Denver Post file

30 Years of Rocky Mountain Cooking

Helen Dollaghan, food editor of The Denver Post from 1958-1993, selected recipes she felt were the best and published them in this 1987 special section called “30 Years of Rocky Mountain Cooking.” Most are recipes Helen or her readers developed.

On Fridays we share several of the recipes from her collection.

Week 22: Black Bean Soup, Tangy Coleslaw and No-Roll Sugar Cookies

Barbara Frey, wife of
Colorado’s Episcopal bishop,
the Rt. Rev. William C. Frey,
was cooking with black beans
in 1974 when many other
Denverites were still stuck
on pintos. She learned to
make this soup when the
Freys lived in Guatemala
in the ’60s.

Black Bean Soup

3 lbs. dry black beans
1 large onion, quartered
1 large green pepper, quartered
4 quarts water
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 medium green pepper, finely chopped
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon garlic salt or to taste
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
Tortillas or cooked rice
Green pepper strips, hard cooked egg slices or lemon slices

Directions

Thoroughly wash beans. (There’s no need to soak them.) Combine beans, quartered onion, quartered green pepper and water in 6-qt. kettle. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, about 3 hours or until beans are nearly tender. Add chopped onion, chopped green pepper, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, garlic salt, parsley, black pepper, oregano, thyme, vinegar and sugar. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, about 45 minutes or until beans are done. Stir occasionally. Correct seasonings and add more water if thinner consistency is desired. Serve as a soup or on tortillas or rice. Garnish with green pepper strips, egg or lemon slices. Serves 10 or more.

In the ’70s, Johnnnie Harper,
former owner or Johnnie
Harper Motors in Denver
decided basic coleslaw
needed pepping up, and
Denver Post readers loved
the results.

Tangy Coleslaw

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
3 tablespoons Durkee sandwich spread
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
2 tablespoons parsley flakes
1 medium head cabbage, shredded
3/4 cup drained sweet pickle relish
1/2 cup chopped celery
3/4 cup chopped onion
Paprika

Directions

Combine mayonnaise, sandwich spread, mustard and parsley. Mix well. Toss cabbage with relish, celery and onion. Lightly mix in enough dressing to thoroughly moisten. Sprinkle with paprika. Serves 8.

Especially for those
who hate to roll cookie
dough, a yours-truly
special.

No-Roll Sugar Cookies

1 cup minus 3 tablespoons sugar
2 sticks (1 cup) butter or margarine
1 extra-large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups unsifted flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Directions

Cream sugar, butter and egg until fluffy. Add vanilla. Sift dry ingredients. Add to sugar mixture. Stir with spoon, then mix well with hands until dough can be gathered into ball. (Dough will be stiff.) Pinch off pieces of dough. Roll in balls about the size of walnuts. Place balls on ungreased baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Dip bottom of a glass (1 1/2 inches in diameter) in granulated sugar. Press each ball with bottom of glass until dough forms a circle. For crisper cookies, use a larger glass to make thinner circles. Sprinkle additional sugar on cookies to lightly coat surface. Bake in preheated 400-degree oven about 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from baking sheet onto wire rack while still hot. Makes 4 dozen.

In March 1933, The Denver Post ran this Pond Lily quilt block pattern. The vintage design was described as having a Pennsylvania Dutch influence. The completed quilt measured 75″ x 90″ and alternated 30 pieced blocks with squares of plain fabric.

Denver Post File

Pond Lily quilt block design shown in The Denver Post on March 2, 1933.

Instructions as they appeared in the paper:

Pennsylvania Dutch quilts are identified by their elaborate design, more often pieced than appliqued, and the Pond Lily pattern shows that influence. Patience and care are required to make the convex curves meet concave ones smoothly and without puckering and while this pattern may take more time, the extra effort is worth while.

