Pueblo County, Colorado
McClelland Orphanage


Contributed by the Pueblo County Volunteers.

McClelland Orphanage – April 25, 1905 – 1960s McClelland Orphanage Foundation was in operation in the early part of this century through at least 1930. It is now called the McClelland School.

In January 1905, the Protestant Orphanage Committee began plans for what soon would become the McClelland Orphanage,

McClelland began as a humble operation run by the deaconesses of the Methodist Episcopal Church at 1104 E. Routt. The small house there quickly filled up, and boys were forced to live in a tent in the front yard. Pueblo real estate and investment magnate Andrew McClelland bailed out the operation with a donation to the committee of lots and a three-story building at Lake and Abriendo. McClelland's wife, Columbia, helped a fund-raising committee with a personal check of $5,000. In April 1906, the expanded orphanage opened its doors at 415 E. Abriendo, site of what is now McClelland Learning Center – part of which was once the orphanage, but not the original building.

"A group of Pueblo citizens met on January 10, 1905, to discuss the establishment of a home for children. Andrew McClelland, a prominent local businessman, offered a three-story building, formerly a Southern Methodist Church college, as a home for the orphanage, which opened on April 25, 1906. Around 1932, plans for a new building to meet the needs of the community began to develop. With a generous donation from the Pueblo Rotary Club, construction began on the new facility, which opened in 1934."
From the State Board of Charities and Corrections report for 1907-1908.
During this year, the institution has cared for 100 children. Of this number, 18 were free and 23 were partly paying.
Value of property used for corporate purposes: $40,000 Value of real estate in lots: $10,000 The order is managed by the Deaconess: An order in the Methodist Episcopal church who do charitable work."
From the National Registry Tour of Historic Places, Pueblo, Colorado, 2005
National Registry of Historic Places on the South Side of the Arkansas River
McClelland Home for Children, 415 E. Abriendo - 1934-1935 Style: Colonial Revival
The orphanage began in 1905 by the Protestant Orphanage Committee. Andrew and Columbia Jane McClelland sponsored the first building.
McClelland Orphanage
415 E. Abriendo Ave.
National Register 1/30/1992, 5PE.4217
The institution bears the name of its primary benefactor, prominent Pueblo businessman, Andrew McClelland. The present Colonial Revival style building was constructed in 1935, and the design incorporates Georgian and Adam elements.

From The Methodist Year Book – 1921, Number 88, Oliver S. Baketel, Editor
Under Benevolent Agencies – Methodist Children's Homes and Orphanages:
McClelland Orphanage Association, 106 Lake Avenue, Pueblo, Colo. – Has a capacity of eighty per year. Property value, $50.000. Annual expenses, $6,000.


1909 Directory
Miss Anna Burgess, Superintendent

1911 Directory
Anna P Burgess supt, 106 Lake av.

1913 Directory
Della Lawrence deaconess page 231

1914 Directory
Anna F Burgess superintendent page 185
Della Lawrence deaconness page 314
Julia C Nye asst superintendent page 366

1919 Directory
Mrs Hattie Brodigan cook page 185
Doc Frankland janitor page 267
Cleo Nesbit superintendent page 409
Clara E Steward nurse page 504
Mrs Ellen Wess laundress page 545

1921 Directory
Mrs. Mary Dunlap asst superintendent page 107
Lillie Heyer nurse page 157
John Holquest janitor page 162
Mrs. Alice Jones nurse page 176
Mrs. W. B. Ross nurse page 285
Caroline Tudor superintendent page 334

1923 Directory
Mrs Willie Carden nurse page 72
Mrs Gertrude Fimple superintendent page 122
Mrs Grath Ada nurse page 142

1930 Directory
Edith Arnold matron page 82
Helen Carrigan matron page 117
Mrs. Bertha Drumheller matron 152
Gertrude Fimple widow of Byron E superintendent page 165
Mrs. Mayme Hoskin matron page 208
Mrs. Rose Ressouches matron page 323
Mrs. Della Rule matron page 333
Ida L Sells cook page 344
Mrs. Helen Yarberry laundress page 406

1948 Directory
Mrs Ethelyn Burkett matron page 67
Mrs Jessie L Clutter superintent page 87
Mildred Dudley wid of William S. matron page 121
Mrs Agnes Harley laundress page 176
Pearl Major matron page 244
Mrs Elizabeth Milam laundress page 271
Mrs Ethel Rallston matron page 326
Mabel K Shontz widow of William cook page 363
Mrs Irene M Sluder matron page 368
Kenneth Sluder janitor page 368
Mrs Marjorie Souett matron page 374

Basalt Journal 6-29-1907 Virginia Funkhouse, five years old who was sent to the Pueblo orphanage a week ago, made her third attempt at escape from that institution I order as she says, to see her mother in Trinidad, where the latter is working to support herself and six other children. The father died about two years ago and the mother has since been struggling to eke out an existence. The child, early this morning, started out to walk to Trinidad, but was caught at the Union depot and returned. She had on two dresses, the outer, as she stated, so that she might have a clean one when she met her mother.

Wray Gazette 7-5-1907 – Says Warden Rawhided Child – Trinidad, Colo., Mrs. Lillian Funkhouser, mother of six-year-old Virginia Funkhouser, who claims to have been beaten with a rawhide whip in the McClelland orphanage at Pueblo because she tried to escape and return to her mother, states that she proposes to take the matter before the attention of the State Humane Society for investigation. She stated further that Sheriff Davis, Judge Ross and the Rev. O. L. Orton, who saw the wounds on the child’s body, have signified a willingness to make affidavits concerning her baby’s condition when the child was brought home. The bruises on the little one’s body, apparently made by a whip, are still plainly visible. “They locked me in a room by myself,” said the little girl to-night to a News correspondent. “They took away all my clothes and I stood all day at the window in my nightie. They rubbed my legs with something that burned and when I cried and said that it hurt Miss Lawrence said that she didn’t care if it did.” The child is a pretty little tot of six years with wavy brown hair and a pleasing countenance. Her mother, who is a widow, is housekeeper at the Columbian hotel, and the child was sent to the orphanage about ten days ago because its presence interferes with Mrs. Funkhouser’s work.

Yampa Leader 8-6-1909 - By the will of Francis Serriere a goodly sum is left to the McClelland orphanage of Pueblo and the Vineland Methodist church. Serriere was a prosperous farmer near Vineland and his estate is valued at $9,000.

Bayfield Blade 12-15-1910 - About fifty children are now making their homes at the McClelland Orphanage in Pueblo, and more interest than ever is being taken in the institution by the public at large.

Pueblo Indicator 4-5-1913 – New Position Created – J. N. Bartels Has Been Appointed Financial Agent For The McClelland Orphanage – Rev. J. N. Bartels, one of Pueblo county’s oldest and most respected citizens, was on the 3rd inst. appointed financial agent for The McClelland Orphanage, a new position created by the board of directors. This is a position of honor and trust and reflects a deserved credit on Mr. Bartels. The letter of appointment follows: Pueblo, Colo., April 3, 1913 – To the Public: This is to certify that Rev. J. N. Bartels, of this city, has been, by the board of directors of The McClelland Orphanage Association selected, designated and employed as its authorized representative and financial agent, for soliciting and receiving funds and other contributions for the support of the McClelland Orphanage. The board of directors solicits, for Mr. Bartels, a willing audience on your part, and hopes that you may become deeply interested in the work of the Association and in the welfare of the children to whom we are giving a home and an education. Very truly yours, W. L. Hartman, President, The McClelland Orphanage Ass’n.

Pueblo Indicator 4-18-1914 – Miss Anna Burgess, superintendent of the McClelland orphanage, left Thursday for De Paw, Indiana, where her folks live. Her father and mother are in poor health and she will stay with them for an indefinite time. Miss Julia Nye takes her place at the orphanage here during her absence.

Pueblo Indicator 4-25-1914 – Marble Bros. have the contract and will start work at once on a large new sun parlor and porch for the McClelland Orphanage.

Pueblo Indicator 4-25-1914 – Bessemer Briefs – The McClelland orphanage won out in the contest for $1000 cash or an automobile which the Star Journal has conducted for some time. The directors of the orphanage chose to take the money and were given a check for it Monday. They will use this snug little sum for several needed improvements about the building and grounds.

Bayfield Blade 12-4-1914 - One of the rare instances of a mother deserting her baby came to the attention of Judge Mirick of the County Court of Pueblo, when Mrs. Sarah Boyd asked to have a 22 months' old girl declared a dependent and placed in a state institution.

Pueblo Indicator 7-10-1915 – Bessemer Briefs – Miss Julia Nye, matron at the McClelland Orphanage, and Miss Rena Stevenson, of the Deaconess Home, have gone to Los Angeles. They will be absent two months.

Pueblo Indicator 8-21-1915 – A new curbing is being put down around the McClelland orphanage.

Pueblo Indicator 11-3-1928 – County Correspondence – Avondale – Mr. E. C. Swartz made glad the McClelland Orphanage children by leaving them a big load of melons. He said “a glimpse of the joy in their faces more than repaid him.”

