belvidere, Illinois.
Click on "Headline" to read the full story.
In 1916 most of the buildings on "First Block" were eliminated by a fierce raging fire. When Elizabeth and I visited Leadville in 2006, there was city shed located at this site; and the other buildings appeared to be newer than the 1880s. See Leadville today. Click on HEADLINE to read the 1916 article about this "hurricane of fire".
121 East Sixth Street. These were stores that surrounded 121 East Sixth Street. In "old" Leadville, there were two major business streets - Harrison and East 6th. The McGonigles lived on "first block" which was the home to several churches, lodges, and major Leadville businesses. Some of the neighboring businesses are shown on this graphic. Click to enlarge.
Frank McGonigle's saloon was located at 121 East Sixth Street, but unlike the businesses reflected above...he never advertised.
Below are other "local" businesses near 121 E 6th.
A typical storefront. There aren't many photos on the web that show storefronts on East Sixth in the 1880s. This store was a few doors east of the McGonigle Boarding House, and the building at 121 East Sixth may have looked similar to this store on 128 East Sixth.
The layout of the stores were similar - The main floor housed the retail outlet, while upstairs the business was either a boarding house or weekly room rental business.
Behind this building would have been Annunciation Catholic church. Click to enlarge.
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Above is a drawing of a building on East Sixth Street that was several doors west of the McGonigles. This building is no longer here, but there are buildings that look similar to this on "second street" (next block up from the 100 block on East Sixth.
Click to enlarge.
In the first year the McGonigles started their boarding house, this strange incident occurred. A young man had been drinking heavily, apparently became depressed over a woman that jilted him (what else?), and subsequently tried to kill himself.
A reporter later went to the boarding house that evening to get additional information for his story, and at the boarding house a "young woman" talked with him. It doesn't give the name of the young woman, but as Catherine McGonigle managed the boarding house, it most likely was her.
To read more about his story, click on the HEADLINE.
One of the cartoons in the local Leadville Newspaper, 1886.
In the early newspapers, there weren't many "pictures", but by 1890 these types of prints became more commonplace in the local newspapers. Click to enlarge.
Earlier we provided this story, as she was a saloon girl in Leadville, and she related how she was jilted by a "womanizer" from Cicero, Illinois by the name of John Mcgonigle. This article is different than the previous article - it is not only more comprehensive, but we find out what happened to John Mcgonigle and Carrie Macready McGonigle. Click on headline to read the story.
The main floor at 121 East Sixth street
The McGonigles would have been familiar with this woman, whom was one of their boarders.
Leadville was a wild western city, and one of the reasons why Kate asked her husband to move back to a much more civilized Belvidere, Illinois.
Did you ever wonder how much money the McGonigles made in their boarding house business. Here you go....
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(BELOW). Voter lists cleaned 1885:
Fifth Ward voting, over 1100 illegal registrations, including william McGonigle, 120 W 5th and McGonigle, B, 127 Harrison "not there, never was".
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