I wasn't sure what an "engineer" was, so I researched early newspapers and other publications for help.  The term "engineer" was oftentimes used to describe surveyors (most common title was Surveyor and U.S. Deputy) ...it also defined Civil Engineers...and of course, it was more commonly used in the Railroad industry.   As I went through the old newspaper articles, I came across a "news article" about John Doyle (see article on your right), and it appeared that being an engineer could be hazardous to one's health...still I wasn't sure what the job function entailed.

Eventually, I found out that an "engineer" was the person who ran the mine.  So...Ed Brennan was the foreman and manager of a mine owned by Farrow & Co.  One of the more interesting things you "see" is that the Brennan family did not live within the city limits of Leadville.  This may help explain why we don't see him listed in the 1883 register...but appearing again in 1884.

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Ed Brennan was "moving on up", when he hitched up with John Alfred.  John Alfred was one of the more well known "characters" in Leadville, having lived in Leadville for over 50 years.  He was quite involved in the Republican party, and over time held numerous local and county government positions, including treasurer and county assessor.  Eventually, as the news article on the right shows, he was appointed postmaster for Leadville in 1893.

When John Alfred came to Leadville, he initially established a foundry.  He had some financial success with this enterprise, sold out after a few years, and devoted his attention to mining.  The Leadville papers show that he bought and sold mining interests over a period of time, and for one of these mines, he hired Ed Brennan to manage.

While John Alfred was active in the mining community, politics was his true avocation.  The Leadville papers show him spending more time with local government than with prospecting and mining during the 1880s. 

In 1885 the Leadville Register showed that Ed Brennan worked for D & RG Ry.  This an abbreviation for the Denver Rio Grande Railroad.  There were two competing railroads that serviced Leadville, and before the railroad came to town, it took 12 hours by stage to reach city limits.  The  D&RG train officially rolled into Leadville July 22nd, 1880, and on hand was General and Mrs. Ulysses Grant to officially welcome the train into the city.

The railroad’s impact on the community was immediate.  Prices on a number of goods dropped; the freighting industry was crippled, forcing many teamsters to become ore haulers or onto the short haul business from Leadville railroad docks to the mines and communities in the area.  Another important feature of the railroads was the introduction of luxury items not available in quantity before. 

The news articles on the right are taken from Leadville papers between 1881 and 1885.  Prior to 1880, processed ore was hauled over mountain passes to reach destinations such as Denver or Central City.  The straightest route between Denver and Leadville was through Mosquito Pass.  It still is a "road" today, although the warning says you must be experienced driving four wheel vehicles.  While eating lunch in Leadville, I ran across an article about a young couple who decided to take the "short-cut" through Mosquito Pass...and it turned out to be one of the more unpleasant things they did during their vacation.

In 1885 the D & RG Railroad had built plans to extend its rail services westward (Aspen and points further west), and when the railroad advertised its job openings, Ed Brennan answered "the call".  While it provided job opportunities for the men of Leadville, it was also dangerous work, as reflected by numerous newspaper articles (see sample on the right.)