Joseph Fleshuts

Joseph Fleshuts was a resident of Colorado as early as 1880 when he (age 29) was in Elbert County working as a general laborer and living with his mother, Mary Gisset, 59 who was divorced.

By 1900 he was a farm laborer in Grand Lake, age 49, born in March 1851. He immigrated from Germany with his parents in 1852 and was a naturalized citizen. He was a servant and a farm laborer for the Christian Young family who lived near the Harbison farm.

In 1910 he was 59, worked as a laborer doing common work, was fully employed in 1909 but not working on 15 April 1910, and he could read and write English. He was still living near the Harbison family.

Joe Fleshuts homesteaded north of Grand Lake in what is now Rocky Mountain National Park.  The cabin he built has been restored and is in its original location at the Holzwarth Historic Site.  The majority of the logs are original.  The roof and floor were probably added by the Holzwarths when they used it as part of their guest ranch to house either visitors or ranch hands.  Joe Fleshut received the deed to the property in 1907 so it is assumed he had filed there about 1902.

In 1918 there was an article in the newspaper that said John Holzwarth, Sr. had visited with Joe Fleshuts and told him of plans to start a resort.

Joe Fleshuts left the area and his homestead was acquired through the payment of back taxes by Henry Lehman who then sold the property to John Holzwarth in 1920 and it became part of the Holzwarth Trout Lodge and guest ranch.

(The spelling of Joe’s last name may be Fleshut, Fleshute, or Fleshuts as handwriting is different in several places.  Information came from census and voting records as well as newspaper accounts.)