Pueblo Indicator 10-12-1929 – The Community Chest in Action – All Pueblo and Pueblo County Indorses This Work of Charity – It carries on without calling upon citizens for time and labor. The Community Chest is one central organization of twelve agencies, for the purpose of raising funds for their work, in one big campaign each year. The names of the agencies, and the amount which each needs for this year, are: Child Welfare - $19,645.15; Lincoln Home - $2,043.00; Salvation Army - $7,020.20; Family Service - $16,310.00; Y.M.C.A (Boys’ Dept.) - $5,035.00; Boy Scouts - $7,845.90; Emergency Fund - $10.000.00; Campaign - $500.00; Sacred Heart Orphanage - $8,736.74; McClelland Home - $6,472.67; Day Nursery - $1,966.00; Red Cross - $2,258.00; Y.W.C.A. - $6,615.63; Whittaker House - $1,121.13; Care of T.B. Patients - $1,500; Collection and Service to Agencies - $4,500.00. Total Needed - $101,569.27. Sweet Charity is the greatest of all virtues. Charity giving should be a pleasure. Help the needy. Help those who are sick and in distress. It is bread cast upon the waters.

Pueblo Indicator 11-8-1930 – The Pueblo County Chest – So that the needs of the poor and destitute families and homeless children of the city will be cared for during the coming year the Pueblo Community Chest opens its eighth annual appeal for funds on Monday, Nov. 10. Carrying on the campaign work will be hundreds of volunteers who for one week will solicit business houses and individuals for contributions to the chest. It is expected that demands for relief this year will be greater than ever before and chest workers are stressing the necessity of Pueblo people giving generously so that the total budget of $100,266.18 will be realized. The budget for the coming year is not greater than that of last year, but it is felt that if fully subscribed all the needs of the agencies participating in the Community Chest will be met. Because of the expected demand for relief all the budgets of the relief giving agencies have been increased and the allowances for the character building agencies have been decreased. The agencies, for which the Community Chest collects in one campaign each year are the American Red Cross, Boy Scouts, Child Welfare and Public Health Association, Day Nursery, Family Service Society, Lincoln Home, McClelland Children’s Home, Sacred Heart Orphanage, Salvation Army, Whittaker Settlement House, and the boys’ department of the Y.M.C.A. and the Y.W.C.A. Last year the agencies gave medical treatment to 2,397 poor people, treated 2,371 children in clinics, cared for 2,378 destitute families, providing them with food, fuel, clothing and rent. The orphanages gave entire care to 330 children last year. Other agencies conducted educational and recreational programs for 3,000 boys and girls, young men and young women. Numbers of ex-service men were assisted in getting compensation from the government. One agency cared for 3,782 children while their mothers worked. Importance of raising the full amount of the budget this year was stated by Max D. Morton, president of the local chest. “Many who gave last year will be unable to contribute this year,” said Mr. Morton, “and it is up to all of us who are gainfully employed to give generously this year. Many other cities have raised more money this year in their campaigns than they did in 1929.”

Pueblo Indicator 11-1-1930 – The McClelland orphanage is under quarantine on account of a case of infantile paralysis having been discovered there.

Pueblo Indicator 8-25-1934 – The children of the McClelland Orphanage who have been spending the summer at Beulah, will return here next week.

Pueblo Indicator 10-13-1934 – The McClelland orphanage new building is about ready for the finishing work on the roof, the walls are completed and the interior work will be going along rapidly from now on so as to have the whole structure ready for use early in December.

Pueblo Indicator 12-15-1934 – Interior finishing of the new McClelland Orphanage is nearing completion. It is planned on having the building ready for occupancy about the first of the year.

Pueblo Indicator 9-29-1934 – Work on the new McClelland orphanage is going along rapidly. The brick is completed to the third story. It is planned to have the building ready for use early in December.

Pueblo Chieftain 6-4-1994 – New Book Tells Story of St. Paul – The history of a church can tell much of the history of its community, Ray Dodson says. He has compiled a history of his church, St. Paul United Methodist Church, and enjoys thinking about the forces that formed and reshaped the congregation since its beginning in 1885… The Broadway Methodist Episcopal Church opened in September 1888 at 206 Broadway and that building served the congregation until 1902, when the present church was built at Routt and Colorado… In its early years St. Paul was deeply involved in establishment of McClelland Orphanage. The minister, John J. Lace, was one of the founders of the Methodist orphanage and many residents of the orphanage attended St. Paul over the years. Perhaps the most famous McClelland resident, Dan Rowan, sang "A Green Hill Far Away" as a solo, long before he became a television comedian and star of "Laugh-In." …

Pueblo Chieftain 10-13-1991 – McClelland Left Mark on Pueblo – Andrew McClelland, an early-day Puebloan, left his name on a library, a school, a street and a museum collection. McClelland was born in Missouri of parents who were Virginians. He attended a rural school and then taught for four years before heading for the Colorado gold fields. He entered the grain business with a partner in Georgetown. He sold his interest in 1881, traveled in the eastern United States for a year and located in Pueblo in 1882. He carried on a wholesale grain and feed business. He later purchased the Pueblo flour mill and also was a real estate developer. He named the Columbia Heights subdivision after his wife, Columbia Jane McClelland. In 1887, he took an active role in bringing the Missouri Pacific Railroad into Pueblo. In 1891, he was a founder of the Pueblo free public library and it was named for him. And soon after the turn of the century, the McClellands endowed an orphanage; the site now is used as a school. In 1904, he took a trip around the world and brought back treasures that he gave to the city of Pueblo. The collection currently is on display at Rosemount Victorian House. McClelland was active in city politics the first decade of this century. He published a newspaper, The Pueblo Leader. One of his chief political adversaries was Norbert Zink, who figured in Pueblo politics for years. At this time Pueblo was "wide open" with more than 100 saloons, houses of prostitution, gambling dens and all the rest. There had been numerous unsuccessful efforts to reform. Much controversy concerned ownership of property in the red light district and Zink pointed an accusing finger at McClelland. Public sentiment rose against the philanthropic man. Finally, Columbia appeared at a city council meeting and said that "if we are such undesirable citizens, give us back our money and we will leave." A delegation of women at the council meeting sided with McClelland, pointing out that he had contributed about $20,000 in books and equipment to the library. Zink went so far as introducing ordinances to remove McClelland from the library board and his name from the library. Zink later withdrew the proposals. Then McClelland delivered a tirade against Mayor John West for which he later apologized. McClelland's troubles didn't end there. He apparently had a lady friend in Trinidad and allegedly sent her some amorous letters. These got into the hands of his political enemies. The letters were presented to a federal grand jury for possible prosecution for sending obscene matter through the mails. There was no further information in the newspapers. McClelland left Pueblo shortly thereafter and spent most of his remaining life in the Pasadena, Calif. area. Columbia remained here and presumably handled the couples' business affairs. He died in Pasadena in March 1936 at age 86.

Pueblo Chieftain 12-25-1994 – ‘Something Is Better Than Nothing’ – Neither Robert Collyer, 68, nor Hazel Slack, 67, have disagreeable memories of their stays in local orphanages. Collyer probably was too young when he stayed at both McClelland and Sacred Heart homes to remember much of anything; he said he spent about 1 1/2 years in each institution in the late 1920s and early 1930s, when he was somewhere in the neighborhood of 3 to 5 years old. On the other hand, Slack entered McClelland when she was 8 and remained until she was 16. She said her memories are basically good ones, and that, at the home, she "had a childhood like everyone else's, but in a larger group setting … there were about 100 of us at McClelland, and so I had quite a few 'siblings."' Slack was at McClelland, she said, because her mother was very ill, her father had deserted the family, and when her grandmother – with whom she had been living – died, there was no one else to care for her. "It would be better to live with your parents, or with either parent, but if there was no one, then this was what was better … something is better than nothing," she said. She recalled that, at McClelland, "we always had someone to be with, to play with and to go to school with." Slack, the former Hazel Elkins, did her school time at nearby Central Elementary, Keating Junior High and Central High School. Collyer was joined in the orphanage system by two half-brothers, an uncle and four cousins – all of whom spent time at McClelland. He said he remembers "Mrs. Fimple, the superintendent" and "a lecture she gave down in the basement to a couple of runaways who were found and returned to McClelland. She lined up all the residents in the basement – I remember that basement, with just a couple of bare light bulbs down there – and gave us a sermon on running away. She made us all promise we wouldn't try it." He remembers eating "lots of beans, rice and oatmeal," and that his father was an alcoholic divorced from Mrs. Collyer in 1927 or 1928. While Collyer's mother worked at the Union Depot to make ends meet, he was at either McClelland or Sacred Heart. At the latter, he said, "They scared the hell out of me, urging us to be good or we were going to go to hell." But, he said, "for the most part, they (the Roman Catholic sisters who ran the home) were sincere and tried to take good care of us." Slack remembers plenty of shared times, but has no fondness for memories of "shared diseases." "When one of us got sick, everybody got sick," she said, adding, "I had it all: colds, whooping cough, scarlet fever, chicken pox, even ringworm." Slack – who, it turned out, married Frank Slack, now dead, who grew up in and later ran away from Denver's St. Vincent's Orphanage – recalls no severity in the discipline at McClelland: "Oh, we were punished, grounded and that sort of thing, but except for raps on the knuckles by the piano teacher, there was nothing terribly physical." She remembers at least one of her colleagues at McClelland: "When I was 10, Danny (Hale) David was in high school. He was very good looking," Slack recalled with a sly smile, explaining, "he played football and was popular. He was later known as Dan Rowan," who became famous on "Laugh-In," a successful television comedy program of the 1960s and '70s. Rowan, raised later by a Pueblo family, retained Pueblo ties, often remembering the orphanage with gifts and by visiting there. He was a member of the 1938 state championship football team at Central High School, from which he graduated in 1940, Chieftain records indicate. The woman who would eventually go on to become an educational secretary in School District 60 and retire in 1987 remembered McClelland as an institution where "we took turns sharing all the duties – cleaning, making lunches, taking care of the infants, washing dishes and waiting tables." She recalled the "many acts of kindness" lavished on residents by Pueblo organizations, including a Shirley Temple doll given her in the early 1940s. Collyer has similar recollections of generosity, and explained further, "some of the gifts were from what we'd now call 'the Syndicate' or 'the Mob.' They'd remember us every Thanksgiving and Christmas, and made sure we were well fed."

