| Notes |
- In a letter I recieved from Ethel Irene Prater Jones Aug., 1994
"This is the family history of two of my great-uncles who homesteaded in the
Mancos, Colorado part of the Mesa Verde National Park."
William F. "Bud" Prater born 1855 died 1943
Albert "Al" Prater born 1867 died 1943
Oregon Prater born 1863 died 1952
William and Al were brothers. William was called "Bud" by the family....around
Mancos, Colorado he was referred to as "Bill".
Uncle Bud left home at the age of 18. I'm presuming he left from Kansas City
MO. or else Sedalia, MO.
The Praters had farms at both locations.
The story goes that he left home because the family forbid him to marry the
"rag pickers" daughter. That being the case he more than likely left from
Sedalia.
I can remember the rag pickers going down the alleys in Sedalia when I was
young. In those days if the family didn't approve of a marriage you didn't
marry!
The Praters were originally from TN. When Uncle Bud left home he went to
Mancos, Colorado via Texas and New Mexico and by the time he landed in
Montezuma County, Colorado he had a small herd of cattle.
In those days, all strays without a brand you could claim.
He homesteaded several hundred acres a feww miles from Mancos. Theis area now
borders the Mesa Verde National Park.
Uncle Bud also had another ranch in the same area. He later sold the big
ranch and some of that ranch I am told is now inside the Mesa Verde National
Park.
I was told by one of the oldtimers in mancos that he was paid a good sum of
money for this part of the ranch so that it could be taken in by the park.
He then bought a ranch bordering Uncle Al's ranch which was southwest of
Mancos.
During the Great Depression he had all his money in the bank in mancos and
lost it all when the bank went brke in the early 1930's. I don't know if he
lost the ranch near mancos or not. But I was told he still had the smaller
ranch near Mesa Verde and it had a cabin on it.
The Kelly's had a livery stable in Mancos and Uncle Bud and the Kelly's were
very good friends. At one time Mr. Kelly worked for Uncle Bud. In Uncle
Bud's later years he lived in a log cabin in back of the Kelly's big house.
It is still standing and is a nice large cabin.
I was told that the Kelly's got the small ranch near Mesa Verde and what
cattle Uncle Bud had left for looking after him in his later years.
Uncle Bud never married.
Just when Uncle Al followed Uncle Bud to Mancos, I don't know. But the story
gets better!
One of Uncle Bud's neighbors were the Morefields. They came from Illinois and
homesteaded next to Uncle Bud. Mr. Morefield was a man of 48 and brought his
14 year old bride, Oregon, to Mancos.
Both Uncle Al and Uncle Bud were sweet on the young Oregan Morefield and a
feud developed between them. Finally, Uncle Al moved to Portland, Oregon and
worked as a conductor on the street cars.
I believe that was what he died in Kansas City for my Grandfather, Elijah
Prater was a conductor in Kansas City.
Then the first thing you know....Oregon leaves and divorces Morefield and
tells Morefield that she's going back to Illinois and take care of her ailing
mother.
Instead she goes to Portland and marries Uncle Al Prater.
Shortly after after they returned to Mancos and settled on a ranch.
The brothers, William and Al, didn't speak to each other after that.
Now this is about the time that my folks, Wilford Prater and Edith Marriott
Prater Gray, decided to go to mancos and live on one of Uncle Bud's ranches.
All the neighbors thought that our family came from Kansas City to settle the
feud between the brothers.
I was told that they were soon on good terms again.
My mother thought the move to Colorado would be great! She loved the
thou8ghts of living in the west and on a cattle ranch at that!
But I can't say that was exactly what my father wanted! He never had much use
of farming/ranching maybe a garden but not to make it farming or cattle
raising.
Mancos is where I spent my first year of school. The school house was near
the ranch and was called the "Arney" school and some called it the "Prater"
school. I got sick and the folks had to leave to take me out of the high
altitude. That was the first thing the doctors thought of in those days if
you got sick and lived in a mountainous area. You just had to leave the high
altitude!
So we left for Kansas City and that is the last time we ever saw either one of
the uncles. I'm surprised Papa never went back. It was probably one of those
thing he was always going to do and never did. He was pretty close to Uncle
Bud.
As a child I remember going to dinner at Uncle Al's place. I guess the reason
I remember it is because a creek ran through the front yard and the sheep
grazed in front to keep the grass short. Just how long we lived on the ranch
I don't remembr. Maybe a year or a little more. I didn't go to the 2nd grade
there.
I remember leaving from the train depot in mancos. That depot building was
moved to Buena Park, California and is now the train depot at Knotts Berry
Farm Amusement Park.
The longest canyon in the Mesa Verde Park is the "Prater Canyon".
Just as you go through the first tunnel - on your left is the Prater Canyon.
Then there is the Morefield Canyon and White Canyon. Uncle Al married
Oregon Morefield.
Oregon Morefield had several Children by her first husband Mr. Morefield.
These daughters were still with her when she and Uncle Al were married. I
think Uncle Al had been married and his first whife died before he came to
mancos. There were no children by his first marriage.
You pick up the "Prater Trail" in the Park just as you enter the camping area.
It's 7.5 miles long and a good steep hike. I hiked it in August of 1994 when
I was 79 years old so I know ...... and it's rugged. And I'm in good shape!
To reach the "Prater Homestead" - go west out of mancos on Hwy. #160 about 2
miles. Turn left on Road #38 and follow the road for two or threee miles
along the Mancos River. The homestead is to the left and goes as far as the
Ute Indian reservation and takes in part of the Mesas Verde to the west.
Vern Koppenhafer family now owns the old homestead at as of this date....1992.
When we returned to Kansas City we went by way of Pittsburg, Kansas where my
mother's sister and brother-in-law lived. theis was Gertrude and Alfie
Ducan. (transcribed here by: Gary Benton Prather (1997)
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