The diagram shows the Pond Lily developed in two colors; but the quilter with a love for color harmonies sees in it an opportunity to use several shades with artistic results. As a suggestion, the center motif and the four diamonds may be made of one color and the leaves and squares in the corner of the block another; or a rose center with pink diamonds, green leaves and green squares would be artistic.

In seaming curved patches together, lay the convex curve on top of the concave one so the extra fullness can be eased in sewing. Before pressing, clip the seam allowance almost to the seams so the joined patches will lie smoothly.

The pieced blocks should measure eleven inches when finished and by joining them diagonally with plain squares of material the same size, the all-over effect of the pieced blocks is more pronounced. Three yards of a color and six yards of a plain material for the background of the blocks and the joining blocks makes a quilt seventy-five by ninety inches, composed of thirty pieced blocks.

Denver Post File Photo

Midnight with Verne Elliott of McCarty-Elliott Rodeo Producers. January 3, 1932

Midnight, the world-famous bucking bronc, headed the lineup at the National Western’s first rodeo in 1931.

Midnight was big, black, powerful and intelligent. His lightning-like leaps kept him champion for 14 years.

He was considered the best in the business, not because he was mean or a man killer, but because he seemed to understand that it was a game. No man bucked from Midnight was ever trampled.

In his 1936 Denver Post obituary, it was told how at a Nebraska rodeo a cowboy was thrown from Midnight and knocked unconscious. Midnight stopped bucking and trotted over to him. Spectators held their breath while others screamed, but Midnight merely nuzzled the man before trotting off to the corral.

He was a crowd pleaser and performed at every big rodeo in the United States and Canada. Earl Thode, Doff Aber, Eddie Woods and Paddy Ryan were a few of the rodeo champs who tried to ride him.

Midnight was never counted as successfully ridden during his career. It was claimed that Pete Knight, a world champion bronc rider, rode Midnight at Cheyenne Frontier Days sometime in the 1930s. But Verne Elliott, Midnight’s co-owner and producer of the biggest rodeos of the time (including the 1931 rodeo at the National Western), said no cowboy ever put up a qualified ride on Midnight “except when he was sick.”

In 1933, Elliott retired Midnight to his ranch west of Platteville, Colorado. Three years later, Midnight died at age 20. He was buried and a headstone erected. In 1966, Midnight was reburied on the grounds of the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City along with his companion bronc Five Minutes to Midnight.

“Under this sod lies a great bucking
hoss.
There never lived a cowboy he
couldn’t toss.
His name was Midnight; his coat
black as coal.
If there is a hoss-heaven, please, God,
rest his soul.”

Denver Post File

Undated image of Midnight, scanned from a 1966 Denver Post story.

Denver Post file

30 Years of Rocky Mountain Cooking

Helen Dollaghan, food editor of The Denver Post from 1958-1993, selected recipes she felt were the best and published them in this 1987 special section called “30 Years of Rocky Mountain Cooking.” Most are recipes Helen or her readers developed.

On Fridays we share several of the recipes from her collection.

Week 21: Kentucky Chocolate Pound Cake, Impossible Pie and Three-Layer Chocolate Cake

Read more…

Denver Post File

Illustration on the front page of The Denver Post for the first rodeo at the National Western Stock Show. January 18, 1931

The first rodeo at the National Western Stock Show began with a “Yip-ee-ee. Yip-ee-ee,” yelled by a wrangler racing around the ring. At this introduction, the thousands of men, women and children at the opening matinee in 1931 leaped to their feet in unison.

The cowboys’ championship bareback bronc riding contest was the first rodeo event. And the first ride was on the world-famous bucking bronc, Midnight, in his initial Denver appearance. Rider Earvin Collins of Miles City, Montana was thrown in one leap by the “death-hour” horse.

Next up was Five Minutes to Midnight, who tossed Pat Woods of Blackfoot, Idaho. Then Invalid, a “worm-wriggling bucker,” threw Merle Hunt of American Falls, Idaho.

