It was May 26, 1898, and Wylie Graybeal was living a happy and fairly prosperous life on his ranch east of town with his wife, Anna, who was a daughter of Newton Field.
Dr. Field, a prominent physician in the Mancos area had died almost exactly two years earlier after being thrown from a horse while on a house call.
Wylie had three sons. The oldest was 12 and was helping his father tear down an old shed. Wylie said to his son that he needed a better pry bar. After unloading the scrap out of the wagon, he told his son to stay at it and that he would be back from town as soon as possible.
Wylie soon disappeared out of sight but his son could hear his father yelling at the horses to go faster. The roadway was rough because of the melting snow and as the wagon was going down a small hill it hit a rock. Wylie was thrown forward off the wagon. The wagon hit him in the back of the head and broke his neck. Wylie died that day before help could arrive but his wife, Anna, lived for another 60 years.
Three years later, on March 15, 1901, David D. Kramer was headed to Mancos from his place west of town. David was 62 years old and was a respected citizen of the valley. He had his team going at a fast rate of speed when the wagon hit a rough spot in the road. Mr. Kramer lost his balance and fell headlong to the ground. One of the wagon wheels struck his head and crushed his skull. A neighbor saw the accident and rushed to help but Mr. Kramer died only minutes later.
Steve Elkins was well known for his hunting exploits and especially for hunting mountain lions. He had scars from more than one lion encounter. Then on April the 19th of 1923 he said he wanted a softer bed for the night and made his way to a nearby barn. During the night, the floor of the barn gave way and Meredith "Steve" Elkins fell to his death with a broken neck.
Then from the April 23, 1909, issue of the Mancos Times, "Tom Fielding was driving a team and wagon last week upon which a number of women and children were riding. When the wagon struck a stone Mr. Fielding was thrown violently from the wagon. He made no effort to save himself but held onto the lines to prevent a runaway. As a consequence, the first part to come in contact with the ground was his head. His left eye was badly bruised, the bone just under the eye was broken and the left cheekbone and flesh was considerably bruised. The wagon ran over both arms fracturing the left forearm pretty badly. No one else was hurt. Tom had himself patched up and was able to be on duty at the Creamery Monday morning." I guess you just never know.
Darrel is a longtime historian of the Mancos Valley. Email him at dnrls@fone.net.