Henry Clay Childs was the founder of Crystola, Colorado. When Mr. Childs and his wife, Catherine, arrived in Colorado around 1872, he built a house in an area called Trout Park. Henry and his wife were Spiritualists, a belief in communication between the living and the dead. From 1872 until 1930 Crystola was the location of what could be called a Mecca of Spiritualism.
The couple often entertained visiting psychics and held regular séances for their friends and neighbors in their house. A visiting psychic, Professor L. J. Kimball, claimed to be able to find gold with a dowsing rod and psychic abilities. It was Kimball who persuaded Childs and several of his spiritualist friends to form the Brotherhood Gold Mining and Milling Company in 1897, to try to locate gold by psychic means.
After Child's death in 1910, he willed 2000 acres (worth $25,000 at the time) in the Crystola area to be used to build a school of Spiritualism. The Reverend Hiram Vrooman, a psycho-scientist, author of "Religion Rationalized" and head of the Liberal Congregation of Denver and the Correspondence School of Rational Religion in Portland, Oregon, attempted to establish a psychic research school at Crystola in accordance with Childs' wishes. Although there is no record of a school, it does appear that for more than fifteen years Reverend Vrooman sponsored summer lectures in Crystola by visiting spiritualists and national leaders. Later, the area was promoted as a tourist destination and city elders sold lots, rented camping spots and hotel rooms (in the Hotel Abbot and later the Crystola Inn) and offered shares in the Crystola Cooperative Association. The "industrial cooperative" was billed as "The City Beautiful – an Air Castle in the Rocky Mountains."
Spiritualism reached the peak of its popularity from 1840 through 1920, particularly in English-speaking countries. There are still at least three spiritualist camps active today (Lily Dale, Camp Chesterfield, and Camp Cassadaga). By 1897 there were rumored to be over eight million followers in the United States, Britain and Europe. As many as 150 spiritualists at one time came to live in or visit the newly created town of Crystola.
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Added by historian Steph McGrath 47790079:
Before moving to Colorado, Henry Clay Childs lived in Wheaton, Illinois where he was active in politics, pivotal in securing Wheaton as the DuPage County seat, a delegate to the 1862 Constitutional Convention, elected to the Illinois House of Representatives for the terms 1865 to 1870, and served as Speaker of the house. He was a very prominent citizen in Wheaton, a founder of the Universalist Church, established a newspaper, and had many business interests in both Wheaton and Chicago. He bought a baby buggy factory in Wheaton, which burned in 1861, but he rebuilt the next year. He served as general superintendent of the Chicago Mechanical Bakery, which is why he's listed in the 1860 census as a baker, until the business closed in 1870. He also had a real estate business, which is why he's listed as a speculator in the 1870 census. His years in DuPage County are well covered in the early local histories, and in the Chicago newspapers for his political and business interests.
The September 21, 1871 Rocky Mountain News says Childs is "of Southern Colorado," providing a good idea of the date of his arrival, although he had been visiting Colorado for the preceding two years. The February 4, 1870 Rocky Mountain News detailed how the previous evening Hon. H. C. Childs of Illinois hosted a banquet at the American Hotel for some 100 guests, including the mayor, past and present governors, members of the legislature, the press, many early settlers, and other citizens of Denver. While many speeches were given and stories shared, it was entirely a social affair. When Childs first moved to Colorado he raised fine breeding stock on his ranch three miles west of Fountain Station. He became active in Colorado politics, and served as the Register of the State Board of Land Commissioners.
Although his obituary gives his marriage date to Catherine Parmalee as 1853, it is listed in Vermont records as taking place on May 30, 1852 in Wilmington, Windham County, Vermont.
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Sources:
1. Ute Pass- A Quick History; Ute Pass Courier; Ute Pass Historical Society;
2. Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph; Letter of Edwin S. Bower, September 30, 1958.
3. Vermont Phoenix (Brattleboro, Vt.), March 11, 1910, Page 7, Obituary of Henry Clay Childs.
Researched and submitted by Rick Sheridan, 225638082.∼s/o Jarius and Betsy (Jones) Childs. Grandson to Whitney Jones of Dover Co.
