Related Web Site: The Klipfel Family of Colorado, by Debbie Klipfel.

Historical Interest (2000):2736 ". . . On July 4, 1890, the cornerstone of the Capitol was finally laid. In November 1894, Governor David Waite and his executive department moved into the still-uncompleted building, followed by the rest of state government in 1895. Of particular interest to us in Pueblo County was the use of pink marble from Beulah mines in the building's wainscoting. Called Colorado onyx, guide books describe it thus: 'Discovered near Beulah, Colorado, this coloration of onyx has never been found anywhere else in the world. Seven years were required to complete the installation of this stone. More than a thousand designs have been found in the stone that resemble famous people, animals, and objects. The faces of George Washington, Molly Brown, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt are 'easily seen' outside the walls of the first floor rotunda.' Charles Klipfel's teams and wagons hauled the large chunks of marble from Beulah to Pueblo, where it was loaded onto freight trains headed for Denver. In 1939 Klipfel donated wheels from these wagons to be fashioned into light fixtures for the Pueblo Mountain Park Pavilion, which was under contruction at the time. They are still there."

Biographical Sketch (1999):703 "Charles Klipfel was a teamster involved in freighting blocks of ‘Beulah Red’ marble to Pueblo (Fountain City), Colorado from about 1896 to 1906. The marble blocks were then sent to Denver by railroad. After cutting and polishing, the marble was used for wainscoting the Colorado State Capitol. Charles established a passenger stage service, in addition to the existing mail stage route in Beulah. He also operated a dance hall for a short time. Charles along with a partner, John Keating, brought a threshing machine to Beulah to thresh pine seed which was then sold for reforestation. The Mt. Signal Restaurant was built by Charles and sons."

1876 Birth:1448, p. 212.,3007 Birth in September 1876 taken from 1900 census enumeration and corroborated by tombstone in Beulah Cemetery, Beulah, Pueblo County, Colorado. Assume birth place to be Fletchall township, Worth County, Missouri based on parents residence there in 1870 and 1880.

1880 U.S. Census:2114
Worth County, Missouri (Fletchall Township)
Enumerated 14 & 15 June 1880
Leah Klipfel •• white, female, 27, widowed [!], keeping house, born in Illinois, father born in Virginia, mother born in Virginia
Edward •• white, male, 7, son, single, attended school within the year, born in Missouri, father born in Ohio, mother born in Illinois
Mabel •• white, female, 5, daughter, single, deaf and dumb, idiotic, born in Missouri, father born in Ohio, mother born in Illinois
Charles T. •• white, male, 4, son, single, born in Missouri, father born in Ohio, mother born in Illinois
August not enumerated with the family; not yet located in other location. Leah's mother Eliza Thomas2115 in adjacent household. Joseph Thomas, age 35, also living in adjacent household; assume Joseph to be a son of Eliza Thomas and brother to Leah Klipfel.

1885 Colorado State Census:2064
Pueblo County, Colorado
August Clipbell (i.e. Klipfel) •• white, male, 40, married, farmer, born in Missouri [!], father born in Missouri [!], mother born in Missouri [!]
Leah •• white, female, 35, wife, married, keeps house, born in Missouri, father born in Missouri, mother born in Missouri
Edward •• white, male, 12, son, single, at school, attended school within the year, born in Missouri, father born in Missouri, mother born in Missouri
No forename given •• white, female, 10, daughter, single, at home, born in Missouri, father born in Missouri, mother born in Missouri << Mabel, born 1874
Charles •• white, male, 8, son, single, attended school within the year, born in Missouri, father born in Missouri, mother born in Missouri
Francis •• white, male, 3, son, single, born in Colorado, father born in Missouri, mother born in Missouri
Baby •• white, male [!], 2 months, son [!], born in Colorado, father born in Missouri, mother born in Missouri << Nellie, daughter, b. 1884
Wm Krygen •• white, male, 30, employee, single, farmer, born in Germany, father born in Germany, mother born in Germany

1896-1906 Teamster:1448, p. 115. Charles Klipfel identified as one of the local residents working as teamsters in freighting blocks of Marble to Pueblo.

