Biography
Marshall M. Jewett was a member of the well-equiped Larimer Party of gold seekers which was organized at Leavenworth, Kansas Territory, in September of 1858. The Larimer Party left for the goldfields at Cherry Creek on the first day of October with eight wagons, six months' supply of provisions, and thirty-two men.General Larimer and his men reached the Rocky Mountains on 16 November 1858. Almost immediately they began surveying the land east of the mouth of Cherry Creek. In so doing, they were actually jumping the townsite of St. Charles, which had been but recently established by William Hartley and other members of the Lawrence Party. Nevertheless, on 22 November, General Larimer and some associates formed the Denver City Town Company and adopted a constitution. Their town was named in honor of James W. Denver, who had been governor of Kansas when they left Leavenworth, but who - by late November - had already left office.
Marshall M. Jewett wrote at least one letter home to Leavenworth from his camp on Cherry Creek. The letter, dated 18 November 1858, was published in the 25 December issue of the Leavenworth Times:
"We arrived here on the evening of the 16, after a very pleasant journey. This place is situated on the junction of the Platte and Cherry Creek, and about 12 miles from the mountains. I went up to Montana, a place of about 30 log houses, six miles above here, on the Platte. Found Buell and company - also most of the Lawrence boys. Whitsett and I are going to build at Montana...It is estimated that there are almost six hundred men within fifteen miles of this place, scattered along the river."Marshall M. Jewett seems also to have been an original member of the Colorado City Town Company, which was organized the following year. He was very likely one of the dozen men present when the idea of founding a town near the Garden of the Gods was first put down on paper. The site of this meeting was the office of Richard Whitsitt on Larimer Street in Denver City. The date was 11 August 1859.
Before long Jewett seems to have had some second thoughts about the value of his interest in the Colorado City Town Company. In late February of 1860 he sold one half of his interest to Joseph M. McCubbin for $150, cash or merchandise. This contract was first registered at Leavenworth, later filed in Colorado City with town recorder, M.S. Beach. On 13 July 1860 Jewett sold the other half of his original interest to the same McCubbin for an extra $400.
But Jewett did not abandon all connection with the town so near the Garden of the Gods. On 26 April 1860 he entered into contract with John Gerrish and E. Cobb to purchase their original interest in Colorado City for $425. Gerrish and Cobb were in the process of selling thir grocery business to the Tappan brothers, and were obviously looking to unload their Colorado City interest at the same time. The transaction worked out to Jewett's benfit as well. In less than six months time he had sold his original interest for $550 and bought another for $425, thus realizing a profit of $125.
Marshall M. Jewett seems to have moved back to Leavenworth
sometime in the early 1860's and to have severed all ties with the town of Colorado City. Only his name in the Garden of the Gods still serves to mark his early presence in the Pikes Peak gold fields.
SOURCE:El Paso Claim Club Record Book, copy at the Colorado College Library.