Married Katherine in 1853.
The couple often entertained visiting psychics and held regular séances for their friends and neighbors in their house. A visiting psychic, Professor L. J. Kimball, claimed to be able to find gold with a dowsing rod and psychic abilities. It was Kimball who persuaded Childs and several of his spiritualist friends to form the Brotherhood Gold Mining and Milling Company in 1897, to try to locate gold by psychic means.
After Child's death in 1910, he willed 2000 acres (worth $25,000 at the time) in the Crystola area to be used to build a school of Spiritualism. The Reverend Hiram Vrooman, a psycho-scientist, author of "Religion Rationalized" and head of the Liberal Congregation of Denver and the Correspondence School of Rational Religion in Portland, Oregon, attempted to establish a psychic research school at Crystola in accordance with Childs' wishes. Although there is no record of a school, it does appear that for more than fifteen years Reverend Vrooman sponsored summer lectures in Crystola by visiting spiritualists and national leaders. Later, the area was promoted as a tourist destination and city elders sold lots, rented camping spots and hotel rooms (in the Hotel Abbot and later the Crystola Inn) and offered shares in the Crystola Cooperative Association. The "industrial cooperative" was billed as "The City Beautiful – an Air Castle in the Rocky Mountains."
Spiritualism reached the peak of its popularity from 1840 through 1920, particularly in English-speaking countries. There are still at least three spiritualist camps active today (Lily Dale, Camp Chesterfield, and Camp Cassadaga). By 1897 there were rumored to be over eight million followers in the United States, Britain and Europe. As many as 150 spiritualists at one time came to live in or visit the newly created town of Crystola.
--
Added by historian Steph McGrath 47790079:
Before moving to Colorado, Henry Clay Childs lived in Wheaton, Illinois where he was active in politics, pivotal in securing Wheaton as the DuPage County seat, a delegate to the 1862 Constitutional Convention, elected to the Illinois House of Representatives for the terms 1865 to 1870, and served as Speaker of the house. He was a very prominent citizen in Wheaton, a founder of the Universalist Church, established a newspaper, and had many business interests in both Wheaton and Chicago. He bought a baby buggy factory in Wheaton, which burned in 1861, but he rebuilt the next year. He served as general superintendent of the Chicago Mechanical Bakery, which is why he's listed in the 1860 census as a baker, until the business closed in 1870. He also had a real estate business, which is why he's listed as a speculator in the 1870 census. His years in DuPage County are well covered in the early local histories, and in the Chicago newspapers for his political and business interests.
The September 21, 1871 Rocky Mountain News says Childs is "of Southern Colorado," providing a good idea of the date of his arrival, although he had been visiting Colorado for the preceding two years. The February 4, 1870 Rocky Mountain News detailed how the previous evening Hon. H. C. Childs of Illinois hosted a banquet at the American Hotel for some 100 guests, including the mayor, past and present governors, members of the legislature, the press, many early settlers, and other citizens of Denver. While many speeches were given and stories shared, it was entirely a social affair. When Childs first moved to Colorado he raised fine breeding stock on his ranch three miles west of Fountain Station. He became active in Colorado politics, and served as the Register of the State Board of Land Commissioners.
Although his obituary gives his marriage date to Catherine Parmalee as 1853, it is listed in Vermont records as taking place on May 30, 1852 in Wilmington, Windham County, Vermont.
--
Sources:
1. Ute Pass- A Quick History; Ute Pass Courier; Ute Pass Historical Society;
2. Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph; Letter of Edwin S. Bower, September 30, 1958.
3. Vermont Phoenix (Brattleboro, Vt.), March 11, 1910, Page 7, Obituary of Henry Clay Childs.
Researched and submitted by Rick Sheridan, 225638082.∼s/o Jarius and Betsy (Jones) Childs. Grandson to Whitney Jones of Dover Co.
Married Katherine in 1853.
