One of the very cool things about working with historic structures is the stories that accompany them. ARCH owns the Alexander T. Rankin House in downtown Fort Wayne, and I’ve gotten to know quite a bit about the life of Mr. Alexander T. Rankin, the home’s builder. Rankin was the minister for the Fort Wayne Presbyterian congregation beginning in 1837, and was also deeply involved with abolition activities both locally and regionally. Rankin left Fort Wayne in 1844, and relocated to the Buffalo, NY area.

In 1859, Rankin was sent as a missionary to the west, and kept a diary during his travels. I’ve got a copy, published by the Johnson Publishing Company, of Boulder Colorado, in 1966.  Rankin wrote about his first day in Denver, on July 31, 1859. As soon as he arrived, he went to the offices of the newspaper, the Rocky Mountain News, to have an advertisment published announcing the arrival of a minister. Here is how Rankin describes the visit:

“July 31. Went to the printing office to get my appointment announced in the paper–while there a man rushed in, caught the editor (William Byers) by the collar, drew a pistol, & threatened to murder him on spot–[I]got some men to interfere to protect him. One of the employees of the office raised gun to shoot the assailant–instantly half a dozen pistols were drawn…After some time the ruffians returned to the office & fired through the window at the man who raised his gun to protect the editor but missed him, they then mounted their horses & fled, pursued by a number of men who soon came up with one of them whose name was Steele–& one of the persons shot him [in] the head–their horses at the same time being at full speed…a pretty ruff introduction to Denver.”

Mr. Byers’ Rocky Mountain News continued for almost 150 years. It published its last edition today. The Rankin House, on the other hand, is showing off its new storm windows, and geothermal heating system, and preparing for the installation of new, working shutters, in the next few weeks.

posted by Angie