Lola (Pope) Ferguson and Thomas Carrol Ferguson, left Kansas for Colorado shortly after their marriage where Tom took a job working on a ranch. Tom was twenty-one and Lola was eighteen. Once the couple arrived in Colorado, the story goes that the cook at the ranch passed away suddenly and Grandma Ferguson was pressed into service to cook for the ranch hands in the early 1900s. I had visions that they like the pioneers, drove their wagon into the sunset to begin their new life. Most likely they took the train.

Fast forward to now and I have learned through historical newspapers that the Fergusons left for Colorado five days after their marriage, on 15 Aug 1901.¹ The newspaper got Tom’s name wrong in the article. Even though Lola’s name wasn’t mentioned her father went by W. D. Pope so it can be determined that this is our couple. Why someone would take a job working on a ranch while not being in the best of health is another question with no answer.

Further research led me to a newspaper article published on 28 Dec 1902 below that further filled in the story. ²

It can be deduced from these two articles that Tom and Lola Ferguson probably moved to the Cripple Creek area of Colorado and his brother Samuel and his new bride Grace (once again an error in reporting) joined them a little more than a year later. I found from further research Tom and Lola were back in Fort Scott in 1904; and Samuel and Grace in 1905.

When the kids were young, we took a trip to Colorado that included Cripple Creek. I wish we had known at the time that Grandma and Grandpa Ferguson’s foray to Colorado took place in Cripple Creek.

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¹The Fort Scott Weekly Tribune, 15 Aug 1901, Page 4, Column 4, Newspapers.com

²The_Fort_Scott_Republican, 27 Dec 1902, Page 4, Column 1, Newspapers.com