The history of Northwest Colorado spotlights more than its fair share of flashy, dangerous, shady and outlandish characters. However, the overall collective identity of our community was forged by the many lesser known individuals who quietly worked, survived, overcame and lived life to the fullest.

Mary Wiley Humphrey is just one individual who did her share of the heavy work of molding the character of Craig in its early years.

Mary and Thomas Humphrey along with three children, Mabel, Frank, and Robert, arrived in the area around 1890. As a coal miner, Thomas opted for a new life in Northwest Colorado, and the couple filed a homestead claim on Fortification Creek, and started in on the work of turning the tough country into productive land.

They also constructed a home in the new town of Craig, and soon their fourth child was born, a daughter named Belle. Interestingly, newspaper accounts of the time declared Belle was the first white girl born in Craig.

To earn a cash wage, Thomas would return to the back-breaking work of the coal mines located near New Castle. The mines in this area were dangerous and experienced several deadly explosions in this time period. Even today, these old shuttered mines are the site of several underground burning coal seams ignited by explosions in the late 19th century.

On Dec. 3, 1898, while working at the Consolidated Mine, Thomas was buried under a vaguely worded “fall of coal,” according to the Colorado Mine Accident Index. He survived and was quickly pulled out of the coal pile and taken to the nearby house of his cousin. After two weeks of suffering, Thomas finally succumbed to his injuries, leaving Mary to raise their four children on her own (New Castle Nonpareil, Dec. 22, 1898).

In this moment of crisis Mary quickly adapted to her difficult situation by opening a millinery — a business that features stylish ladies hats, a common fashion accessory for women of that era.

Mary also filed a homestead claim on the South Fork of the Williams Fork River, near the site of the old town of Pagoda. In January of 1913, she filed for final proof of her homestead claim, but land officials held up final approval due to “mistakes of others.” (Craig Empire 1/25/13). These errors were cleared, and gaining title to her land was a sweet triumph for the widow, now in her 50s.

Besides the millinery and homestead, Mary utilized her beautiful soprano voice for community events. As part of the 1898 Memorial Day exercises, Mary sang “Flag of the Free” at the Christian Church, now the Center of Craig (Craig Courier, May 28, 1898).

As a charter member of the Christian Church, she sang in the choir and taught Sunday school for many years. A July 1958 retrospective article about the Christian Church in the Craig Empire Courier memorialized her sweet soprano. Tall and impressive with beautiful copper braids, “She would stand up front by the pulpit lilting her beautiful soprano to the high Heavens in her favorite solos and hymns — her small daughter, Belle, accompanying her.”

On New Year’s Day 1912, the now grown Belle married Denverite Charles McKee. With all of her children grown and out of the house, Mary somehow met and married Matt Woodward in a quiet ceremony back in Holton, Kansas, on Feb. 1, 1913. (Moffat County Courier, Feb. 13, 1913). The joy of sharing a life with her new husband was short-lived when Matt died a year later.

In 1941, after more that 40 years in the area, Humphrey left the Yampa Valley to be near her sole surviving child, Robert, in Yucaipa, California. Sadly, Belle had passed away in 1937 of a heart ailment at the age of only 46 (Craig Empire Courier, Feb. 10 1937). Mary often returned to visit friends for long extended visits until her death in 1952, just shy of 91 years (Craig Empire Courier, Feb. 13, 1952).

For all of us, Mary Humphrey’s life of toil and faith is a prime example of how so many in our area’s history lived and died without fame, and throughout the decades were the vital ingredient to establishing our perceived rugged and tough identity. 

James Neton teaches history at Moffat County High School. He can be reached at netonjim@yahoo.com. Sources for this story were “A Pioneer Woman” by Shannon Koucherik, Craig Daily Press on Feb. 23, 2008, and the newspaper archives of the Museum of Northwest Colorado.