Henry Clay Childs was the founder of Crystola, Colorado. When Mr. Childs and his wife, Catherine, arrived in Colorado around 1872, he built a house in an area called Trout Park. Henry and his wife were Spiritualists, a belief in communication between the living and the dead. From 1872 until 1930 Crystola was the location of what could be called a Mecca of Spiritualism.
The couple often entertained visiting psychics and held regular séances for their friends and neighbors in their house. A visiting psychic, Professor L. J. Kimball, claimed to be able to find gold with a dowsing rod and psychic abilities. It was Kimball who persuaded Childs and several of his spiritualist friends to form the Brotherhood Gold Mining and Milling Company in 1897, to try to locate gold by psychic means.
After Child's death in 1910, he willed 2000 acres (worth $25,000 at the time) in the Crystola area to be used to build a school of Spiritualism. The Reverend Hiram Vrooman, a psycho-scientist, author of "Religion Rationalized" and head of the Liberal Congregation of Denver and the Correspondence School of Rational Religion in Portland, Oregon, attempted to establish a psychic research school at Crystola in accordance with Childs' wishes. Although there is no record of a school, it does appear that for more than fifteen years Reverend Vrooman sponsored summer lectures in Crystola by visiting spiritualists and national leaders. Later, the area was promoted as a tourist destination and city elders sold lots, rented camping spots and hotel rooms (in the Hotel Abbot and later the Crystola Inn) and offered shares in the Crystola Cooperative Association. The "industrial cooperative" was billed as "The City Beautiful – an Air Castle in the Rocky Mountains."
Spiritualism reached the peak of its popularity from 1840 through 1920, particularly in English-speaking countries. There are still at least three spiritualist camps active today (Lily Dale, Camp Chesterfield, and Camp Cassadaga). By 1897 there were rumored to be over eight million followers in the United States, Britain and Europe. As many as 150 spiritualists at one time came to live in or visit the newly created town of Crystola.
--
Added by historian Steph McGrath 47790079:
Before moving to Colorado, Henry Clay Childs lived in Wheaton, Illinois where he was active in politics, pivotal in securing Wheaton as the DuPage County seat, a delegate to the 1862 Constitutional Convention, elected to the Illinois House of Representatives for the terms 1865 to 1870, and served as Speaker of the house. He was a very prominent citizen in Wheaton, a founder of the Universalist Church, established a newspaper, and had many business interests in both Wheaton and Chicago. He bought a baby buggy factory in Wheaton, which burned in 1861, but he rebuilt the next year. He served as general superintendent of the Chicago Mechanical Bakery, which is why he's listed in the 1860 census as a baker, until the business closed in 1870. He also had a real estate business, which is why he's listed as a speculator in the 1870 census. His years in DuPage County are well covered in the early local histories, and in the Chicago newspapers for his political and business interests.
The September 21, 1871 Rocky Mountain News says Childs is "of Southern Colorado," providing a good idea of the date of his arrival, although he had been visiting Colorado for the preceding two years. The February 4, 1870 Rocky Mountain News detailed how the previous evening Hon. H. C. Childs of Illinois hosted a banquet at the American Hotel for some 100 guests, including the mayor, past and present governors, members of the legislature, the press, many early settlers, and other citizens of Denver. While many speeches were given and stories shared, it was entirely a social affair. When Childs first moved to Colorado he raised fine breeding stock on his ranch three miles west of Fountain Station. He became active in Colorado politics, and served as the Register of the State Board of Land Commissioners.
Although his obituary gives his marriage date to Catherine Parmalee as 1853, it is listed in Vermont records as taking place on May 30, 1852 in Wilmington, Windham County, Vermont.
--
Sources:
1. Ute Pass- A Quick History; Ute Pass Courier; Ute Pass Historical Society;
2. Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph; Letter of Edwin S. Bower, September 30, 1958.
3. Vermont Phoenix (Brattleboro, Vt.), March 11, 1910, Page 7, Obituary of Henry Clay Childs.
Researched and submitted by Rick Sheridan, 225638082.∼s/o Jarius and Betsy (Jones) Childs. Grandson to Whitney Jones of Dover Co.
