May 2021

New beginnings

Stop Press

History Archive of all previous posts from the beginning of time!

Reality

I try to include family and friends in the life of Cuspidor and you’ll find references to them below. I endeavour to fit them tongue-in-cheek into the most suitable positions, such as our dear friends Malcolm and Cathy who once treated us to a disastrous grand weekend tour in Derbyshire. In the spirit of never letting a good turn go unpunished I conceived of them running the world’s worst bus tour company. I enjoy creating little vignettes that bring the viewer into my strange little world. Building Cuspidor is a long term retirement project and I will try to keep adding to the story.

My World

The little known Rocky Mountain town of Cuspidor lies at an elevation of 8,639 feet somewhere between the Uncomphagre and San Juan ranges. It sits in the Rio Bozo valley amidst hard granite cliffs. It’s pretty hard to find nowadays as the valuable metals ran out in the fifties and people mostly just drifted away leaving what was a once prosperous town to just fade into obscurity. Diehard exploring types have been known to stumble across it when following the old abandoned narrow gauge railroad line through the brush or hiking along the Rio Bozo up to the fabled Plughole Falls.

Here we view it in 1932 at the end of the glory days but while the railroad still ran serving the almost played out gold, silver and lead mines.

The upper town of Cuspidor sits on a series of steep, narrow switchback roads reminiscent of Jerome AZ. A fairly recent addition is the magnificent stone City Hall and Courthouse built in 1918, at great public expense, by over ambitious and short sighted city fathers.

Notable buildings include the Golden Cuspidor saloon and hotel up on the bluff, the aforementioned City Hall, Miss Anna’s Pleasure Palace, the Miner’s and Cattlemen’s Association Hall and a magnificent F W Woolworth store. Dan Webb’s auto repairs does a good trade thanks to the awful roads and Miss Sarah’s little car is seen there rather frequently causing tongues to wag. The Lady’s Temperance Group, if not protesting about miner’s and stockhands carousing and frequenting the saloon and Miss Anna’s on a Saturday night, often speculate that it’s about time young Dan did the right thing and popped the question. There are still some tiny miner’s shacks in and around the town along with a few old shops that struggle to compete with a Woolworth’s that won’t stay long once they check the turnover at head office. Below the town you can just see a corner of Wiggin Field where Captain JJ Wiggin valiantly tries to keep his old biplane flying with air circus shows and crop dusting duties.

Overlooking the picturesque Plughole Falls is Desport’s tiny diner where the occasional, intrepid tourist takes ham and eggs along with miners from the Rio Bozo Mine. The poor chaps up at the Devil’s Drop goldmine don’t get down there too often. Now and then you can see the Pritchard’s Intrepid Scenic Tours (PIST) charabanc approaching the view point, usually with their last passenger hurling herself out of the open window in a desperate attempt to escape.

The Cuspidor and Southern Railroad depot and yard bake in the summer sun and freeze in the winter along with everyone else (work in progress). many mines and related mining industries keep the old line rattling on. Enjoy.

My Musical Adventures

My other hobby - only for the brave: https://barrykingsbeer.bandcamp.com/releases

Monday, 24 May 2021

A new denizen appears in Cuspidor

A new character comes to town. This is Rita Garcia, named for a great friend of my wife. She has just acquired a low rent property but great things are planned for her. An ice cream parlour has been mooted. Rough and tumble Cuspidor could do with cooling down at times. Ben & Jerry's - Pah!

Lower town views

Al's in a hurry, chilli again last night......

The real skid row.

New limekiln (disused) and new ore chute for the abandoned Victor Mine

The limekiln started life as half of an ornate cap to a curtain pole.

The gas staion/garage is always busy but that car has been there for at least 4 years...

"Ernie - Are you working or sleeping on the job?"

Makes my backyard look positively tidy

The house on the left is one we actually visited at Animas Forks in Colorado

Wednesday, 12 May 2021

Cuspidor history

Some history

Early on I did have a statue of the purported founder but he got lost in some upheaval. I now have a new statue of Jedediah Arbuthnot, the real father of the Cuspidor valley. He was passing through the territory whilst evading some rapacious debt collectors when he happened to purchase some 10,000 square miles in the Uncompahgre range from an impecunious Indian chieftain, for the princely sum of 15 dollars and a case of dubious scotch whisky. Soon though, he realised that the land was worthless and passed it on for 50 dollars to an old prospector, Isiah Faraday, who struck gold and died a millionaire in the Bahamas. Now Arbuthnot looks out on all that he had lost. In truth, the sculptor had no idea what Arbuthnot looked like and modelled him on his own grandfather. Sic transit gloria mundi....

The unfortunate Jedediah Arbuthnot, whose bones lie undiscovered to this day.

Widow Avery gets more real estate

I felt that I had short - changed Mrs Avery in terms of land so I extended her little portion with a bit of plaster. This was coloured to match in and then I added an outhouse to address her daily needs (BTS laserkit). Then a wall and a chopping block with some logs. Job Done!!

First colour

Sorted

Wall and outhose installed

She's happy now.

Tuesday, 11 May 2021

The new backscene etc

Backscene shots

Uptown updated

Cuspidor - upper town

Golden Cuspidor saloon and livery stables. Deputy Dawson is apprehending old Yake, "You can't come into town with a bottle of grog in your hand." Slim Chance, the young hobo, has arrived at a bad time....

Widow Avery tending to her small shack.

Stokes' Hardware, my friend Graham Stokes in Canada has migrated to Colorado

E Pismo Clam, Attorney heading to the office after a session in the pool hall and a coffee in the Emerald

Miss Anna's House of Pleasure. Looks like she's drumming up some business - don't tell the wife...

William Henry Kingsbeer born 1910, my dad. He always wanted a grocer's shop and now he has one here. Checking on a delivery. Rest easy now Bill.

City Hall, built in more prosperous times and the jailhouse. Marshall Haines checks in, His new car is a beaut.

Lower Town

The water pumping works

General view

Down the alley

The pigeon loft on top of the miner's welfare hall.

More detaling

A standoff develops - swan versus geese with duck as referee

Serious game of checkers

Back alley clutter

Mailboxes have been added all around the town

Mrs Mangle's Washarama

I remembered that washing lines require line props. Fault rectified.

I have now scenicked in the new additions and re-installed the lean-to to house the larger woodpile needed by the laundry. I attempted to fabricate a ho scale mangle but gave up in disgust at the third attempt. I shall buy the only model available: Langley Models OO scale effort and it will have to suffice.