HISTORY OF
WESTCLIFFE POST 170
THE AMERICAN LEGION
WESTCLIFFE, COLORADO
“BEST IN THE WEST”
The American Legion in Custer County Colorado County courthouse records show the names of at least 74 Custer County residents who served in WW I. Three were killed in action (KIA.) KIA includes Fred Moran and James Brassea for whom Post 170 was named. Don Wadleigh and Wilfred Ireland were also KIA in WWI.
Westcliffe Post 170 received its temporary charter on June 28, 1933, received a supplemental charter on May 29, 1939 and received its permanent charter on July 11, 1940. The Post was named Brassea-Morin Post 170.
The original Charter Members of Post 170 were:
A.H. Johnston (Commander)
E.H. Georges
Ora Graves
Thomas Hugg
Anton Keisler
Walter Schulze
H.W. Kettle
C.J. Dolan
V.P. Mercier
Phil DeGree
Willie Voss
Archie Bridge
Phil Wilschau
Harry Falkenberg
W.J. Kettle
Harry Schulze
Phillip Willschaw
Over the years members pursued other interests and the Post became inactive in 1978.
On Memorial Day, 2004, Major General Joe Arbuckle, USA (Ret) put together the first
Memorial Day observance at Veteran’s Memorial Park. This service was well received in the community.
On 18 September 2004, Joe Arbuckle, Charles Bogle and Larry Lowe hosted an informal picnic at Veteran’s Memorial Park. All Veterans in the County were invited. At the picnic General Arbuckle polled all in attendance if they would like to re-open The American Legion Post or the Veterans of Foreign Wars. More veterans chose The American Legion. As a result it was decided that Post 170 should be reactivated. Twenty-two Veterans held their first meeting on October 16, 2004, selected officers and pursued the steps to reactivate the Post.
Post 170 was reactivated, re-chartered on October 3, 2005 and renamed “Westcliffe Post 170.” Officers were elected at the 3 November 2004 Post meeting. The charter officers of the revitalized Post 170 were:
Commander: James Johnson
Sr. Vice Commander Roger Aukema
Jr. Vice Commander Jon Wallestad
Adjutant Anna Orgeron
Finance Officer Charles Bogle
Service Officer Kristi Jo Corey
Chaplain Ivan Brooks
SGT at Arms Russ Conner
Exec Committee Larry Lowe
Exec Committee Joy Lowe
Exec Committee Joe Arbuckle
Exec Committee Charles Bogle
Charter members included Paul Schleser, Don Kaufman, Barry Gindlesperger, Ivan Brooks, Edward Converse, Jimmie Myers, Nancy Myers, John Newton, Ralph Norris, Joe Orgeron, Jon Wallestad, Howard Unrein and Thomas Wilson.
By 2014 Post 170 has grown to 200 members. The Post is active an almost every activity of the American Legion. The Honor Guard conducts military honors at Veteran’s funerals throughout the year, leads every parade, is active in the school, manages a trust fund for Veterans in need and many other programs.
Over the years the men and women Custer County and Westcliffe / Silver Cliff have been generous in their support of our Country and volunteering to fight to preserve our Constitution, Freedom and way of life. Residents of Custer County have served in every United States conflict to include the Civil War. Custer County is sparsely populated with only five human residents per square mile of space. We have a population of approximately 4,400 people, 972of whom reside in the communities of Westcliffe and Silver Cliff. As of 2000, according to VA records there are 610 Veterans receiving Military connected benefits of retirement, disability or medical support. Based on the assumption that only half of all Veterans receive benefits we estimate there are approximately 1,200 Veterans in Custer County or almost 1/3 of the entire population.
