Abner Erwin Sprague

1850 - 1943  (93 years)

• Name	Abner Erwin Sprague  [1]
  Born	28 Mar 1850	Dundee, Kane Co., IL, USA   [1]
  Gender	Male
  Census	3 Oct 1850	Grafton Twp., McHenry Co., IL, USA   [1]
  page 379, dwelling 38, family 38; NARA microfilm M432, roll 117
  SPRAGUE, Thomas 30, farmer, $190, b. NY SPRAGUE, Mary M. 19 b. NY SPRAGUE, Abner E. 1, b. IL Preceding household is Susanah SPRAGUE [database I41197]. Next household is his father Samuel SPRAGUE.
  Census	23 Jul 1860	Floyd, Floyd Co., IA, USA   [1]
  page 67, dwelling 499, family 484; NARA microfilm M653, roll 322
  SPRAGUE, Thomas 49, laborer, $720/75, b. NY SPRAGUE, Mary M. 28, b. NY SPRAGUE, Abner E. 10, b. IL, in school SPRAGUE, Asah A. 8, b. IL, in school SPRAGUE, Fred H. 3, b. IA
  Census	1880	Estes Park, Larimer Co., CO, USA   [2]
  Page 50C, Precinct 9
  Thomas Sprague.,Self.,M.,Male.,W.,59.,NY.,Farmer.,NJ.,NJ Mary M. Sprague.,Wofe.,M.,Female.,W.,48.,NY.,Keeping House.,NY.,NY Abner Sprague.,Son.,S.,Male.,W.,30.,IL.,Miner.,NY.,NY Fred H. Sprague.,Son.,S.,Male.,W.,23.,IA.,Farmer.,NY.,NY Lida Kline.,Other.,S.,Female.,W.,23.,Prussia.,Domestic Help.,Prussia.,Prussia
  Census	1900	Larimer Co., CO, USA   [3]
  Abner E. Sprague household, 1900 U. S. census, Larimer County, Colorado, population schedule, Estes Park, ED 214, sheet 41A, dwelling 881, family 1892; NAMP T623, roll 126
  Residence	Between 1910 and 1940	Sprague Lake, Larimer Co., CO, USA
  Died	27 Dec 1943	Presbyterian Hospital, Denver, Denver Co., CO, USA   [3]
  	Abner E. Sprague death record, 27 December 1943, Olinger Mortuary, Denver.
  Cremated	30 Dec 1943	Loveland Burial Park, Loveland, Larimer Co., CO, USA   [3]
  	Abner E. & Mary A. Sprague tombstone, block 1, lot 3, Lakeside Cemetery, Loveland (Larimer Co.) Colorado.
  		I111075a Sprague Family Stone
  		I111086 Sprague, Abner Erwin (1850-1943), and wife, Morrison, Mary Alberta (1867-1949) grave stone at Loveland Burial Park, Loveland, Larimer Co., CO
  Notes	From Jim Anderson, correspondent, note of October 11, 2005      On many visits to Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado I have walked around Sprague Lake which if my memory serves correctly was named after Abner Sprague who homesteaded and lived there. From Jim Anderson, correspondent, note of October 12th, 2005 From web site http://www.digitalexplorers.com/expeditions/062298/atkins1.html      One of Estes Park's earliest pioneers, Abner Sprague, moved into the upper end of this valley in 1875 and his family homesteaded almost the entire valley. Ranching at this high elevation was not entirely successful so they soon went into the business of entertaining tourists. One story told by a member of the family was that a group of tourists from the Earl of Dunraven's English Hotel were hiking upstream along the Thompson River and, chancing upon Sprague's cabin, said that they would be glad to pay for a chicken dinner when they returned in the afternoon. Abner and his mother wrung the necks of a couple of chickens, prepared a chicken dinner for which they were well-paid -- at which point Abner discovered a great truth: It was easier to milk tourists than to milk cows, so they went into the tourist business.      The business was so successful that by 1895 Sprague's hotel, a 3 story log structure, was written up in guide books. The hotel was operated by various relatives of the Sprague family, ending up finally in the possession of Ed Stopher, Abner's wife's nephew. The dude ranch was sold to the U. S. Government in 1962, and the buildings removed in 1964.      And a book which I do not have:      My Pioneer Life, The Memoirs of Abner E. Sprague  .  Abner E. Sprague   . BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR  .  An autobiography of a Colorado homesteader, with photographs taken by the author. (USW284, $9.95 From Jim Kallal, correspondent, note of October 24th, 2006      We hiked around a beautiful lake in September during our visit to Rocky Mountain National Park. It is named for Abner Erwin Sprague [1850-1943]. He was born in Illinois and died in Denver.      Abner discovered it was easier to "milk tourists than to milk cows".      The lake was created by Abner, so his guests could fish: he built a lodge and owned the property at time Rocky Mountain National Park was established in 1915. However there was some kind of grandfather clause that permitted Abner and wife to use the place during their lifetimes. The lodge no longer stands.      A picture of Sprague Lake may be viewed at: http://www.rockymountainnp.com/RMNP-Areas-BearLakeRoad-SpragueLake.html From Anna Belle Wolaver, correspondent, note of May 19, 2015 Sprague Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado was named after Abner Erwin Sprague who settled there in 1874 and started a hotel/lodge for ranching, hunting and fishing. Because of this, he helped establish tourism & dude ranching in the park.   In 1939 he became the first person to pay the park entrance fee!! From Pat Buck, correspondent, note of November 9, 2019 Estes Park Trail, Estes Park, CO, Fri. 12-31-1943 ABNER E. SPRAGUE DIES IN DENVER MONDAY The Long and colorful career of Abner E. Sprague came to an end at 1:15 Monday morning, December 27, in the Presbyterian hospital in Denver after an illness of only two days. He was born March 28, 1850, in Dundee, Illinois, one of three children of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Sprague. The father pioneered in the Pikes Peak area in 1860, and brought his family west in 1864 to settle in the valley of the Thompson river near Loveland. With the rudiments of education he received here, plus self-teaching, the young man became a surveyor and did much of the early day work in that line in Estes Park and up the Big Thompson valley. He was also locating engineer for the Missouri Pacific railroad in Nebraska, and later was assistant civil engineer for the Union Pacific railroad in Colorado. He was county surveyor of Larimer county for three terms. He settled in Estes Park in 1875, and founded the summer resort now known as Stead's ranch in Moraine Park. In 1888 he was married in Hickman, Nebraska, to Miss Mary Alberta Morrison, and their 55th anniversary had been observed by them on Monday, December 20, one week before Mr. Sprague's death. Ten years were then spent in Loveland where he took an active part in the development of the town, but in 1910, his love of the mountains caused him, with his wife, to return to this region, where they bought land to establish Sprague's Lodge. There, until his retirement, he entertained famous people from all over the world, and himself became famous as their host. Having no children of their own, they claimed as son and daughter, the then samll children of Mrs. Sprague's sister, Mrs. Mabel Stopher. Now grown, Capt. Edgar Stopher of Buckleyfield, and Mrs. Alberta Stopher Miller of Chicago, mourn him as their father. After their retirement from operation of the lodge, he and Mrs. Sprague built their home in the Village which became a center of hospitality, and he enjoyed his hobbies of writing, reading and travel until the day of his decease. He and Mrs. Sprague had left to make their home for the winter in the Brown Palace hotel in Denver, only eight days before he was stricken. Survivors besides his wife are; a nephew, Charles Chapman of Estes Park, a cousin, Mrs. W. G. Lewis of Estes Park and Denver; and Mrs. Elma Roy of Laramie, Wyoming. Funeral services were conducted Thursday, Dec. 30, at eleven o'clock in Denver at the Olinger mortuary, followed by cremation. The Reverend Cyrus Albertson, pastor of the First Methodist church in Colorado Springs, officiated. Honorary pall bearers were: Dr. Charles A. Lory, E. C. Gooch, Mayor Glen H. Preston, Glen V. Swearingen, Ronald C. Brodie and Julian Hayden. [4, 5, 6]
  Person ID	I111086	Sprague Project
  Last Modified	9 Nov 2019