Thirteen riders competed in the bronc riding contest that Saturday. Pete Knight of Crossfield, Alberta, Canada, the world’s champion bronc rider, made the best ride of the day on a horse named Golden Rule.

In 1908, Denver built the most modern dog pound in the U.S. It was designed by Denver Pound Master Walter C. Cox and located at 2929 Fir St. The outside was a plain wood frame, but the inside embodied the newest animal care innovations of the time.

Denver Post File Photo

The new Denver Dog Pound at 2929 Fir Street. 1908

The pound had individual kennels and could accomodate up to 50 dogs. The floor of the whole building was concrete for easy washing. The kennels were located on either side of a long central passageway that slanted down to a drainage canal. There was a wooden bench in each kennel for the dog to sleep on, instead of the cement.

And the most modern, sanitary feature of the pound was the individual food/water bowl for each dog. This prevented the spread of disease and infection.

“The person who would complain about having his dog sent here would kick if it went to heaven,” said Pound Master Cox of his new dog pound.

Denver Post File Photo

Superintendent Walter Cecil Cox of the Denver Municipal Dog Pound in his new dog-catching auto. The machine is equipped with sectional cages, drinking basins and reclining mats. 1920

Denver Post File Photo

A cowboy holds on for the ride during the bronc riding contest at the National Western Stock Show and Rodeo. January 18, 1991

The National Western Stock Show originally opened on Jan. 29, 1906, in a borrowed circus tent by the railroad tracks in Denver’s meatpacking district.

In 1907, the National Western replaced the borrowed tent with a big top, made with 1,400 bolts of canvas, 2 1/2 miles of rope and 114 poles. High winds shredded the tent shortly after it was pitched, and crews sewed and patched it back together in time for the show.

Within two years, the National Amphitheater (Stadium Arena) was built. Only once was the National Western canceled. An epidemic of hoof-and-mouth disease prevented it in 1915.

It wasn’t until 1931 that the rodeo was added. The rodeo and the expanded range of events have made the National Western a major attraction.

Here are some of The Post’s archive photos capturing the excitement.

Dave Buresh/Denver Post File Photo

A strap snapped during the heavyweight pulling contest at the National Western Stock Show and one of the two huge draft horses fell to the ground. With Wells Jackson’s guidance, the horse got back on its feet and finished the pull. The teamster, from Lowlston, Utah, later was named best in the competition for the way he handled his team during the incident. January 24, 1982

Dave Buresh/Denver Post File Photo

Wells Jackson’s draft horse broke a strap and fell to the ground. January 23, 1981

John Sunderland/Denver Post File Photo

Jack Ward, Springdale, Arkansas, hangs tightly to his bareback bronc as he rides to a second-place score at the National Western Stock Show Rodeo. He rode Geisha Girl to 72 points, behind Mickey Young, Wellington, Utah, who scored 78 points for top score. January 19, 1976

S. Stanley/Denver Post File Photo

Russ Biglow performs in the bareback bronc portion at the National Western. January 1991

John Sunderland/Denver Post File Photo

Cleve Loney at the National Western Stock Show. January 14, 1974

Lyn Alweis/Denver Post File Photo

Up, Over and Down…Canadian cowboy Duane Daines goes up, over and down in this spill at the National Western Stock Show during the saddle bronc riding competition. January 21, 1980

Lynn Alweis/Denver Post File Photo

Duane Daines – Over. January 21, 1980

Lyn Alweis/Denver Post File Photo

Duane Daines – Down. January 21, 1980

Jodi Cobb/Denver Post File Photo

Bob Ragsdale ropes a calf during competition at the National Western. Ragsdale, 38, a rancher from Chow Chilla, California is president of the Rodeo Cowboys Association. January 15, 1975

Ernie Leyba/Denver Post File Photo

Leo Camarillo calf roping at the National Western. January 16, 1974

To see more photos
Read more…

Denver Post file

30 Years of Rocky Mountain Cooking

Helen Dollaghan, food editor of The Denver Post from 1958-1993, selected recipes she felt were the best and published them in this 1987 special section called “30 Years of Rocky Mountain Cooking.” Most are recipes Helen or her readers developed.