Pueblo Chieftain 3-9-1996 – Outstanding Women Honored at Women’s History Week Luncheon – If Mary A. Patterson and Lillian Thatcher were alive today, they would have been proud of the great strides women have made in the Pueblo community through the years. Both leaders in their day, Mrs. Patterson and Ms. Thatcher were honored Friday, along with 14 other women, during the Women's History Week luncheon for their "outstanding contribution to the community." … Ms. Thatcher (1870-1948), daughter of pioneer banker John A. Thatcher, was said to have an "understanding and serious concern for world problems." She served with the American Red Cross during World War I and was a founder of the Arkansas Valley Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution, the Pueblo YWCA and McClelland Orphanage. Although she didn't have children of her own, it wasn't uncommon for Ms. Thatcher to help many Pueblo youths pay for their education. That along with other forms of local benevolence are things Ms. Thatcher did "quietly, shunning recognition or fanfare." …

Pueblo Chieftain 1-25-1999 – Our Past Century, 1906 – 1907 – Labor Problems Plague City – 1900 – 2000, Our Past Century – A Look Back at Pueblo and Its People – Horses, bicycles and streetcars made Union Avenue a busy place in the early 1900s. Editor's note: This is part of a yearlong series The Pueblo Chieftain is running each Monday depicting the past century in Pueblo. As the 1906-07 era dawned on the world, remains of the Russian revolt still simmered and unrest brewed beneath the surface in parts of Europe. In America, labor strife continued to be a major issue, with a national strike by the International Typographical Union occurring over an 8-hour workday… They Made a Difference – Andrew McClelland and Columbia McClelland – Pueblo already had a library named after Andrew McClelland when the Pueblo Orphanage Association approached him for help building an orphanage. He offered the group a building that had been built for the Methodist College, which failed before it opened, on the condition that the group raise $5,000 in supporting funds. When it looked as though the association wouldn't be able to raise the money, Columbia McClelland wrote a check for $5,000 and presented it with the request that if she or her husband were ever ill or unable to support themselves, the orphanage would care for them for the rest of their lives. The McClellands had no children. Throughout the first two decades of the new orphanage's operation, Andrew was an active board member and often spent time at the home. The association changed its name and incorporated in 1906, becoming the McClelland Orphanage in honor of the McClellands, whose generous donation of real estate and cash had established a model orphanage for Protestant children of Southern Colorado.

Pueblo Chieftain 3-1-1999 – Our Past Century, 1916 – 1917 – Puebloans Rush to Join WWI Fight – A Look Back at Pueblo and Its People – While war ravaged Europe, Puebloans weaned themselves from alcohol, planned for a new city hall and watched the CF&I make some provisions for its workers. The year was 1916… In the midst of the huge and dramatic events that swept Pueblo and the world in 1916-1917 was one small happening, which, in its own way, had earthshaking consequences. The case of Zula Vernon prompted no red headlines and only a scant paragraph of type in the Nov. 19, 1916, Star-Journal. Arrested for begging on Union Avenue, the 24-year-old woman from Indiana was jailed, released and then asked to be jailed again – perhaps in a fit of despair. She had been judged by a police court to be of "questionable character" and "not a fit person to have the custody of a young child," and her 4-year-old son was placed in McClelland Orphanage until "some other disposition can be made for him." The child supposedly had given "damaging testimony" against his mother. Mrs. Vernon, who dressed in men's clothing over a long skirt and who caused a stir about town, was trying to get to Oregon where, she said, a man waited to marry her. Her letter to that man was not answered, and Mrs. Vernon's fate was not disclosed by the Star-Journal…

Pueblo Chieftain 4-26-1999 – Our Past Century, 1932 – 1933 – Nation Begins Economic Recovery – A Look Back at Pueblo and Its People – Pueblo entered 1932 with "hope, confidence and resolution." … They Made a Difference – Walter DeMordaunt – Born in Butte, Mont., in 1894, Walter DeMordaunt came to Pueblo in 1921 and joined the firm of architect William Stickney. When Stickney retired, DeMordaunt continued the business, designing many area buildings. Forty buildings at the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo were designed by DeMordaunt, as were the Hotel Whitman, the YWCA, the Star-Journal Model Home at 2920 High, McClelland Orphanage, the Chaffee County Courthouse at Salida, Lincoln School in La Junta, the main post office and Maxwell Hospital in Lamar, and a women's dormitory at the University of Colorado at Boulder. DeMordaunt also designed the first building at Pueblo Junior College (now Pueblo Community College), which was built in the mid-1930s. He was a member of Ascension Episcopal Church, Pueblo Elks Lodge 90 and Pueblo Rotary Club. He died in 1962…

Pueblo Chieftain 2-17-2002 – ‘Extra! Extra!’ – An Old Newsboy Remembers a Special Friend – Shorty remembers. He remembers the camping excursions, the fancy holiday banquets, the Easter egg hunts, the trips to the movie theater, all the good times made possible by one man's generosity. But, mostly, Shorty remembers George McCarthy Sr.'s kindness. "He was more than a friend - much more," says Tony "Shorty" Bacino. "He treated us all like human beings - even though most of us were Italians." Bacino and his buddies were newsboys in the 1920s and ’30s - a bunch of rough-and-tumble kids who staked out their street corners in Pueblo's bustling Downtown and hawked copies of The Pueblo Chieftain, the Star-Journal and The Denver Post. It was an era in which the newspaper was still undisputed media champ, despite the emergence of radio as a burgeoning news source, and a time when ethnic tolerance was far from universal. Some of the city's dance clubs still pointedly advertised that their events were for "Americans only" - that meant "No Italians," Bacino says. And the local roller-skating rink was a popular spot for youngsters, unless they happened to be of Italian heritage - "If we wanted to skate, we had to go to Canon (City) or (Colorado) Springs," he says. But the newsboys were befriended by McCarthy, a funeral director with a soft spot for the hard-working kids, most of whom lived in the old Goat Hill neighborhood. "He felt everyone was equal," says Bacino, who started selling papers as a pint-sized 8-year-old. "He didn't care if you were black, white, green or yellow." And McCarthy was a man of action. He didn't just lend verbal support to the newsboys, who sold papers before and after school and worked seven days a week to help their families get by; he went out of his way to organize special outings for the boys, ages 8 to teens. He made memories for dozens of youngsters - for Chuckles, Specks, Freckles, Gump, Inky, Speed, Buckshot and all the other newsboys who were members of McCarthy's unofficial newsies' club. In the summer, he took them to Beulah for overnight camping trips. To celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas, he held banquets for the kids in the city's fanciest hotels, the Vail and the Congress. He organized a massive Easter egg hunt for the town's orphans (including African-American kids from the Lincoln Home) on the Monday after the holiday, and enlisted the newsboys to help hide the eggs in City Park; after the search, everyone slurped ice cream cones. "You know the movie, ‘The Jazz Singer,’ with Al Jolson - the first talkie?” Bacino says. "Mr. McCarthy got us into that movie. He was very, very nice to us. It was like he adopted all of us newsboys." It was a friendship that lasted a lifetime, too. McCarthy went on to help start the sport of greyhound racing in Colorado, and Bacino remembers dropping by the track in Denver one day in the late 1940s, in hopes of saying hello to the man he still reverently refers to as "Mr. McCarthy." Bacino asked the track usher if Mr. McCarthy was around. Yeah, but he's busy, the usher said. Oh, too bad, said Bacino, mentioning that he'd been a newsboy in Pueblo. "The guy grabs my shirt and yanks me in," says Bacino, "and said, ‘If he finds out one of his newsboys was here and I didn't let him in, I'd be fired.’ He took me upstairs to the Sky Room, and Mr. McCarthy saw me and said, ‘Shorty!’ He was always happy to see us." McCarthy also had photographs of the newsboys taken in the late ’20s and early ’30s - classic black-and-white photos that today grace the wall in the George F. McCarthy Funeral Home, a business founded by McCarthy and now run by Kevin McCarthy, his grandson. The images perfectly capture the newsboys' spirit, in all its floppy-capped, overalled, grinning glory. "Grandpa was an activist," says Kevin McCarthy. "He was involved with the orphanage and dog racing and all sorts of things - he had a lot of interests. He loved the Italians and the Slovenians, and he was revered by them. In some ways, he liked those folks better than he did his own family." Bacino, 83, visits the funeral home every once in awhile, to look at the faces and reminisce. Most of his peers are gone now, and only a handful remain from Mr. McCarthy's group: Phil "Slicker" Cabibi, Juventino "Hoovay" Flores, Henry "Gook" Bradish and Frank "Squinty" Paval, all well into their 80s. Each time Bacino looks at the old photos, he thinks about George McCarthy, the man who helped make Shorty's childhood the best of times. But these days, for Bacino, the memories are not enough. "After all he did for us, I think it's time to do something for him, even if it's this late," says Bacino. His plan: to have a plaque made in honor of McCarthy, who died in 1968. It'll be something simple, from the heart, and paid for out of Bacino's pocket. Something to hang beside the photos so beloved by Mr. McCarthy. Kevin McCarthy says he'd love to have a commemorative plaque in honor of his grandfather, but added that he'd been thinking about trying to find a new home for the photos, since "they don't get much visibility at the funeral home." "Maybe we could do a whole wall of photos somewhere and a plaque could be part of that," Kevin McCarthy says. "That would be great - because Grandpa loved those kids."