  
  

  Father	Thomas Sprague,   b. 6 Sep 1820, Watertown, Jefferson Co., NY, USA ,   d. 6 Dec 1882, Loveland, Larimer Co., CO, USA  (Age 62 years)
  Mother	Mary Margaret Wolaver,   b. 24 Oct 1831, NY, USA ,   d. 28 Mar 1918, Loveland, Larimer Co., CO, USA  (Age 86 years)
  Married	25 Mar 1849	Kane Co., IL, USA   [3, 5, 7]
  	Sprague - Wooliver marriage licens no. 1186, Kane County Clerk's Office, Geneva, Illinois [3]
  Family ID	F40752	Family Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family / Spouse	Mary Alberta Morrison,   b. Jun 1867, MO, USA ,   d. 22 Feb 1949, Estes Park, Larimer Co., CO, USA  (Age ~ 81 years)
  Married	20 Dec 1888	Hickman, Lancaster Co., NE, USA   [3]
  	Sprague - Morrison marriage license no. 501, Lancaster County Marriage Records Volume 9, County Clerk, Lincoln, Nebraska [3]
  Last Modified	2 Feb 2013
  Family ID	F86617	Family Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map		Born - 28 Mar 1850 - Dundee, Kane Co., IL, USA Census - page 379, dwelling 38, family 38; NARA microfilm M432, roll 117 - 3 Oct 1850 - Grafton Twp., McHenry Co., IL, USA Census - page 67, dwelling 499, family 484; NARA microfilm M653, roll 322 - 23 Jul 1860 - Floyd, Floyd Co., IA, USA Census - Page 50C, Precinct 9 - 1880 - Estes Park, Larimer Co., CO, USA Married - 20 Dec 1888 - Hickman, Lancaster Co., NE, USA Census - 1900 - Larimer Co., CO, USA Residence - Between 1910 and 1940 - Sprague Lake, Larimer Co., CO, USA Cremated - 30 Dec 1943 - Loveland Burial Park, Loveland, Larimer Co., CO, USA  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Headstones

  Sprague Family Stone Sprague, Thomas, Wolaver, Mary Margaret, Sprague, Abner Erwin, Sprague, Fred Harmon, Morrison, Mary Alberta, Boardman, Alice Emogene, Grange, Luther Hale Head stone at Loveland Burial Park, Loveland, Larimer Co., CO, USA Contributor: Rasmussen: Dennis

  
  

• Sources

  [S237] Correspondent: Thiel, Homer, note of October 10th, 2005 (Reliability: 3). [S225] Census Records (U.S.), 1880 Estes Park, Larimer Co., CO (Reliability: 3). [S1515] Correspondent: Ashley, Patricia, note of December 31st, 2006 (Reliability: 0). [S513] Correspondent: Kallal, James J., note of October 24th, 2006 (Reliability: 0). [S4718] Correspondent: Wolaver, Annabelle, note of May 19, 2015 (Reliability: 4). [S5269] Correspondent: Buck, Pat, note of November 9, 2019 (Reliability: 4). [S1536] Correspondent: Sweet, Cyndi.