Sticky Fingers in the Family

While spending their 60th anniversary at Denver's Brown Palace, a couple returned the silver teapot they'd "borrowed" from the hotel while on their honeymoon.

"They gave me a note saying 'thanks for the use of it all these years,' " said Julia Kanellos, who as the Brown Palace's historian is the point person for such transactions. China and silverware, she receives in quantity.

"A woman passed away and her children were going through her things," recalled Ms. Kanellos. "One daughter said 'oh, look, the medicine spoon!' " -- a reference to the family's dedicated delivery vessel for analgesics and antibiotics. "Another one of them turned it over and said, 'Oh, guys, it's from the Brown Palace.' And they sent it back with the story about the medicine spoon." [Link]

Maybe He Bought It with Beer

Was Breckenridge, Colorado, named for local settler Thomas Breckenridge or for Vice President John C. Breckinridge?

[Robin] Theobald’s contention ... is that the town was indeed named after Thomas Breckenridge, then changed to “Breckinridge” when it was decided that taking the name of the vice president would enhance the possibility of getting a post office, then renamed yet again when the residents decided they didn’t want their town to be named after a member of the Confederate party.

The only hole left by such a hypothesis is, why would the town originally be named after such an insignificant settler? Thomas Breckenridge wasn’t known to be important for any reason more than the next guy.

Theobald’s response was vintage history mystery.

“The guy coulda bought a round for the house, and they decided to name the town after him,” he said. “It doesn’t mean he had to be the leader of the pack to have it named after him. Maybe he saved someone’s life and they wanted to honor him. Who knows?” [Link]

Colorado Hides Vital Records

Colorado's searchable database of marriage and divorce records has been taken down as part of the state's war on hypothetical identity theft.

"Given the increasing threat from identity theft, we decided we should take that information to a more confidential level," Ronald Hyman, the state registrar of vital stastics [sic] told the Daily Camera.

According to the Camera, Hyman said his department hasn't gotten any reports of stolen identities, but since the database browsers allowed people to find information such as a mother's maiden name, the Web site was taken down. [Link]

While I applaud this effort to crack down on a nonexistent crime, it does nothing to help those poor Colorado kids whose mothers kept their maiden names or chose to hyphenate. They don't stand a chance.

Colorado Birth Certificates Too Boring?

From The (Colorado Springs, Colo.) Gazette of July 31, 2005:

State considers fancier birth certificates

By CARY LEIDER VOGRIN THE GAZETTE

Texas offers a birth certificate that boldly proclaims “Native Texan” across the state flag. Alaskans can get a document featuring a polar bear and two cubs. New Hampshire’s version is bordered with a colorful patchwork quilt.

More than a dozen states offer heirloom birth certificates, which are popular with parents and, better yet, profitable. Because of a push from El Paso County, the certificates are being considered in Colorado, too.

[snip]

[Read the whole story]

How about a "Mile High Club" certificate for babies born above 5,280 feet? On second thought, maybe not. . .