Pueblo Chieftain 7-11-2005 – A Child’s Place - The way in which a community cares for the upbringing of its children is the fabric which weaves the tapestry of any healthy culture and society. The McClelland School has never strayed from its mission of serving children in almost a century of existence, making it a truly classic piece of Pueblo history. And the school's own history is remarkable, evolving from its inception as an orphanage just after 1900 into the highly successful private school that it is today. "McClelland is for children. Puebloans are extremely dedicated to their children and it doesn't matter what color or religion they are," Pueblo historian Joanne Dodds said. "McClelland has survived and it has mutated as the times have mutated. As an orphanage or a highly-successful private school, it's always been about helping kids; same principle, different circumstances." The entity devoted to children located at the corner of Abriendo and Lake avenues bears the name of Pueblo philanthropic pioneer Andrew McClelland. He sold a building he owned at that location to a group called the Protestant Orphanage Committee for $5,000 in 1905. The McClelland Orphanage was quickly established as one of the best and most well-run institutions of its kind in the country. The current Georgian style building was constructed in 1935 and was admitted to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. The facility primarily served as an orphanage until the 1960s. When the need for such an institution faded, McClelland refocused its priorities on education. The McClelland Center for Child Study was officially created in 1973, dedicated to the study of diagnosis and evaluation of the learning processes of children. By 1979, the Center enrolled students from kindergarten through third grade, with immediate plans to expand through fifth grade. The Center was renamed The McClelland School in 1994, reflecting its Independent School mission, and expanded into the middle-school grades shortly thereafter. Today, The McClelland School is the oldest private school in Pueblo County and the only such institution that does not have a religious affiliation. It is widely regarded as one of the finest schools in Pueblo. "One thing I'm struck by is how the affect has changed over time. Orphans didn't necessarily have a positive experience and now, through education, it is a much more positive experience," Mark Fallo, McClelland head of school, said. "Before, the kids didn't even have parents around and now, our parents are extremely involved in the kids' education and activities." The Namesake – Andrew McClelland was born in Missouri to parents who hailed from Virginia. After a rural-school education, he set off for Colorado in search of gold. After dabbling in the grain business and doing some traveling, Pueblo struck gold when McClelland located here in 1882. He immediately entered the business world in the fields of wholesale grain and feed, a flour mill and real estate development. Regarding the latter, he named the Columbia Heights subdivision after his wife, Columbia Jane McClelland. Andrew McClelland was instrumental in bringing the Missouri Pacific Railroad to Pueblo in 1887. One of his most recognizable contributions, the McClelland Public Library, was founded in 1891, just down the street from the school that would bear his name. "Andrew gave his money first of all because he believed in learning," Dodds said. "I don't think he cared a lot about having his name on things. His generosity involved identical actions, motives and results." He traveled around the globe in 1904 and sent numerous treasures back to Pueblo, many of which are on display today at the Rosemount Museum. But McClelland was not without controversy. He was involved in many political battles and public opinion turned against him due to his ownership of property in Pueblo's red light district. After it was revealed he had been sending passionate letters to a woman in Trinidad, McClelland soon relocated to Pasadena, Calif., where he died in 1936 at 86 years of age. Andrew and Columbia Jane McClelland did not have any children of their own, possibly a clue to the source of their generosity to the kids who needed help more than any other. The Genesis – A meeting was held on Jan. 10, 1905, where a group of Pueblo citizens tackled the issue of how to assist dependent children. The Protestant Orphanage Committee was born and an orphanage was established at 1104 East Routt under the operation of the deaconesses of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The facility on Routt was undersized and demand quickly exceeded supply. With a boy’s dormitory set up in tents outside the building, it was painfully obvious that larger quarters were essential. McClelland owned the property and a three-story building at the corner of Abriendo and Lake avenues. The structure was built to house the Methodist College, which failed before it opened. The building had fallen into disrepair, but the property and structure were still appraised at $20,000. McClelland offered the building and property to the Protestant Orphanage Committee for $5,000 plus an additional $2,500 to ensure that necessary repairs would be made and preserve the building for the foreseeable future. When the group was struggling to raise the $5,000 to complete the transaction, Columbia Jane McClelland cut a check for the full amount. Lore has it that this act was possibly a sign of the matrimonial disharmony that existed in the McClelland household. "It's fascinating in that as soon as Andrew McClelland funded the library building and became known for being a generous man, people came from all over asking him for money," Dodds said. "I've always joked that the library belongs to Andrew and the orphanage to Columbia." With new digs secured, the McClelland Orphanage was incorporated on Feb. 19, 1906, and opened on April 25 the same year. The building was designed to house up to 65 children and by 1908 it was full with kids who called it home. The "Home" – The McClelland Orphanage - or the "Home", as it was more commonly known - was one of three primary refuges for dependent children in early 20th-century Pueblo, the other two being Sacred Heart and the Lincoln Home. The residents came from all walks of life. The most common placement was several children from a single family who would reside at the orphanage for 30 to 60 days and usually the parent would reclaim them. The second most populous type of resident were babies who were placed there awaiting adoption and their stay was regularly quite short. The minority group was children older than 10 who were never placed outside McClelland. The reasons for children being placed at McClelland varied, but a very common explanation was the death of the father or mother, or the separation of the parents. "One thing that is fascinating to me are the applications for adoption," said Mary Cunningham, who is currently the director of Admissions and Development and a self-made historian at McClelland. "It reflects what was important at the time; living close to a church or a railroad, or having to leave your children to pursue something that was considered more vital at the time." While life in an orphanage is surely undesirable, the mission of the McClelland Orphanage - one that is nearly identical to the current school's - made the experience one that shined in comparison to many similar institutions in the country at that time. The original goal at McClelland was to keep the individual character of the child alive, despite the conditions in which they found themselves. The children were allowed to wear their own clothing, attend public schools and churches of their choice, and pursue other individual activities. "The orphanage tried to make it a unique experience for the kids," Cunningham said. "There were frequent field trips and notable visitors to break up the monotony of living in a group situation." While there are stories of wild runaway attempts and brief forays into the night - including the repeated attempts of a young girl to escape the upper floor of the orphanage, navigate her way to the Union Depot and board a train to find her mother in Trinidad - the more commonly related experience is one of being content and relatively happy. "It would be better to live with your parents, or with either parent, but if there was no one, then this was what was better . . . something is better than nothing," former McClelland resident Hazel Slack told The Pueblo Chieftain in 1994. "We always had someone to be with, to play with and to go to school with." But such closeness was not always a bowl of cherries. "When one of us got sick, everybody got sick," Slack said. "I had it all: colds, whooping cough, scarlet fever, chicken pox - even ringworm." Slack also distinctly remembered a fellow resident who is possibly the most notable product of the McClelland Orphanage. Danny (Hale) David was older than Slack, a popular football player who was a member of the 1940 Central High School state championship team. He graduated from Central in 1940 and later was known as Dan Rowan, who became famous as a television star on the show "Laugh-In," a popular comedy TV show of the 1960s. Other Puebloans spent time at McClelland and have remained in town ever since. Robert Collyer was a resident there with his two brothers while their mother worked at the Union Depot. He became a longtime educator in District 60. "I think the people at the orphanage did their job and I think they did a better job than the foster care system that we have today," Collyer said. "Overall, there were incidents that happened, but they were rare." Collyer recalled one such incident in which his brothers escaped McClelland with the intention of "catching a freight and getting out of town." But to do so, they had to go through the Union Depot and sure enough, their mother caught them and "they were sent right back." Collyer also said the experience was one of being immersed in tremendous diversity and one that differs dramatically from a common idea of what an orphanage is all about. "I remember playing with colored kids and Orientals, and I can't remember hearing an ethnic slur until I was 16," Collyer said. "So many people saw the movies ‘Oliver’ and ‘Annie’ and they get a warped idea of what an orphanage was. In most cases at McClelland, one or both parents were alive, but the place was so well-regarded that a lot of kids came from outside of Pueblo or even outside of the state." The Changes – The McClelland Orphanage would undergo many changes over the years, from business function to title to the building to purpose. Financial well-being was always a challenge to the McClelland Orphanage and the community often contributed money, food and clothing - in addition to constant fundraising efforts - to ensure the institution's budget was solvent. The strain was only amplified when the link between the orphanage and the Deaconesses was dissolved between 1917-20, creating the need to hire salaried personnel. The first big financial boon came by way of the Pueblo Community Chest, which donated $9,686 to the McClelland Orphanage between 1923-24. The name of the organization was amended to The McClelland Children's Home in October 1927. Along with that change, management of the institution was placed under the control of the Board of Directors, members of which had to be in good standing in a Protestant church in Pueblo. The board had 21 members. With the original three-story building filled to capacity as early as 1908, the need for an expanded structure had long been a priority. Plans for a new building were officially started in 1932, smack in the heart of the Great Depression, and financial sacrifices and assistance was required to facilitate the project. McClelland had to liquidate most of the holdings of the home and accepted a $25,000 donation of unused Flood Relief money from the Pueblo Rotary Club to make the building a reality. Construction of the Georgian Revival-style building began in July 1934 and was occupied Feb. 17, 1935. It is one of only two such style buildings in Pueblo, along with the old Montgomery Ward building, earning it a place on the National Register of Historic Places. But the most significant change was a gradual shift in focus of the institution during the 1960s. As child welfare programs developed throughout the country, such as foster care, orphanages such as McClelland were gradually being phased out. McClelland's board reprioritized the school's function toward education and the evaluation of learning processes of children. "McClelland was evolving with the times. It was a national trend that wholly institutionalized care was becoming foster care," Cunningham said. "One of the things that carried over is respecting and embracing the individuality of children." The McClelland Children's Home again underwent a change in title to The McClelland Center for Child Study in 1973. This change reflected the Center's adoption of the Basic Diagnostic Program, a grant that operated a preschool program that studied 4 year olds to determine if by early detection, potential learning disabilities could be identified. The grant funded the program through 1977, but according to Cunningham, the "nebulous" official year of McClelland becoming a "school" is 1975. The McClelland Center gradually evolved as an educational institution for children and by 1979, students were enrolled from kindergarten through third grade. The additions of preschool and grades four and five were added and through 1994, the McClelland Center settled in as a preschool and elementary institution. The Center's title was again changed to its current designation, The McClelland School, in 1994. Physical changes were also necessary. A $200,000, 2,400-square foot addition was built in 1993, adding four new classrooms, a music room and stage, and expanding the kindergarten classroom. In 1995, the separate structure in the back of the property - formerly a carriage house, laundry and caretaker's residence - was renovated to accommodate the school's latest expansion. After years of consideration and research, the board of trustees voted to add a middle school program, which opened for the 1995-96 school year. "There has always been a willingness to change at McClelland and be forward-thinking; not sit and stagnate," Cunningham said. "We teach that to our kids and practice it ourselves every day." The Present - The McClelland School will enroll around 180 students next fall, and while they will cover all of the basics of a standard education, they will also be encouraged to reach beyond that. It is still the school's mission - as it was the orphanage's in 1906 - to serve the individual needs of children. "It's the kind of environment where they learn all of the traditional things that are required, but they also stretch out and explore their individual interests to a very high level," said Fallo, who has been head of school at McClelland since 2001. "Our primary goal is to educate kids to be successful in life. It is a college preparatory environment. I'm continually impressed with the level of education here. They are beyond prepared." Much of that success is attributable to the small class sizes that are a hallmark of private and charter schools. A high level of parental involvement is also a characteristic that defines McClelland. "Parents are looking for small classes and the teachers really get to know the students. One common trait is that the students are motivated, the parents are motivated and they are all involved," Cunningham said. "We are not focused on standardized tests and it is a very challenging curriculum." The education students receive at McClelland has been proven to be extremely successful in contributing to their high level of achievement after they move on. "Our eighth-grade graduates do extremely well, whether they enter public or private high schools," Cunningham said. "One common trait our graduates seem to have is a ton of confidence. They have been public speaking since they were 3 years old and every graduate speaks at graduation." While the budget continues to be a primary concern, the financial demands do not come at the expense of McClelland having the luxury of determining its own path. The McClelland School is accredited by the Association of Colorado Independent Schools, which is recognized by the National Association of Independent Schools. It is also licensed by the state. When accepting financial contributions, the board of trustees must consider the potential effects on the school's independence. "We have to look at things with funding very carefully, such as grants and vouchers," Cunningham said. "If it is going to subject the school to outside pressures and limit our independence, we have to forego such things." The McClelland School is the most expensive private school in Pueblo with an annual tuition of $4,800. This status stands in stark contrast to its inception as an orphanage, but Fallo challenges the thought that it is solely an institution that serves children of privilege. "We're representative of many walks of life, from kids whose parents can write a check, to parents who make great sacrifices to send their children here, to some who receive financial assistance." McClelland's history has always been woven into the fabric of Pueblo and Fallo said that tradition continues today. "We're trying to be a part of the community by producing kids who are problem solvers and will be successful contributors to our society," Fallo said. "We are always striving to develop more ways for our students to be interactive in the community." The McClelland School has traveled a dramatic path from serving the needs of extremely dependent children to developing the minds and character of children at the highest level. That path will come full circle when Collyer will be the keynote speaker at the school's 100th anniversary celebration in October. "I'm glad that (McClelland is) still there, even though it has different purposes and uses," Collyer said. "I'm very happy that something good is coming out of it." Dodds opined that the evolution of McClelland over the past century has culminated in one of the greatest gifts that can be given to any child. "Education is the foundation for life. That's one of the consistents of the role of McClelland Center and the school," Dodds said. "Once upon a time, before the social services benefits that are now available for neglected children, the orphanage was a place for them to go. It gave them something they needed at a time when they could not find it anywhere else. "Now, McClelland is giving kids a boost at a time when education is vital."

