E.A. Colburn, Secretary

E.W. Giddings, Jr., Treasurer

The Strong-Gold Mining Company

Colorado Springs, Colo., August 4, 1901

My dear Great Grandchildren,

I am so happy to write to you and tell you all about your relations. Before I was married I was Belle Cowgell. I had four sisters and two brothers. One sister Jessie Heowbert lives in Colorado Springs. I have been married to William Lennox 25 years. We have four children living and two dead - Jessie Beatrice is 22 years old and graduated this year at the Mount Vernon seminary Washington D.C. Loring Cowgell Lennox will be 20 years old next month. He graduated from the Colorado Springs High School last June. William Grinnell Lennox was 17 last July. Willabel is the youngest child. She is eight years old.

We live on the North East corner of Yampa and Nevada Ave. We commenced the house in March 1900 and it was finished so we could move in it in May 1901. It is considered by every one that it is the finest house in Colorado Springs and the most beautiful. It cost with the furniture Seventy thousand dollars. The clock clock [sic] that stands on the stairs was given to me for a Christmas present in 1900. We are all Methodist and are interested in the new church that is being built. Our first subscription to it was ten thousand dollars.

I have lived in Colorado Springs 25 years. My husband has lived here 29 years. He has a broker here John Lennox.

Well good bye. I hope you will be as happy and contented as we are and love and serve your Heavenly father. And be true and good

Your great grand Mother

Anna Belle Lennox

Letter 2

My dear Great Grand Children

The writer was born near Iowa City, Iowa December 25th, 1850. His father, John Lennox, was born in Glasglow Scotland June 11, 1819 and his mother, Agnes, in Stewarton Scotland about the year 1822. They came to America in the year 1847 landing at New Orleans. Thence by boat to Muscatine Iowa, thence by wagon to Iowa City, a town, at that time with but a few inhabitants. My father was, by trade, a print Cutter but as there was no demand for his occupation in Iowa, at that time, he and my mother settled on a farm in Graham township which they homesteaded from the Government. They continued to live on this farm till March 1872 when they sold the farm and came to Colorado Springs, then called the Colorado Springs Colony. The same year they bought and moved to a ranch at Edgerton on the west side of the Monument Creek, ten miles north of Colorado Springs. Here they continued to make their home until the death of my father (caused by an accident) May 21st, 1880. Since that time my mother has lived in town, and now resides at #22 South Corona St. Her health is still good and she maintains her vigor to a remarkable degree. At the present time, I have one living brother, John, and two sisters Agnes, and Elizabeth. Brother John with his family, consisting of his wife, Martha, and their five children Luther, Paul, Eveline, Agnes, and Helen live at #1319 North Nevada Avenue. Agnes with her husband A. Armentrout and their two children, Horace, and Glen, live at #122 South Weber, and sister Elizabeth with her husband W.E. Grinnell and their two children Willis, and Bernice live in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I was brought up on my parent's farm and used to hard work. My first education was acquired at the Country schools and later I attended the Iowa State University at Iowa City. I could not spare time from farm work to graduate but acquired sufficient learning to teach a country school. With my parents, brother, and sisters I came to Colorado Springs in the month of April 1872 and in the same month assisted in planting the first cottonwood trees in the town. The following year I began business for my self starting in the feed and hay business. The next year was added the handling of coal and later a general freight transfer. I continued in the coal and transfer business until April of this year. I became actively engaged in Mining in Cripple Creek in the fall of 1891 and have continued up to the present time. In this business I have been very successful.

On may 16th 1876 I was married to Anna Belle Cowgell at Oasis Johnson County Iowa and near my father's old homestead. We came at once to our own home #426 Pikes Peak Avenue where we lived and where all our children were born. April 1895 we moved to #501 North Nevada Ave. From there we moved to our present home #1001 North Nevada Ave. At the present time we have four living children, Jessie B. born May 5 1879, Loring C. born September 19 1882, William G. born July 18, 1884, and Willabel, born October 29, 1893. Jessie is a graduate from the Mount Vernon Seminary Washington D.C. Loring from the Colorado Springs High School. William is in his Junior year and Willabel in the 3rd grade.

Yours very truly,

William Lennox