Wason and Wason Ranch Chronology
15 April 1832: Martin Van Buren Wason is born in Hudson, Hillsborough County New Hampshire
11 August 1839: Harriet Louise Castle is born in London, England
1851-52: Twelve year old Harriet Louise Castle comes to the United States
1856: Wason embarks on epic travel around the world with many alleged adventures and enterprises
1861: M.V.B. Wason is residing at 503 Commercial Street, San Francisco California
4 March 1866: Harriet Louise Castle marries Henry Hume Wilcox in Philadelphia Pennsylvania
5 January 1869: Henry Hume Wilcox,Jr. is born, first of three Wilcox children
1870: US Census lists Wason as a ranch owner in Deer Lodge Montana
1872-1882: Wason prospects and invests in mining properties in Baker’s Park and the San Juan Mining Districts
1874: Wason organizes a freighting business hauling mining supplies and equipment up the Rio Grande from Del Norte to Bakers Park
1875: Wason builds one-story, four room log home
July 1875: Wilcox family arrives in Del Norte Colorado
1876: Wilcox family lives between Del Norte and Summitville.
1877: Harriet Wilcox divorces husband Henry Wilcox
29 November 1877: Harriet L. Wilcox marries M.V.B. Wason, moves with her three children to Wason’s W Oxyoke ranch a few miles from Wagon Wheel Gap
1880: First of many Wason homestead patents is granted
30 October1886: Fourteen year old Frank Wason dies in Denver, first of family burials in the family vault at Wason
July 1889: Nicholas C. Creede discovers silver up East Willow Creek
October 1890: Creede sells the Holy Moses to David Moffat, president of the Denver ands Rio Grande Railway and they form the Holy Moses Mining Company
30 December 1890: M.V.B. and H.L. Wason incorporate the Wason Toll Road and begin improving a road to the Holy Moses mine in East Willow Creek
23 May 1891: Toll Road opens to favorable review in the San Juan Prospector
19 September 1891: work begins on the Rio Grande-Gunnison Railway extending rails from Wagon Wheel Gap to Creede
2 December 1891: first train arrives in Creede camp
24 February 1892: Wason loses his lawsuit against the State School Board over cancellation of his agricultural lease
February 26 and 27 1892: School Land lots sale held
19 March 1892: Jimtown, Lower Creede and Upper Creede incorporated into the Town of Creede.
22 March1892: Hal Wason marries Frances Rogers. They have two children, Norma and Loren.
5 June 1892: Creede virtually destroyed by fire
3 February 1893: Wason proposes his Town of Wason as the county seat of the to be formed Mineral County
7 November 1893: Wason loses election to Creede to determine Mineral County seat (the same day Colorado women are given the right to vote)
8 August 1893: Sherman Silver Purchase Act repealed, price of silver continues to fall and Creede’s boom is over
7 December 1894: Edith Wason dies at home and is interred in the family vault
28 September 1899: Wason sells his toll to the state for $10,000. He demanded cash payment.
17 February 1900: Mrs. Hal Wason dies and is interred in the family vault.
27 December 1903: M.V.B. Wason dies and is interred in the family vault.
16 August 1904: Harriet Louise Wason dies and is interred in the family vault.:
5 July 1923: The Wason Ranch is sold to the Fahnestock family
April 1936: Henry Hume (Hal) Wason dies and is interred in the family vault.
18 December 1960: Loren Wason dies, is cremated and his ashes spread in the family cemetery. He is the last descendent of Harriet Wason with the Wason name.
July 1963: The Wason Ranch is sold to the current owner, the Wason Ranch Corporation.