Pueblo Chieftain 8-3-2007 – DAR Plaque Finds Way to McClelland School - McClelland School recently reclaimed a small piece of its colorful history thanks to a local historian's efforts. The school was originally an orphanage, opened April 25, 1906. The building later became a center of study where children with learning disabilities were diagnosed in the 1970s, before finally becoming a school in 1979. In January of 1935, a brass plaque was donated to the McClelland orphanage by the Arkansas Valley Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Regent Lillian Thatcher and Chairman of the Philanthropy Committee, Arthur "Elfie" G. Brown, as well as other members of the DAR were responsible for furnishing a kindergarten dormitory at the east end of the second floor, according to a 1935 article in The Pueblo Chieftain. The dormitory housed children age 2 through 6, supplying them with beds, lockers and storage space. Fifty-nine years later in 1994, the plaque disappeared from the former dormitory while McClelland was undergoing construction to add a middle school program. That's where Liz Beu comes in. Beu is the historian for the Arkansas Valley chapter of the DAR. Three years ago, the 71-year-old Pueblo native said she received a phone call from a woman named Mrs. Gary Harlowe, who was involved with the National Society DAR Internet Purchasing Committee. "(The committee) notifies chapters when DAR memorabilia is being sold online so it can stay in DAR hands," Beu said. The plaque was being auctioned on eBay by a Canon City antique dealer, according to Harlowe. The man bought the plaque from a Colorado Springs flea market. Since Beu lived so close to the shop, she said she decided to rescue the plaque. "A friend and I went to Canon City to retrieve the plaque. We approached the man who owned the antique shop and told him about our findings," Beu said. "We asked if we could buy the plaque and he said, 'No, go ahead and take it. It's my donation to your project.' He wouldn't even go out for coffee with us." Beu echoed the two men's sentiments, as she recalled childhood memories of passing out candy at the former orphanage. "(The plaque) needs to be home. It needs to be here," she said. "When any organization marks something, it should stay there. Historically, that's how it should be." For Mercer, the discovery of the DAR artifact symbolizes his ongoing passion for history. He and his wife, admissions director Peg Day, own an 1888 Victorian home in Pueblo and a 1796 colonial house in New York. The headmaster said he values the past of the school building. "The McClelland School has had an interesting course. Some people believe a building still maintains its original character or essence," he said. "McClelland cares for children in a different but very similar way (today). It is a very special building with a special purpose. It would be inappropriate not to show respect to the building."

Pueblo Chieftain 2-17-2008 – TB Once Topped State’s Death Toll - The ghost of tuberculosis is easier to track in Pueblo, and across Colorado, than the actual people who suffered from the disease… TB infection was one of the standard pieces of information gathered about a child enrolled at Pueblo's McClelland Orphanage early in the 20th century, along with age and nationality. Another question was: Were the child's parents tubercular?...

Joanne Dodds, assistant director of McClelland Library, writes about Pueblo orphanages in her just-released Pueblo history, "They All Came to Pueblo – a Social History." An insight on the McClelland operation: "By 1919 the (McClelland) board reports included data on who paid for the care of the children. The July 1 report records the following: "Twenty-five paid $15 per month, one paid $20, three paid in work, 11 paid $6 to $12 per month, three were county charges for which the county paid $25 and there were 10 charity cases. "The next board report identified the orphanage population as 56, consisting of 28 girls, 19 boys and nine babies." A 1959 report, on file at The Chieftain, listed the previous year's income for McClelland as $1.33 per diem from the Department of Public Welfare for 13 children; 45 partial payment for 45 children, no charge for 10 youngsters; and failure to pay for 22 orphans. Additionally, the report categorizes reasons for which McClelland's charges had been put into the institution: "Separation, divorce and indebtedness; unfit parents (alcohol, mental retardation); widowers; illness of guardian(s); children unable to adjust to living conditions within their own or foster homes, and inadequate housing." In an interview, Dodds noted that half or more of the children in the homes were there for relatively shorts terms: "The babies and very young children were usually adopted fairly quickly, usually within a few weeks. Older children were placed into homes of relatives or into work situations, both in the city and on the farms." She writes in her book, however, that the remaining group consisted of "older children aged 10 and above who, for unknown reasons, were never placed."