On Fridays we share several of the recipes from her collection.

Week 20: German-Italian Beans, Carob Fruit Bars and Potatoes Whipped With Cheese

“This is so good you
should get it written up in
The Denver Post,” said
one of Freda Beard’s
guests when she served
this dish in 1978.

German-Italian Beans

1/2 lb. German sausage, cut in bite-size pieces
1/2 lb. Italian sausage, cut in bite-size pieces
3 medium onions, sliced and separated into rings
1 lb. fresh green beans, snapped in halves
1 teaspoon crushed basil
1 teaspoon crushed summer savory
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon freshley ground pepper
1 cup beef stock or bouillon
1/4 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
Small, new potatoes, peeled (optional)

Directions

Cook sausage in 5-qt. pan or Dutch oven until brown on all sides. Remove sausage from pan. Add enough cooking oil, if necessary, to drippings to make 3 tablespoons. Saute onion in drippings. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well. bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, about 30 minutes or until beans and potatoes are done.

As carob became more
familiar in the ’70s,
recipes using the
chocolate masquerader
became more prevalent.

Carob Fruit Bars

1 cup unsifted flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup melted butter or cooking oil
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon hot water
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup finely cut dates or figs
1/2 cup chopped nuts
6 oz. carob baking chips

Directions

Sift together flour, baking powder, soda and salt. Thoroughly beat butter, brown sugar, water, egg and vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture. Add dates and nuts. Spread in greased 8- or 9-inch square pan. Sprinkle carob chips on top. Lightly press chips into dough. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan. Cut into bars. Makes 2 dozen.

After this recipe was
printed in 1975 from
Dorothy Overgard of
Denver, Marion Wells of
Meeker, Colo., wrote to
say she used the same
recipe from the Copper
Kettle Cookbook, named
after an Aspen, Colo.,
restaurant.

Potatoes Whipped With Cheese

3 lbs. potatoes, cooked, peeled and mashed
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or margarine, softened
2 packages (3 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Half and half cream
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 bunch green onions, sliced
1 jar (2 oz.) chopped pimientos, drained

Directions

With mixer, beat potatoes, butter, cream cheese, cheddar and Parmesan cheeses. Add enough half and half cream to make mixture fluffy and moist. Fold in green pepper, onions and pimientos, reserving some of each to garnish top. Bake, uncovered, in 2-qt. casserole in preheated 350-degree oven about 30 minutes. Serves 8 to 10. (May be assembled, covered and refrigerated a day before serving.)

In the 1940s, clothing patterns were offered for sale through The Denver Post. For 16 to 20 cents they could be purchased from our Pattern Department. Here’s a sampling of some of the vintage apron and dress styles that were available.

Denver Post File

This wrap and tie frock is a clever idea. August 1, 1945

Denver Post File Photo

Pattern serves a double purpose. It can be made into a button-front sunfrock with flippant pinafore ruffles or a plain jumper and blouse. August 4, 1945

Denver Post File

Beginners can make this trim and graceful frock. August 3, 1945

Denver Post File

A ruffled pinafore makes your figure look willowy. August 17, 1945

Denver Post File

This filet crochet in straight pieces makes this apron easy to do. It will give you that smart dressed-up feeling. August 22, 1945

Denver Post File

Crocheted hostess apron with rose filet for someone who loves to entertain. August 6, 1945.

These retro fashions are so much fun that it’s a shame we don’t still have the patterns. But they’re out of stock, so please don’t send your money.

In the 1930s when Prohibition was in full swing, kids working for bootleggers waited on Denver street corners. The kids pointed drivers to men who sold “packages” of ten pints of liquor for $10.

