West of Lady Moon

CONGRATULATIONS TO PIXEL MAGIC FOR THE FTF!!

The Lady Moon Trail begins at a new trailhead parking lot just south of the Red Feather Lakes Road, at N 40 46.650 W 105 32.320. The trail trends southward and eventually intersects with the Granite Ridge Trail, which generally traverses east-west in this nice area. Northwest of the trail intersection is a neat peak that has no official name. It is referred to by its elevation, as “Point 8820". This mountain is officially ranked and is hiked up occasionally by climbers who are interested in reaching the high points of some of Colorado’s Ranked Peaks. It’s a relatively easy hike, but once one reaches the summit vicinity finding the true highest point is difficult. Three projections are all close to the same elevation, and it’s difficult to ascertain which is slightly higher. Most people who deal with this stuff have concluded that the eastern-most projection is the real deal.

This cache is hidden a short distance south of the western-most projection. Minor rock scrambling and easy bushwhacking are needed for a short distance as the cache location is approached. The cache is a plastic bottle wrapped in camo tape. It includes a log sheet and a pencil. There’s room in the container for geocoins or small travelers. Make certain to take time to appreciate the marvelous vistas seen from the cache vicinity. If you bring a camera, take some photos and post them with your found log so others can anticipate what’s in store for them. It you want to make certain that you’ve actually reached the highest place on Point 8820, step up on the projection near the cache, and then go back toward the northeast and move up to that projection’s highest point. Enjoy your hike, the hunt, and the scenery!

Now a bit of Larimer County history...who was Lady Moon? Catherine (Katie) Gratton Lawder was born to Irish parents on a ship crossing the Atlantic Ocean in 1865. She was orphaned when she was 12 and lived for 6 years with her Aunt in Iowa. When she was 18 she came to Colorado and found work in the Elkhorn Lodge near the now ghost mining town of Manhattan between Rustic and Red Feather Lakes. She met and married Frank Gartman, a miner who was several years older than she. Subsequently an English nobleman, Cecil Ernest Moon, came to Colorado seeking mining treasure; he enrolled in a ranching school in Katie’s neighborhood. Cecil became ill and Katie was hired to care for him. Romance blossomed, Katie divorced Frank, and in 1888 she and Cecil were married.

From that point the true history becomes somewhat muddled because her life story became fictionalized in a novel and it’s unclear what the sequencing and details of actual events became. But the common story that’s recited is that soon after their marriage they went to England, where she insisted on wearing her western riding and other odd clothing and refused to conform to the aristocratic expectations of the family. She was not well received, as she was boisterous and ill mannered. They soon returned to Larimer County. Sir Cecil inherited the baronetcy when his grandfather died in 1899 and they again returned to England so Cecil could receive the title; they remained for a couple of years and then returned to Colorado. They acquired a ranch and mining property near Manhattan, while living for a time in Denver. They eventually again traveled to England, but Katie returned to Colorado within a year while Sir Cecil remained there. She is reported to have spent much of her time on the ranch drinking whiskey and hanging out with the ranch hands. Lord Cecil, an Oxford graduate, preferred time reading in his library. Sir Cecil eventually filed for divorce and sued Katie to recover funds he claimed she owed him. After the divorce, Katie could not legally use the title “Lady” she was so proud of, but she expected the local community to refer to her as Lady Moon, and they obliged. She remained flamboyant until her death in 1926.

Lady Moon’s life has been captured in several interesting writings and productions. A novel entitled The Lady from Colorado was written by Homer Croy and published in 1957. In 1964 an opera by the same name premiered at Central City Opera, created by Robert Ward, the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer. Emerson Buckley conducted. The opera was based primarily on the novel, containing the same deviations from the factual history–but making for a grand production! Fifteen sold-out performances occurred. The opera was revised in 1993 and played in opera houses in the eastern United States as Lady Katie. Further, the real-life adventures of Katie Lawder Moon were the inspiration for a Broadway play, Sunday, and also served as the basis of Our Gal Sunday, a radio soap opera broadcast from 1937 to 1959, one of the longest-running programs in radio history. Finally, a one-act biographic play, Lady Moon, portraying Katie as a strong, fairly eccentric and compassionate Colorado pioneer and rancher, was performed by Openstage theater in Fort Collins during their 2002-2003 season. In spite of the novel and all these production forums, most residents of Larimer County are unfamiliar with this interesting figure of our county’s history!