In WW II Custer County sent at least 247 of its citizens to military service. Of these at least 21 were KIA or DOW (Died of Wounds)
WW II KIA includes:
John A Christoff – Army
William Prentiss, PFC – Army
Richard Roskey, MM 3C – Navy
Jack Barbee Watkins, Y2C – Navy
Leroy H. Gilbert – PVT Army
Vernon A. Weeks, PVT – Army
William G. Eakins, PFC – Army
David Milton, PFC – Army
Gerald Simmons – Army
Robert Burns, SGT– Army
James W. Fee – Army
Maurice Ireland, 1st Lt– Army Artillery
Glenn Kline – Army
Myrlen MacNealy, TEC5 – Army
Allen Rogers – Army AC
William G. Simmons, PFC, Army
Gerald Eakins – Army
Marion Dunsmore, Army
Fred Moran, Army
Gerald Simmons, Army
Jack Watkins, Navy
_________________________________________
The American Legion National Camp
Westcliffe, Custer County, Colorado
In the early 1920’s officers of the national American Legion embarked on a project to provide camp sites across the Country for traveling Legion members and their families. These were conceived to be a true benefit of Legion membership. The camps were to be developed and maintained by local Legion Posts. Visits to Legion camps would be free for Legion members and would provide a restful outdoor experience for them and their families.
Working with the National Forest Service and other local government agencies The American Legion was able to negotiate American Legion camp sites in many, if not all, states. The sites were made available to The American Legion at no cost.
In Colorado there were three American Legion Camps. One was located in Estes National Park. This is now Rocky Mountain National Park. It was located just inside the park entrance eight miles west of Estes Park. The second was located west of Denver off of highway 40 on fifty acres of land belonging to the city of Denver. This was named Chief Hosa Camp. Chief Hosa was originally a stagecoach stop built in 1857. The area remains under the name of Chief Hosa and is a private resort / restaurant that is still in operation. The third was the American Legion National Camp and was located west of Westcliffe near what is now the Alvarado Campground.
The American Legion National Camp was designated by authority of a resolution adopted by the Legion’s national convention in San Francisco in 1923. Post 2 in Pueblo with the help of Custer County Veterans took up the challenge to develop the Camp. Though undeveloped, the Camp was put into immediate use by Legion members traveling in and through Colorado. The first record of serious development is a Tribune newspaper article announcing a group of Legionnaires from Pueblo and Westcliffe beginning work on Saturday, June 28, 1925. Work continued through the summer and the Camp was officially dedicated on Sunday, September 6, 1925. The Tribune of September 4, 1925 indicates that well-known and national speakers would be at the dedication.
Following dedication, work continued on development of camp sites and construction of a large (40’ x 90’) lodge with a “huge” fireplace and dining facilities. Several free-standing cabins were being planned in addition to the lodge. The lodge and cabins were to be built of pine logs that were harvested from the property. Below are photos of the completed lodge.
Post member, John Brandenburg, recalls visiting the lodge with his uncle Maurice Ireland in 1941. Ireland was in the Army, deployed and was killed during landings on Luzon in the Philippines. The day of the photo below was the last time John saw his Uncle alive. 1st Lt. Maurice Ireland was KIA on 13 April 1945 on Luzon in the Philippines. He was a member of the 90th Field Artillery Battalion. An Army station in the Philippines has been named Camp Ireland in honor of Lt. Ireland. He is buried in the Catholic Cemetary in Westcliffe. He was the son of William F and Agnes M. Ireland who were residents of La Veta, Colorado.
Maurice Ireland with his nephew John Brandenburg
The camp continued to be popular by visiting Legion members. It is believed that American Legion Post 170 periodically used the lodge for Post meetings. However, the funds to continue development and maintenance ran out.
As a result, in 1928 the Legion sold the lodge and transferred the land lease to the Benedictine Fathers from the Holy Cross Abbey in Canon City. The lodge was renamed Abbot’s Lodge. The property continued to be used as a retreat site and summer camp until the 1980’s when the Abbey gave up their Forest Service use permit and turned the buildings over to the Forest Service. The buildings were razed sometime in the
mid-1980’s. The foundations for the lodge and buildings remain in place.
Sources:
• “The American Legion Weekly Magazine”, 26 June 1925
• “Wet Mountain Tribune”, 26 June 1925
• “Wet Mountain Tribune”, 4 September 1925
• “Wet Mountain Tribune”, 11 May 1928
• Dave Leuger; Previous owner of the Alpine Lodge.
• John Brandenburg; Post 170 Member
___________________________________________________________
Current Historical Information
Department Commander: Post 170 member Carol Kennedy was elected Colorado Department Commander for the 2013-2014 year. During the National Convention in August, 2014, Commander Kennedy was nominated and awarded the Department Commander of the Year.
Following her year as Department Commander Carol Kennedy became Alternate National EC member and will run for NEC at the Department Convention in June, 2015.