1900 U.S. Census:3007
Pueblo County, Colorado (Precinct 39)
Enumerated 3 June 1900
Gus Clilfield (i.e. August Klipfel) •• head, white, male, born March 1848, age 52, married 30 years, born in Ohio, father born in Germany, mother born in Germany, farmer, can read, write, and speak English, owns farm free of mortgage, farm schedule 93
Leah •• wife, white, female, born November 1847, age 53, married 30 years, bore 10 children, 5 still living, born in Illinois, father born in Illinois, mother born in Ohio, can read, write, and speak English
Chas (i.e. Charles) •• son, white, male, born September 1876, age 23, single, born in Missouri, father born in Ohio, mother born in Illinois, teamster, can read, write, and speak English
Francis •• son, white, male, born May 1883, age 17, single, born in Colorado, father born in Ohio, mother born in Illinois, teamster, can read, write, and speak English
Nellie •• daughter, white, female, born October 1884, age 15, born in Colorado, father born in Ohio, mother born in Illinois, at school, attended school within the year, can read, write, and speak English
Mildred •• daughter, white, born September 1886, age 13, born in Colorado, father born in Ohio, mother born in Illinois, at school, attended school within the year, can read, write, and speak English
Valentine •• son, white, male, born February 1891, age 9, born in Colorado, father born in Ohio, mother born in Illinois, at school, attended school within the year, can read, write, and speak English

1900s Life in Beulah:1448, p. 127, 139. Charles Klipfel had established a passenger stage service, in addition to the mail stage route. The Alta Vista originally featured a dance hall on the upper floor, and a millinery store below. A. A. Curtis and Charles Klipfel also operated a dance hall for a short time. It was located across the street from the Alta Vista.

1910 U.S. Census:2685
Pueblo County, Colorado (21st Precinct)
Enumerated 15 April 1910
Enumerated by Charles T. Klipfel
Chas. T. Klipfel •• head, male, white, 33, married once for 7 years, born in Missouri, father born in Ohio, mother born in Missouri, farmer on general farm, employer, can read and wite, owns farm free of mortgage, farm schedule 1
Fay •• wife, female, white, 27, married once for 7 years, three children born of this marriage and all still living, born in Colorado, father born in Pennsylvania, mother born in Illinois, can read and write
Herman C. •• son, male, white, 6, single, born in Colorado, father born in Missouri, mother born in Colorado
Beverley W. •• son, male, white, 5, single, born in Colorado, father born in Missouri, mother born in Colorado
Wesley T. •• son, male, white, 4, single, born in Colorado, father born in Missouri, mother born in Colorado

1916 Life in Beulah:1448, p. 139. "Percy Service recalled an incident in about 1916 when a group of young people which included Bud David, Frank Donley, Herman Klipfel, Effie Pratt, Imogene Wilson and others were headed for a dance up North Creek. Percy was driving Charlie Klipfel’s wagon. On the way up the ridge one of the mules on the team fell on the wagon tongue and broke it. It was too dark to see to fix the wagon tongue, so the young folks went on to the dance, danced until daylight, then fixed the wagon and went home."

1919 Life in Beulah:1448, p. 165. "A near tragedy happened at Beulah School on September 17, 1919, when lightening struck the building. It was just a few minutes after the noon lunch hour when all the students had reentered their classrooms ready to start the afternoon. Suddenly a loud crash followed by a blinding flash filled the rooms. The oxygen was burned up in the electrical discharge, filling the room with smoke. This cleared rapidly and the students began filing out as fast as they could. Three of the older students, Herman Klipfel, Lorena Clarke and Loren Donley, were last to leave. They went into the other room and found Emmet Klipfel lying on the floor unconscious. He soon regained consciousness and suffered no ill effects. The lightening bolt tore two good sized holes in the plaster. Since this incident occurred shortly after the end of World War I, it brought to mind some memory of shellfire and bombardment."

