THE CLUB HOUSES
By Mary Boland
Another keystone of Osgood’s Sociological policy was the provision of clubhouses for his men where they might find ample refreshment and recreation but where neither drunkenness nor brawling would be tolerated. This was adopted as corporation policy for all the camps, but Osgood put it into effect most promptly and elaborately at Coalbasin and Redstone using his own personal funds.
CAMP AND PLANT MAGAZINE gave the following description of the clubhouses in 1903:
CLUBS AT COALBASIN AND REDSTONE
“Around these club houses centers the social life of the camps. Begun as experiments over a year ago, they have amply justified their existence, and will doubtless be the models for other similar clubs to be erected in the future at the more important of the Company mining camps.
“The Coalbasin Club was organized by John C. Osgood in 1902. It is managed by a board of directors, elected for one year. The club has a membership of about 200… The monthly dues are fifty cents. No treating is allowed, no profane or vile language is permitted and gambling and drunkenness are not permitted…
“The Coalbasin Club House is a one-story frame building of four rooms, with a front veranda. Immediately in the rear of the porch is a barroom. To the right is the billiard and pool room. The first room to the left is the card and game room, while on the extreme left is the reading room, equipped with magazines and periodicals ….”
“The Club will sell to its members in accordance with the rules of the Club, wines, beers and liquors, but in order to promote their temperate use and believing that each member or visitor has the intelligence and ability to buy what he wants when he wants it without suggestion or aid from anyone, no ‘treating’ will be allowed…
“The Redstone Club is much more elaborate than the one at Coalbasin, and embodies a number of features lacking in the latter. The Redstone Club is perhaps as finely appointed a club house as is to be found in Colorado this side of Denver. If any criticism could be offered, it would be that it is almost too elaborate, for J.C. Osgood, the generous founder of the club, has spared neither time nor money in making this a beautiful and attractive place for the men to spend their leisure hours…”
“The commodious lounging room is most inviting. with its big leather cushioned armchairs and settees place conveniently about, and tables for serving refreshments. A generous fireplace at each end of the room adds cheer and comfort on winter evenings, and a large Regina music box and gramophone furnish music and entertainment…”
“The Club is incorporated for social purposes, and is governed by a Board of Directors composed of thirteen active members… Active members are required to pay an initiation fee of one dollar and six months dues in advance, at fifty cents a month. The amount is small as compared with expense of maintenance of the club, but still the member is made to feel that he is paying for what he gets, and may, therefore, enjoy perfect freedom in taking advantage of the privileges …
“Adjoining the lounging room on the north is a large, well-lighted billiard room…On the south is the reading room, supplied with popular weekly and monthly magazines and daily and weekly newspapers, the latter in English, Italian, and Slavonic. A small reference library is found on the shelves. The card room and reading rooms adjoin…I the basement are numerous shower and tub baths, dressing rooms…also the secretary’s office and the board of directors’ room.
” All kinds of the best grades of liquors are served at reasonable prices from a well-stocked bar. A ‘No Treating’ rule operates to promote the temperate use of liquors…All soft drinks, as well as sandwiches, hot chocolate and cake are served at cost…”
“On the third floor is the theater, equipped with stage scenery and drop curtain painted by good artists, dressing rooms, electric lights and arc illuminant stereopticon…”
“A much appreciated feature which must not be overlooked is the Ladies’ Evening at the club on Thursdays. Although women are not eligible for membership…Whist and euchre parties, billiards, pool and light refreshments, together with instrumental music, combine to make these evening pass away all too quickly.” – Camp and Plant Magazine
In additional to these amenities, Osgood donated a large library for the use of the schoolchildren and adults, and donated fine new instruments for the town’s brass band and for the Fife and Drum Corps, both of which were quite active, as was a mandolin club, a drama club, and baseball teams at both Coalbasin and Redstone.
Author Mary Boland (1936-2017), moved to Carbondale in 1973. She was Glenwood Bureau Chief for the Grand Junction Sentinel, a Professor at Colorado Mountain College and prolific writer for many national and local publications. This is one article, reprinted with permission, from her publication THE HISTORY OF THE CRYSTAL VALLEY.
Excerpted text, photos and photo captions are from Camp and Plant Magazine, Vol. IV, No. 19 November 21, 1903 (shortly before John Osgood lost control of CF&I to Rockefeller and Gould … but Osgood held on to Redstone)