Brodhead, Colorado


Brodhead is a ghost town in Las Animas County, Colorado, United States.

Introduction

The town site is about 2.25 miles north of Aguilar on the western side of Interstate 25 approximately 18 miles 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

Evolution of the Town

Brodhead was a mining town built and owned by a company formed by three brothers: Henry C. Brodhead who was married to the author Eva Wilder Brodhead, Albert G. Brodhead, and Robert S. Brodhead and operated between the late 1890s and the mid 1960s. The Brodhead brothers had previously operated a mine in Gonzales Canyon between 1896 and 1899. Initially the town was built as a company town

1911

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

1929

The 1929 edition of the lists the Temple Fuel Company operating in the canyon as:
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 OperatorOperating Dates
Brodhead #1Brodhead Coal Co1949-1951
Brodhead #2 Vasquez and Vigil1947-1950
Brodhead Coal Co1950-1958
Brodhead #3 Las Animas Coal Co1900-1911, 1917-1919
Brodhead #4aBrodhead Coal Co1958-1965
Brodhead #9 Temple Fuel Co1911-1939
Brodhead #10 Temple Fuel Co1911-1913, 1917-1919, 1920-1922
Brodhead #11 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/comments
Jacob GARCIA,19 Sep 1922MexicanMachine Miner230SingleTemple Fuel Co.Brodhead No. 9Electrocuted
Roy GRAVIS31 Jan 1904AmericanMiner20SingleBrodheadRoof Fall
Thomas GREGORY13 Nov 1936AmericanMine Foreman3650SingleTemple Fuel Co.Brodhead No. 9Squeezed between the motor and the roof
Deno GUERRI4 Sep 1929ItalianMotorman421SingleTemple Fuel Co.Brodhead No. 9Electrocuted
Isidro TAFOYA10 Nov 1922AmericanMachine Miner534Married1Temple Fuel Co.Brodhead No. 10Rock Fall
Cerillos TRUJILLO8 Feb 1928MexicanPick Miner534Married3Temple Fuel Co.Brodhead No. 9Rock Fall