1920 U.S. Census:2687
Pueblo County, Colorado (Beulah Precinct 20)
Enumerated 12-13-14 January 1920
Charles T. Klipfel •• head, owned free of mortgage, male, white, 42, married, can read and write, born in Missouri, father born in Ohio, mother born in Missouri, farmer on home farm, works on own account, farm schedule 17
Fay E. •• wife, female, white, 36, married, can read and write, born in Colorado, father born in Pennsylvania, mother born in Missouri
Herman C. •• son, male, white, 16, son, attended school within the year, can read and write, born in Colorado, father born in Missouri, mother born in Colorado
Beverley W. •• son, male, white, 15, single, attended school within the year, can read and write, born in Colorado, father born in Missouri, mother born in Colorado
Wilson T. •• son, male, white, 14, single, attended school within the year, can read and write, born in Colorado, father born in Missouri, mother born in Colorado
Emmet A. •• son, male, white, 7, single, attended school within the year, can read and write, born in Colorado, father born in Missouri, mother born in Colorado
Helen L. •• daughter, female, white, 5, single, attended school within the year, can read and write, born in Colorado, father born in Missouri, mother born in Colorado
Hugh L. •• son, male, white, 22 months, born in Colorado, father born in Missouri, mother born in Colorado

1940 Obituary:2738 Charles T. Klipfel, Long-time Resident of Beulah, Succumbs. Charles T. Klipfel, pioneer Pueblo county resident and a prominent figure in Beulah life for half a century, died Sunday forenoon at Corwin hospital following a brief illness. Mr. Klipfel, who was the father of Herman Klipfel, Republican candidate for county commissioner i next week's election, had been a resident of the Beulah district for 58 years. he was 64 years old. Stricken ill last Friday afternoon, he was brought to the Pueblo hospital Saturday night and expired at 10:10 a.m. Sunday. Death was attributed to a heart aliment. Two weeks ago Mr. Klipfel experienced a period of ailing health and spent a week at the home here of his son, Herman, but until he was stricken Friday he was believed to be recovering satisfactorily. Born Aug. 1, 1876, at Grant City, Mo., the son of August W. and Leah Thomas Klipfel, he came to Pueblo county with his parents in 1882. The family homesteaded in the Beulah area.

As a young man, Mr. Klipfel carried the U.S. mail from Pueblo to Beulah by four-horse stage in 1895, and later he was employed by A.A. Curtis in hauling Beulah marble which was used in the construction of the state capitol building in Denver. At the turn of the century he drove a four-horse stage between Pueblo and Beulah, making the round trip daily. Horses were changed on both trips at Rock Creek. In 1908, Mr. Klipfel purchased his first horse-operated threshing machine and until the time of his death continued to engage in the threshing business. He also was active for many years in contracting and building work thruout the Beulah valley. He bought his home ranch in 1906 and in the succeeding years acquired ownership of eight additional ranches to carry on and extend his farming and livestock enterprises. For many years he was particularly interested in the breeding of blooded horses and until the time of his death was an inveterate horse-lover. Among his earlier enterprises was the operation of the McCafferty corral on Grand avenue in Pueblo about 1900.

Mr. Klipfel also held a prominent role in community and political affairs for many years. he served on the Beulah school board for a many years, helped organize and carry on the Beulah Valley Chamber of Commerce and for the past 22 years served as Republican precinct chairman at Beulah, holding the precinct chairmanship at the time of his death. Included in his personal enterprises was the construction and operation of the first dance hall to be built in Beulah. In 1910 Mr. Klipfel was in charge of the census in the rural area of the county, traveling over the entire county by horseback to carry out the enumeration.

Mr. Klipfel was married to Miss Faye E. Altman in a ceremony at Pueblo July 9, 1902. Mrs. Klipfel preceded her husband in death on March 29, 1936. Surviving Mr. Klipfel are sons, C. Herman Klipfel of Pueblo; Wesley, Emmett, Hugh Lee, and Beverley, all of Pueblo, and daughters, Mrs. John Hadwig and Mrs. Roscoe Kerr, both of Beulah, and Mrs. William H. ??? of Pueblo. Two brothers and two sisters also survive him. They are Vollie and Francis Klipfel, both of Beulah, and Mrs. Mildred Walter, Mrs. Nellie Dutcher, both of Powell, Wyo. Other survivors include 10 grandchildren. Mr. Klipfel was a member of the Beulah methodist church and was a charter member of the Beulah camp of the Woodmen of the World. On its disbandment he transferred his membership to O.W. camp No. 2 at Pueblo. Funeral arrangements have been completed. Last night members of the family said services will be conducted at Beulah with burial being made at the Beulah cemetery.

1940 Tombstone:1448, p. 212. Beulah Cemetery, Beulah, Pueblo County, Colorado.
Charles T. Klipfel
1876-1940