Pueblo Chieftain 3-9-1996 – Outstanding Women Honored at Women's History Week Luncheon – If Mary A. Patterson and Lillian Thatcher were alive today, they would have been proud of the great strides women have made in the Pueblo community through the years. Both leaders in their day, Mrs. Patterson and Ms. Thatcher were honored Friday, along with 14 other women, during the Women's History Week luncheon for their "outstanding contribution to the community." … Ms. Thatcher (1870-1948), daughter of pioneer banker John A. Thatcher, was said to have an "understanding and serious concern for world problems." She served with the American Red Cross during World War I and was a founder of the Arkansas Valley Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution, the Pueblo YWCA and McClelland Orphanage. Although she didn't have children of her own, it wasn't uncommon for Ms. Thatcher to help many Pueblo youths pay for their education. That along with other forms of local benevolence are things Ms. Thatcher did "quietly, shunning recognition or fanfare." …

Pueblo Chieftain 3-1-2002 – Local DAR Chapter Celebrates 100th Year – The Arkansas Valley Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution will celebrate its 100th anniversary Saturday at the Pueblo County Club. The roll call of women who gathered in 1900 to start what became Chapter 581 of the DAR reads like a who's who of historic Pueblo families: Edith Baxter McClain, Martha Noble, Edna Baxter, Clara, Ella and Kate Duke and Margaret and Lillian Thatcher. The chapter received its charter in 1902. "The ladies were gathering here during a great boom period," said Donna Bottini, the regent of the Arkansas Valley Chapter. "They were from the East and some of them belonged to the DAR on the East Coast. "To belong to the DAR, you have to be able to trace your family to an ancestor who fought in the Revolutionary War. That was the common thread among the Pueblo women." Bottini said the events sponsored by the organization received several write-ups in The Pueblo Chieftain. "They put on plays to raise money to help support orphanages in town such as McClelland and Lincoln," she said…

From Ninth Biennial Report of the State Board of Charities and Corrections For the Biennial Period Ending November 30, 1908, by Colorado State Board of Charities and Corrections, published by The Smith-Brooks Printing Co., State Printers, Denver, Colorado, 1909:
List of hospitals, private, semi-private and charitable orphanages, relief societies, charity organizations, neighborhood house, etc., etc.
Hospitals, etc., Pueblo County:
The McClelland Orphanage, Pueblo

Brief statement of the various private institutions throughout the State which have filed a report with this board.
Pueblo County:
McClelland Orphanage Association, Pueblo, Colorado
Anna Burgess, Superintendent
W. L. Hartman, President
J. J. Lace, Secretary
C. B. Crawford, Treasurer
During this year this institution has cared for one hundred children; of this number, eighteen were free, and twenty-three partly paying. Value of property used for corporate purposes, $40,000. Value of real estate in lots, $10,000. This orphanage is managed by the Deaconess', an order in the Methodist Episcopal Church, who do charitable work.

McClelland Orphanage
415 E. Abriendo Ave.
National Register 1/30/1992, 5PE.4217
The institution bears the name of its primary benefactor, prominent Pueblo businessman, Andrew McClelland.  The present Colonial Revival style building was constructed in 1935, and the design incorporates Georgian and Adam elements.

1910 census

NAMEPOSITIONGENDERAGEBIRTHPLACEFATHER'SMOTHER'SNOTES
?, Doris?matronf33NebraskaSwitzerlandNebraska
Burgess, Annasuperintendentf34IndianaIndianaIndiana
Cameron, Ettainmatef13IowaScotlandEngland
Cameron, Robertinmatem10IllinoisScotlandEngland
Campbell, Louiseinmatef11IowaIowaIowa
Craig, Katherinainmatef11PennsylvaniaOhioPennsylvania
Davis, Earlinmatem5ColoradoUSColorado
Davis, Susieinmatef6ColoradoUSColorado
Davis, Verainmatef3ColoradoUSColorado
Dunish, Elizabethinmatef1ColoradoUSColorado
Dunish, Frankinmatem3ColoradoUSColorado
Fabrizio, Josephinmatem5ColoradoItalyColorado
Fisher, Johninmatem7ColoradoUSColorado
Fisher, Monterayinmatef9ColoradoUSColorado
Fisher, Newton?inmatem5ColoradousColorado
Fortin?, Venenda?nursef36IllinoisIllinoisPennsylvania
Gill?, Ethelservantf20UtahEnglandUtah
Gorden, Royinmatem10ColoradoKansasColorado
Gorsin, Graceinmatef10ColoradoKansasColorado
Hays, Bryoninmatem7IowaOhioIowa
Hays, Clarenceinmatem5IowaOhioIowa
Hays, Elsieinmatef9IowaOhioIowa
Hays, Femalinmatef3IowaOhioIowa
Hinery, Urminenursef38IndianaKentuckyKentucky
Howe, Shedoninmatem7ColoradoColoradoColorado
Jagrig?, Ralphinmatem6MissouriUSUS
Kenery?, Emmanursef39OhioPennsylvaniaPennsylvania
Lanton, Marylaundressf46AlabamaTennesseeAlabamawidow
Lecco, Fredinmatem2ColoradoItalyColorado
Lenhart, Carlinmatem10KansasKansasKansas
Lucin?, Ottoinmatem8ColoradoUSUS
Mayfield, Orainmatef12ColoradoColoradoColorado
Miliner, Avainmatef11ColoradoColoradoColorado
Miliner, Mamieinmatef9ColoradoColoradoColorado
Miller, Dorothiainmatef9ColoradoUSColorado
Moffett, Lenanursef28KansasIndianaIndiana
Moore, Annacookf57IowaOhioPennsylvaniawidow
Oakes, Jessieinmatef7ColoradoUSUS
Osborn, Emmainmatef1ColoradoUSColorado
Reynolds, Williaminmatem5ColoradoUSUS
Routh, Manillainmatef11ArizonaArizonaCalifornia
Routh, Maryinmatef16ArizonaArizonaCalifornia
Ruvia?, Zadiainmatef8ColoradoUSColorado
Simmes, Eugeneinmatem5KansasMissouriMissouri
Simmes, Garnetinmatef11MissouriMissouriMissouri
Sismore, Jewelinmatef8MissouriMissouriMissouri
Smith, Earlinmatem1ColoradoUSColorado
Smith, Heleninmatef10ColoradoUSColorado
Steven, Haydeninmatem11GeorgiaTexasGeorgia
Stevens, Clydeinmatem9GeorgiaUSGeorgia
Stevens, Lydiainmatef5ColoradoUSGeorgia
Talbot, Ellainmatef13ColoradoColoradoColorado
Talbot, Hazelinmatef10ColoradoUSColorado
Walker, Hariam P.janitorm45PennsylvaniaPennsylvaniaPennsylvaniamarried 19y
Wilson, Jamesinmatem9ColoradoColoradoColorado
Wilson, Marthainmatef11ColoradoColoradoColorado
Wood, Robertinmatem2ColoradoOhioColorado 