Prohibition lasted from 1920 to 1933. In the 1920s when rival bootleggers began organizing into gangs, it got bloody.

The majority of the bootlegging in southern Colorado was run by two groups out of Pueblo, the Carlino brothers and the Danna brothers.

Denver Post File Photo

Pete Carlino. 1931

Denver Post File Photo

Sam Carlino. 1931

As the Carlinos and Dannas warred for control, the killings mounted. The Carlino gang alone was suspected of more than a dozen murders.

When Sam Danna, the last family member in the Danna gang, was killed on May 7, 1930, the Carlinos saw an opportunity.

Secure with their dominance in southern Colorado, the Carlino brothers, Pete and Sam, decided to force their way into the Denver market by forming a partnership with Joe Roma. Roma, a former member of the Carlino syndicate had branched out on his own in Denver.

The Denver Post described Roma as a “pint-sized north Denver grocer, who is regarded by police as the giant of the city’s underword.” Roma weighed 99 pounds, was 5′ 1″ tall and ran a grocery store at 3420 Quivas St. as a front for his bootlegging business.

Denver Post File Photo

Joe Roma, left, and Pete Carlino. 1931

It is unclear if the Carlinos and Roma ever forged a partnership when the Carlinos made their move. Roma was already considered the “bigshot” or “boss” in gangland Denver. News reports described them as rivals, and Roma wasn’t the only rival bootlegger in Denver that the Carlinos had to contend with. There were turf wars, shootings and liquor hijackings.

Part of Pete Carlino’s plan was to organize these Denver racketeers. On January 24, 1931, the Carlino brothers and 27 other bootleggers met in Wheat Ridge to work out jurisdictional disputes. Before any agreements could be reached, the meeting was broken up by federal and state officers who arrested the entire bunch. It was speculated that Roma tipped off the cops. All the bootleggers were released, but with Pete Carlino’s failure to organize, he became pressed for cash.

On March 16, Pete Carlino, his brother Sam and four others blew up Pete’s house in Denver to collect the insurance.

Denver Post File Photo

An explosion on March 16, 1931 destroyed the home of Pete Carlino at 3357 Federal Blvd. Carlino blew up the house for the insurance.

Three of Pete Carlino’s henchmen were arrested and convicted of arson in the plot. Pete Carlino went into hiding. Three days before Sam Carlino was to go to trial for his part in the arson, he was murdered in his home. He was shot by Bruno Mauro, a rival gang member out of Pueblo.

Denver Post File Photo

Scene of Sam Carlino shooting on May 8, 1931. Carlino was slain in his home at 3485 W. 33rd Ave. in Denver.

Denver Post File Photo

Bruno Mauro, the gunman who shot Sam Carlino, escaped out the front door and across a vacant field to a waiting car. He was identified by Sam Carlino’s wife. She later recanted and said she didn’t see who shot her husband. May 8, 1931.

On June 19, Pete Carlino was captured at a farmhouse near Pueblo and taken to jail in Denver for the arson. Four days later he was bailed out by Joe Roma.

Denver Post File Photo

Pete Carlino and Joe Roma shaking hands outside of Denver County Jail, after Roma posted a $5,000 bond for Carlino’s release on arson charges. June 23, 1931

Pete Carlino didn’t live long. Within three months, on September 14, his body was found on a road near Pueblo. The killing was never solved. The police were positive Carlino’s murder was a result of his business dealings, but they were unable to establish which of his rivals ordered the hit.

Following the deaths of the Carlino brothers, Joe Roma took over Pueblo. When Joe Roma was murdered in his living room in 1933, his right-hand men Clyde and Eugene Smaldone succeeded him as crime leaders in Denver.

To learn more about the Smaldones, read Dick Kreck’s “Smaldone The Untold Story of an American Crime Family.”

There were at least 33 murders in Colorado during the Prohibition era, including two federal agents and two police officers.