William Tenbrook Parke
William Tenbrook Parke (1857-1924), generally went by the initials W.T. In fact, were it not for the occasional appearance of Wm. T (or the nickname Billy), the first name William would be open to question. The middle name "Tenbrook" is all me - I can find it nowhere else on the internet except entries I am responsible for. I have a strong suspicion, based on some land he subdivided in Loveland, that this was his actual middle name (his younger brother's first name was "Zenith", so his parents had a propensity to reach deep into the bag of unusual names), but I have no proof of this, because I don't yet have a birth certificate or death certificate.
He was born in Parke County, Indiana, but lest you think his father or grandfather was the provider of the county name, the individual honored as Parke County's namesake died without heir (he had children, and even one grandson, but they all died without offspring). It is, of course, possible that William Tenbrook was a descendant of a relative of this particular Parke, but it could also just be coincidence - William Tenbrook eventually moved to Estes Park, so maybe his family was just attracted to places matching their last name.
William Tenbrook Parke first appears in Larimer County newspapers in 1892 (although the particular Larimer County newspaper he appears in, the Loveland Leader, first appeared itself in 1892, so an earlier Loveland newspaper like the Loveland Reporter might mention him prior to this). Census data indicates he lived with his family until at least 1870, the subsequent 1880 census places him in the center of nowhere, Kansas, as a farmer.
It seems quite likely that, if he wasn't already managing the current Crocker Ranch by that time, he certainly was by 1893. By 1900, he had acquired what is now east Elkhorn Avenue Estes Park property from Dunraven and opened a storefront, at which point things get a bit murky. Since he is most well-known as a photographer, it is possible this store sold souvenirs related to his photographs along with general merchandise, but it is also possible it was only a general store, and he was still a few years from purchasing his first camera. In any event, the Loveland papers pick him up again around 1902, where they refer to him as a Loveland resident, and this is when I find him subdividing Loveland property. It may have been that after selling his store to Sam Service in 1902, he decided to give Loveland a try as a permanent resident (he may have already been living there in the winters).
Regardless, by 1903, and certainly no later than 1904, he is back in Estes Park, at least in the summers, renting downtown property near Fall River (along what would shortly thereafter be referred to as Moraine Road) from John Cleave. Photographs of this establishment, with an advertisement for postcards painted on the roof, are well-known, and there is no question by this time he was producing his own prints and postcards.
By 1905, when the Estes Park Town Company bought out John Cleave and sold lots along Elkhorn, William Tenbrook Parke would have been 48 years old. He had never married (at least I find no mention of a wife or a marriage certificate) and probably had a fair bit of money saved up, so he bought lots on the north side of East Elkhorn (so-called block 2), and either had a larger operating curio store at this location by late 1905, or certainly no later than summer 1906.
He is most well known for his postcard work, and while Clatworthy was a better photographer, Parke had a broader inventory and better sales, at least initially. These were his salad days, and Estes Park certainly had room for two professional photographers, so both men thrived.
Then, in 1917, something happened. This something was the subject of rampant speculation in 1917, and sent one man to prison in Carson City, but, because a song wasn't written about it, and the details were unpleasant, it has been nearly scrubbed from Estes Park's memory. A unnamed teenage girl from Loveland had moved to Estes Park a few years prior, and had either been adopted or fostered by an Estes Park couple. Depending on whose account you read, the girl was either wayward or virginal, and accused two older unmarried Estes Park men, the rancher John Simms and our man Parke, of inappropriate sexual relations.
(to be continued)
 |
| This may be William Tenbrook Parke, or it may not - The individual providing this image had every other fact wrong regarding "our" William Tenbrook Parke |
William Tenbrook Parke first appears in Larimer County newspapers in 1892 (although the particular Larimer County newspaper he appears in, the Loveland Leader, first appeared itself in 1892, so an earlier Loveland newspaper like the Loveland Reporter might mention him prior to this). Census data indicates he lived with his family until at least 1870, the subsequent 1880 census places him in the center of nowhere, Kansas, as a farmer.
It seems quite likely that, if he wasn't already managing the current Crocker Ranch by that time, he certainly was by 1893. By 1900, he had acquired what is now east Elkhorn Avenue Estes Park property from Dunraven and opened a storefront, at which point things get a bit murky. Since he is most well-known as a photographer, it is possible this store sold souvenirs related to his photographs along with general merchandise, but it is also possible it was only a general store, and he was still a few years from purchasing his first camera. In any event, the Loveland papers pick him up again around 1902, where they refer to him as a Loveland resident, and this is when I find him subdividing Loveland property. It may have been that after selling his store to Sam Service in 1902, he decided to give Loveland a try as a permanent resident (he may have already been living there in the winters).
Regardless, by 1903, and certainly no later than 1904, he is back in Estes Park, at least in the summers, renting downtown property near Fall River (along what would shortly thereafter be referred to as Moraine Road) from John Cleave. Photographs of this establishment, with an advertisement for postcards painted on the roof, are well-known, and there is no question by this time he was producing his own prints and postcards.
By 1905, when the Estes Park Town Company bought out John Cleave and sold lots along Elkhorn, William Tenbrook Parke would have been 48 years old. He had never married (at least I find no mention of a wife or a marriage certificate) and probably had a fair bit of money saved up, so he bought lots on the north side of East Elkhorn (so-called block 2), and either had a larger operating curio store at this location by late 1905, or certainly no later than summer 1906.
 |
| Typical entry-level W.T. Parke postcard |
Then, in 1917, something happened. This something was the subject of rampant speculation in 1917, and sent one man to prison in Carson City, but, because a song wasn't written about it, and the details were unpleasant, it has been nearly scrubbed from Estes Park's memory. A unnamed teenage girl from Loveland had moved to Estes Park a few years prior, and had either been adopted or fostered by an Estes Park couple. Depending on whose account you read, the girl was either wayward or virginal, and accused two older unmarried Estes Park men, the rancher John Simms and our man Parke, of inappropriate sexual relations.
(to be continued)
Comments
Post a Comment