1920 Census

NAMEPOSITIONGENDERRACEAGEBIRTHPLACEFATHER'SMOTHER'S
Ashton, Lilasinmatefemalewhite7ColoradoUnited StatesUnited States
Bergh, Lillieinmatefemalewhite13ColoradoUnited StatesUnited States
Cash, Raymondinmatemalewhite7United StatesUnited StatesUnited States
Cooley, Verdinmatefemalewhite7ColoradoUnited StatesUnited States
Cox, Mary Louiseinmatefemalewhite5ColoradoUnited StatesUnited States
Cox, Williaminmatemalewhite3ColoradoUnited StatesUnited States
Davidson, Billieinmatemalewhite8MissouriUnited StatesUnited States
Davidson, Edwardinmatemalewhite12MissouriUnited StatesUnited States
Davidson, Maryinmatefemalewhite10MissouriUnited StatesUnited States
Deverux, Albertinmatemalewhite7ColoradoUnited StatesUnited States
Deverux, Mabelinmatefemalewhite11ColoradoUnited StatesUnited States
Deverux, Rayinmatemalewhite4ColoradoUnited StatesUnited States
Flynn, Jackinmatemalewhite11WashingtonUnited StatesUnited States
Gann, Florenceinmatefemalewhite7UtahUnited StatesUnited States
Gordan, Nettiematron babies wardfemalewhite33PennsylvaniaPennsylvaniaPennsylvania
Goss, Elsieinmatefemalewhite7ColoradoUnited StatesUnited States
Goss, Gardinmatemalewhite10ColoradoUnited StatesUnited States
Guzdeck, Eugeneinmatemalewhite13ColoradoAustriaAustria
Guzdeck, Stanleyinmatemalewhite10ColoradoAustriaAustria
Harrison, Albertjanitormalewhite32OhioEnglandWisconsin
Hart, Donaldinmatemalewhite8EnglandEnglandEngland
Hart, Florenceinmatefemalewhite5EnglandEnglandEngland
Hart, Robertinmatemalewhite6EnglandEnglandEngland
Heyer, Dorothyinmatefemalewhite11ColoradoUnited StatesUnited States
Heyer, Henryinmatemalewhite13ColoradoUnited StatesUnited States
Heyer, Robertinmatemalewhite10ColoradoUnited StatesUnited States
Hoke, Dorothyinmatefemalewhite12ColoradoUnited StatesUnited States
Hoke, Lucilleinmatefemalewhite10ColoradoUnited StatesUnited States
Hoke, Luettainmatefemalewhite7ColoradoUnited StatesUnited States
Hoke, Willardinmatemalewhite8ColoradoUnited StatesUnited States
House, Ednainmatefemalewhite13ColoradoUnited StatesUnited States
Jones, Jeaninmatefemalewhite5ColoradoUnited StatesUnited States
Jones, Maudmatron big girls wardfemalewhite36CaliforniaVermontOhio
Jones, Rupertinmatemalewhite10IllinoisUnited StatesUnited States
Jutkins, Dwightinmatemalewhite11ColoradoUnited StatesUnited States
Jutkins, Everettinmatemalewhite7ColoradoUnited StatesUnited States
Karr, Lenoramatron kindergarten girlsfemalewhite37IllinoisIllinoisIllinois
McEchron, Pearlinmatefemalewhite6ColoradoUnited StatesUnited States
McEchron, Williaminmatemalewhite2ColoradoUnited StatesUnited States
McGrail, Billieinmatemalewhite10United StatesUnited StatesUnited States
McGrail, Tommyinmatemalewhite8United StatesUnited StatesUnited States
McIntyre, Donaldinmatemalewhite4United StatesUnited StatesUnited States
McIntyre, Garaldinmatemalewhite8United StatesUnited StatesUnited States
McIntyre, Graceinmatefemalewhite7United StatesUnited StatesUnited States
Melton, Evalineinmatefemalewhite9ColoradoUnited StatesUnited States
Melton, Ivyinmatefemalewhite6ColoradoUnited StatesUnited States
Melton, Lucy Maycookfemalewhite37MissouriMissouriMissouri
Payne, Loisinmatefemalewhite19ColoradoUnited StatesUnited States
Payne, Priscillainmatefemalewhite7ColoradoAustriaUnited States
Peschke, Walterinmatemalewhite6ColoradoUnited StatesUnited States
Peschke, Williaminmatemalewhite4ColoradoUnited StatesUnited States
Price, Chilcottinmatemalewhite8ColoradoUnited StatesUnited States
Price, Jamesinmatemalewhite9ColoradoUnited StatesUnited States
Price, Ralphinmatemalewhite7ColoradoUnited StatesUnited States
Rodgers, Emmamatron small boys wardfemalewhite23ColoradoNew MexicoNew Mexico
Ross, Earlinmatemalewhite7ColoradoUnited StatesUnited States
Ross, Elieseinmatefemalewhite8ColoradoUnited StatesUnited States
Sains, Athalieinmatefemalewhite1y 6mKentuckyUnited StatesUnited States
Shepperd, Graceinmatefemalewhite7United StatesUnited StatesUnited States
Shepperd, Mabelinmatefemalewhite8United StatesUnited StatesUnited States
Tagg, Anna G.superintendentfemalewhite32South DakotaWisconsinMichigan
Thomas, Eileeninmatefemalewhite4ColoradoUnited StatesUnited States
Van Kickle, Lucillematron boys wardfemalewhite23South DakotaWisconsinMichigan

1930 Census

NAMEGENDERRACEAGEMARITALYEARSBIRTHPLACEFATHER'SMOTHER'S
Alderson, ArthurMW1SColoradoMissouriMissouri
Arnold, EdithFW47SOhioOhioOhio
Bailey, Herman L.MW9SOklahomaArkansasArkansas
Bailey, Larey M.FW11SOklahomaArkansasArkansas
Bailey, Lawrence K.MW13SOklahomaArkansasArkansas
Barnes, ClaraFW54Wd37IowaWisconsinWisconsin
Beck, VirgilMW3SColoradoMissouriMissouri
Beck, VirginiaFW3SColoradoMissouriMissouri
Betts, Agnes M.FW8SColoradoMissouriColorado
Betts, Charles C.MW10SColoradoMissouriColorado
Betts, Eugene R.MW5SColoradoMissouriColorado
Boyle, Edwin (Toweling)MW5 MSColoradoUSUS
Buchan, NeehahFW12SColoradoWisconsinIllinois
Buchan, Racine W.FW11SColoradoWisconsinIllinois
Buchan, RussellMW13SWyomingWisconsinIllinois
Buchan, Vernona M.MW8SColoradoWisconsinIllinois
Dillon, BettyFW7SColoradoTexasColorado
Dowinis , MonicaMW13SColoradoItalyItaly
Drumhiller, BerthaFW37M17ArkansasLouisianaArkansas
Eggerman, ArnoldMW7SColoradoOklahomaWisconsin
Eggerman, Bessie E.FW4SColoradoOklahomaWisconsin
Fix, HaroldMW11SOklahomaNew YorkOklahoma
Fix, Lola M.FW12SCaliforniaNew YorkOklahoma
Fix, Robert T.MW8SOklahomaNew YorkOklahoma
Fletcher, Erma M.FW12SArizonaColoradoColorado
Fletcher, Sarah M.FW11SArizonaColoradoColorado
Greer, EmmaFW18SNebraskaIowaNebraska
Greogrey, Earl E.MW5SColoradoMissouriNew York
Henderson, Ruby M.FW6SColoradoColoradoOklahoma
Hensley, HowardMW12SColoradoNorth CarolinaIowa
Hoskin, MaymeFW48D21IowaEnglandOhio
Jackson, EldoraFW12SUtahGeorgiaUtah
Jackson, John J.MW10SIdahoGeorgiaUtah
Klaus, AlbertMW8SColoradoIowaNorth Carolina
Klaus, DorothyFW15SColoradoIowaNorth Carolina
Klaus, EvaFW14SColoradoIowaNorth Carolina
Klaus, VincentMW11SColoradoIowaNorth Carolina
LaBelle, FrankMW8SColoradoColoradoColorado
Loud, ArthurMW5SColoradoMissouriColorado
Martin, ErmaFW8SColoradoUSUS
Martin, JoanFW2SColoradoUSUS
McGhee, Cecil E.MW6SVirginiaVirginiaVirginia
McGhee, Malcolm E.MW8SVirginiaVirginiaVirginia
Miller, Earl R.MW13SNew MexicoNew YorkTexas
Miller, Fred A.MW14SNew MexicoNew YorkTexas
Miller, Herbert L.MW5SColoradoNew YorkTexas
Miller, Myrtle A.FW10SNew MexicoNew YorkTexas
Mitchell, Albert F.MW5SColoradoNebraskaKansas
Mitchell, Irene A.FW8SKansasNebraskaKansas
Mitchell, Lorna M.FW10SKansasNebraskaKansas
Montgomery, ByronMW1SColoradoUSUS
Morton, RichardMW5SNew YorkUSUS
Morton, WilliamMW7SNew YorkEnglandColorado
Mursko, Alice M.FW11SColoradoAustriaMontana
Mursko, Fred P.MW7SColoradoAustriaMontana
Myers, HarriettFW11SColoradoIowaNew York
Napier, FrankMW8SIndianaKentuckyKentucky
Newell, GailFW11SUSUSUS
Patterson, Ardith M.FW7SKansasKansasKansas
Patterson, Marjorie L.FW8SKansasKansasKansas
Peschke, WalterMW16SColoradoUSUS
Peschke, WilliamMW14SColoradoUSUS
Ressouches, RoseFW71D24IndianaFranceFrance
Rodwell, Leonard E.MW6SColoradoWisconsinKansas
Rule, DellsFW41M15MissouriMissouriFrance
Sandhal, Jack C.MW12SColoradoWisconsinKansas
Sandhal, Milton A.MW6SColoradoWisconsinKansas
Sautarelli, RubyFW8SColoradoItalyColorado
Slate, HomerMW14SColoradoVirginiaVirginia
Taylor, Alice M.FW5SOklahomaOklahomaOklahoma
Taylor, CarolineFW1SColoradoOklahomaOklahoma
Timple, GertrudeFW60M27WisconsinHollandHolland
Torinlling, Baby LillyFW10 MSColoradoUSUS
Urban, EstherFW3SColoradoColoradoColorado
Urban, Robert L.MW5SColoradoColoradoColorado
Williamson, PierceMW5SColoradoUSUS


Also in this orphanage:

Pueblo Chieftain 5-22-1919 - 4 Orphans of Soldier Father Taken From Half Crazed Mother - Four little children, orphans of an American army soldier, the youngest 1 year old, and born since its father went to war, all in charge of a mother apparently deranged, locked in a house in this city and for the past three weeks kept most of the time in bed because the mother would not let them have their clothes. This is what Deputy Sheriff Delliquadri found yesterday morning at 107 Center street, having gone to the place on complaint of the neighbors who knew something of the unnatural conditions in the home of the widow of the former street car conductor who died of the influenza in a Florida training camp. The children were taken in charge by Humane Officer Art Allen and after being fed by Mrs. Delliquadri and Mrs. Mulvay, both of whom are neighbors of the Cummings family, were taken to the McClelland orphanage where for the time being they will be cared for at the expense of the county. The mother was taken to the county farm. Cummings is said to have been much worried by the queer actions of his wife for a considerable time, and finally enlisted in the army and took out the limit of soldier insurance, $10,000. Soon after his death occurred and had been properly certified, $75 per month, as per terms of the government insurance policy, began coming to the widow, and while the officer and those with him found plenty of food and clothing in the house, it was all locked up and the children had been given very little to eat and no clothes, so that they were obliged to remain in bed all the time nearly, and were not allowed out of the house which was kept locked by the mother.
Pueblo Chieftain 5-23-1919 - Declares She's Sane - Mrs. Cummings, who yesterday was taken to the county farm and her four children to the McClelland orphanage by Deputy Sheriff Delliquadri, on order from county court, protests, it is said, that she is perfectly sane and wants to be released. She states to Superintendent John Wright that she has a $2,000 check from the Woodmen of the World in the house and wants to secure it, and take her children to her old home in Iowa. Mr. Wright, and also County Physician McGonigle tell Chairman Harbour of the board of commissioners, they can detect nothing wrong with the patient's mind. However, court officials who have acted under a complaint of insanity preferred by Officer Art Allen of the state society for the protection of children and animals, state that the matter will be given the regular attention in a legal manner. They aver that investigation shows that the children have been treated shamefully, and that but one of them is able to walk.
Pueblo Chieftain 5-29-1919 - Preliminary Test Is Favorable to Patient - A preliminary examination by the official local insanity inquiry board, of Mrs. Cummings recently taken from her home to the poor farm, while her four children were removed to the McClelland orphanage, was made yesterday, and while no official or final statement has been made as to the findings, it is understood that the commission, in part at least, is of the opinion that there is little if anything wrong with her mind. It is understood that a final hearing will be had soon, probably as soon as County Judge Mirick reached home, which is expected to be next Sunday.
Pueblo Chieftain 6-10-1919 - Commission Decides Mrs. Cummings Sane - Not insane was the decision of the lunacy commission which has been investigating the mental condition of Mrs. Margaret L. Cummings, who was several weeks ago taken from her home to the county farm and her four children to the McClelland orphanage. And the whole family has gone to the old home of Mrs. Cummings at Pleasantville, Iowa; this following a visit of a brother to Pueblo and a conference with Mrs. Cummings and the county court officials. It was decided that the brother shall be custodian of the estate, and that the children shall be taken in charge by various members of the mother's family in Iowa. She has several brothers and sisters and both parents residing there, and the hope is expressed that all will be well with the widow and her little ones who have had considerable trouble here. It will be remembered that on complaint of neighbors the house was officially entered and a very unsatisfactory state of affairs revealed. It was said that the children were not allowed out of the house and kept most of the time in bed; also that tho the house was well supplied with necessaries of all sorts, the children were said to be poorly nourished and clothed. The husband and father was in one of the army training camps, where he died of the influenza, leaving war insurance of $10,000, and also a W.O.W. policy for $2,000. The family was really in the hands of the county court under the widow's compensation act, so it was the court that was able to and did make arrangements which seem entirely satisfactory to all concerned.

Chapman, Thelma and 2 brothers, residents in the 1940's. Was taken out by their Mother in 1948.

Hoke, Luetta born 1913, age 7, Dorothy was 12 Lucille was 10 and Willard was 8 entered the orphanage in 1920.

Price, Paula (Jill) was in the orphanage in the 1950's.

Millburn, Linda and Robert , children of (Bill) William Millburn and Evidene Millburn. Residents in the orphanage in the early 1940's.

Hart, Thomas L. (born in 1938) and evans, Lynne E. (born in 1943), sister and brother, children of Lawrence E. Evans and Jean M. (O’Brien) Evans. They were residents in the orphanage in 1946 or 1947.

Dinwiddie, Edith R. born Pueblo died 3-27-1907 Notes: age 6y 5m 31d, died at McClelland Orphanage, daughter of Samuel Dinwiddie, McCarthy Funeral Home

Pueblo Chieftain – February 11, 2007 – Robert Lee Urban. Sunrise, 10 Nov. 1924, Sunset 10 Feb. 2007. The only son of the union of Leonard Urban and Diamond Mc Ewen. Preceded in death by father (1989); mother (1974); sister, Esther Beres (1975); son, Robert (1946). Survived by his wife of 62 years, Barbara Gilbert; only daughter, Katie Healy McKlem of Wheat Ridge; three sons, Gilbert, Curtis and Ray of Pueblo; seven grandchildren, Kelsey, Kyle, Seth, Shane, Twyla, Trisha and Tessa Urban; daughter-in-law, Lynnette Shern Urban. Bob was raised in the McClelland Orphanage, and saw his parents standing together the first time in his life when he was 45 years old. Bob was a graduate of Central High School, Pueblo. He received four stars (battles), Expert Rifleman, Pistol and Bayonet. Ribbons, Victory World War, Asiatic-Pacific Theatre, American Campaign, and Good Conduct. Bob was in the South Pacific for 31 months before he had a furlough to come home. Bob trained as an anti-aircraft gunner, attended schools in San Diego, Pendleton and Lejeune, N.C. Stationed in New Caledonia, New Hebrides, Guadalcanal and Mariana Islands, New Zealand. Returned 29 Dec. 1945. Employed Pueblo Ordinance Depot, Pueblo Police Department. Retired CF&I July 1983 after 32 years. Enjoyed archery, hunting and fishing. Bob and family toured the U.S., Canada and Mexico in camper Ford truck. In 1968, Bob and Barbara started travelling abroad. Memorable times. Returned to where he served during WWII, Safari in Kenya, ballooning over Serengeti Plain, living on the Nile River, on the Amazon River, and touring parts of Europe on the Rhine River. Seeing the sun rise over the Sahara Desert, sunset on Piton Peaks in the Caribbean, landing in a ski plane on Tasman Glacier, New Zealand. Fun of being on stage with a belly dancer in Athens, passing through the Panama Canal, Opera House, Australia, dining on a floating restaurant in Hong Kong Harbour, riding Bullett train in Japan, seeing Europe by train, visiting archaeology dig in Tiwanaku, Bolivia, 14 hours by train through the Andes mountains. Seeing Machu Picchu, Stonehenge, visiting the site on Tinian where atomic bombs were loaded. Having dinner at the American Embassy in Wellington, flew in Brazilian Army plane to the new capital Brasilia, sailing the Wind Star and Wind Spirit in the Caribbean and the Society Islands, spending Bob's 58th birthday at the foot of the Sphinx (light and sound show). Seeing the home of his great-grandfather, Georg Urban in Mietsheim, Alsace-Lorraine. Visit his Urban cousins whose relatives didn't take the boat to America. Marching parades down the streets in New Zealand with his Marine buddies. Bob was known as the Happy Hooker. He hooked pipe in the Seamless Tube Mill and he always was a Happy Guy. Cremation, no service, at his request. Burial, Imperial Gardens (Valhalla).

Dan Rowan, of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, lived in the McClelland Orphanage in Pueblo and graduated from Pueblo Central High School. He was placed in the orphanage in 1933 at age 11 and spent 4 years there.

Collyer, Robert & brother

Eugene Duff Sims and Leonard McCampbell adopted by Charley and Anna Mason in 1910.
Eugene kept his first name but Leonard's was changed to Johnny, later John. Also adopted by them in 1911 was Maurice Standish, whose name was changed to David Alfred Mason.

Glen Seeley and at least 1 sibling.

The name of this person was Olive Hazel Phillips. She was a orphan at an early age in Pueblo, Colorado according to her daughter, Evelyn. She was born in 1904, and sometime she was part of the McCelland or Sacred Heart Orphanage in from 6 to 15 years old. At 16, she was adopted and her name became Olive Gile, I found out in the 1920 Census. I thought in 1910 Census in Pueblo, ther might be a Census taken in Pueblo. It is worth a try.

Pueblo Chieftain, Monday, December 15, 2003
Rotary Club 43
"Service above self - he profits most who serves best."

Turn back the calendar to Chicago in 1910. There is a meeting room full of business people. It is one of the very first conventions of the Rotary Club, a fledgling service organization that has sprung from the mind of lawyer Paul Harris. One of the members suggests the "service above self" motto as the guiding force for the organization and it is adopted…

Those were some of the basic ideas when Pueblo businessman Bert Scribner, owner of Rocky Mountain Bank Note Co., first heard about the Chicago organization, way back in 1912. The three communities that consolidated to form Pueblo - Pueblo, South Pueblo and Bessemer - had only been together since 1886 and it seemed that every decision about where to erect a new public building, like a YMCA, caused more in-fighting between those groups.

Persuaded that the Rotary spirit was needed in Pueblo, Scribner called together: Charles Crews, of Crews-Beggs Dry Goods; Asbury White, of White & Davis clothiers; G. Harvey Nuckolls, of Nuckolls Packing Co.; and J. Will Johnson, head of the Colorado Laundry. Together the group compiled a list of 30 business and professional men that they considered leaders in the community and invited them to a dinner at the Vail Hotel. From that dinner came the 19 original charter members of Rotary 43.

In the beginning, Rotary Clubs were only established in cities of 100,000 people or more. When Pueblo's club formed, it took a special effort to win recognition from the international headquarters, but ultimately it was awarded No. 43 - meaning the 43rd club in the nation.

Membership in Rotary comes by invitation only. By intent, the organization looks for executives, managers and professionals who are leaders in their various fields. People whose networks of friends and business connections can mobilize a community's resources.

That was proven to be true in the terrible days after the 1921 Flood, when the Arkansas River destroyed blocks of Downtown Pueblo and killed more than 70 people. Amid the mud and water and broken buildings, a committee of Rotarians was named to be the Pueblo Rehabilitation and Recovery Association - and they helped oversee the town's reconstruction. It didn't hurt that Rotary Clubs from around the nation contributed $353,967 to the rebuilding effort.

"When the job was done, we had some $25,000 left over in contributions, so Rotary 43 used that money to furnish the McClelland Children's Home," said Duane Strachan, Rotary 43’s historian and a member since 1962…


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