Married Katherine in 1853.
The couple often entertained visiting psychics and held regular séances for their friends and neighbors in their house. A visiting psychic, Professor L. J. Kimball, claimed to be able to find gold with a dowsing rod and psychic abilities. It was Kimball who persuaded Childs and several of his spiritualist friends to form the Brotherhood Gold Mining and Milling Company in 1897, to try to locate gold by psychic means.
After Child's death in 1910, he willed 2000 acres (worth $25,000 at the time) in the Crystola area to be used to build a school of Spiritualism. The Reverend Hiram Vrooman, a psycho-scientist, author of "Religion Rationalized" and head of the Liberal Congregation of Denver and the Correspondence School of Rational Religion in Portland, Oregon, attempted to establish a psychic research school at Crystola in accordance with Childs' wishes. Although there is no record of a school, it does appear that for more than fifteen years Reverend Vrooman sponsored summer lectures in Crystola by visiting spiritualists and national leaders. Later, the area was promoted as a tourist destination and city elders sold lots, rented camping spots and hotel rooms (in the Hotel Abbot and later the Crystola Inn) and offered shares in the Crystola Cooperative Association. The "industrial cooperative" was billed as "The City Beautiful – an Air Castle in the Rocky Mountains."
Spiritualism reached the peak of its popularity from 1840 through 1920, particularly in English-speaking countries. There are still at least three spiritualist camps active today (Lily Dale, Camp Chesterfield, and Camp Cassadaga). By 1897 there were rumored to be over eight million followers in the United States, Britain and Europe. As many as 150 spiritualists at one time came to live in or visit the newly created town of Crystola.
--
Added by historian Steph McGrath 47790079:
Before moving to Colorado, Henry Clay Childs lived in Wheaton, Illinois where he was active in politics, pivotal in securing Wheaton as the DuPage County seat, a delegate to the 1862 Constitutional Convention, elected to the Illinois House of Representatives for the terms 1865 to 1870, and served as Speaker of the house. He was a very prominent citizen in Wheaton, a founder of the Universalist Church, established a newspaper, and had many business interests in both Wheaton and Chicago. He bought a baby buggy factory in Wheaton, which burned in 1861, but he rebuilt the next year. He served as general superintendent of the Chicago Mechanical Bakery, which is why he's listed in the 1860 census as a baker, until the business closed in 1870. He also had a real estate business, which is why he's listed as a speculator in the 1870 census. His years in DuPage County are well covered in the early local histories, and in the Chicago newspapers for his political and business interests.
The September 21, 1871 Rocky Mountain News says Childs is "of Southern Colorado," providing a good idea of the date of his arrival, although he had been visiting Colorado for the preceding two years. The February 4, 1870 Rocky Mountain News detailed how the previous evening Hon. H. C. Childs of Illinois hosted a banquet at the American Hotel for some 100 guests, including the mayor, past and present governors, members of the legislature, the press, many early settlers, and other citizens of Denver. While many speeches were given and stories shared, it was entirely a social affair. When Childs first moved to Colorado he raised fine breeding stock on his ranch three miles west of Fountain Station. He became active in Colorado politics, and served as the Register of the State Board of Land Commissioners.
Although his obituary gives his marriage date to Catherine Parmalee as 1853, it is listed in Vermont records as taking place on May 30, 1852 in Wilmington, Windham County, Vermont.
--
Sources:
1. Ute Pass- A Quick History; Ute Pass Courier; Ute Pass Historical Society;
2. Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph; Letter of Edwin S. Bower, September 30, 1958.
3. Vermont Phoenix (Brattleboro, Vt.), March 11, 1910, Page 7, Obituary of Henry Clay Childs.
Researched and submitted by Rick Sheridan, 225638082.∼s/o Jarius and Betsy (Jones) Childs. Grandson to Whitney Jones of Dover Co.
Married Katherine in 1853.
Gravesite Details
His ashes buried next to his house in Crystola, Colorado.
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