The Chaffee County Times
Posted: Wednesday, September 24, 2014 7:37 pm
Arlene Shovald, Special to The Mountain Mail
The death of Dr. Wendell “Doc” Hutchinson leaves a void in Chaffee County in many ways.
“Doc” was not only the veterinarian for many families, but he was also active in the community and a noted historian until a few years ago when declining health got in the way.
He died Sept. 20 at his home, surrounded by his family, 5 days shy of his 90th birthday.
The Hutchinson family history began with “Doc’s” great-grandfather, Joseph Hutchinson, who was born in Huddersfield, England, in 1837 and came to American with his parents and four siblings in 1842.
An avid historian, “Doc” compiled the history of his family and other Chaffee County information in a book, “Under the Angel of Shavano,” which he co-authored with George Everett in 1963.
He had great admiration for his pioneer family and enjoyed telling anyone who would listen about the “olden days” when Ute Indians, including Chief Colorow and his band, would stop by the Hutchinson farmhouse and partake of his great-grandmother Annabel Hutchinson’s biscuits. “Doc” would chuckle as he related the story of how Chief Colorow stated he was “heap hungry” and once ate Annabel’s biscuits directly from the oven and burned his mouth.
Joseph and Annabel were the parents of a son, Harold. “Doc” was born to Harold’s son, Mills, and his wife, Myrtle, in 1924.
One of the things “Doc” was pleased and proud about was the restoration of the old Hutchinson Homestead on U.S. 50, which is now open to the public following 12 years of restoration.
There on the ranch property, which originally belonged to Joseph and Annabel Hutchinson, the general public as well as school children and other groups can get a firsthand view into how agriculture, ranching and home life were in the late 1800s and into the early 20th century.
The original homestead was designated as a Colorado Centennial Farm in 1987, becoming one of 36 Colorado farms in operation by the same family for at least 100 years.
“I knew Doc Hutchinson for a good many years,” said Frank McMurry. “He was a real pioneer for this whole valley. Not only was he a good friend, he was also a good man all the way around. This is a loss to all of us. He was known by everybody in agriculture in Chaffee County.”
Jane Ferraro, a classmate in the Salida High School class of 1942, said, “I remember Wendell as always being a very serious student, very conscientious about his studies. Our classmates respected and liked him. He was a private person but very nice. I had an English class with him and tried to get ahead of him, but that was hard to do.”
In later years the class of 1942 held reunions every 5 years, including a couple in the backyard of the Hutchinson home.
“We were a very close class,” Ferraro said. “Wendell was able to come to breakfast at our last reunion 2 years ago with a caregiver and we were happy so see him. Our class started out with 108 and ended with 92, and we were the largest graduating class at SHS at that time. We’ve kept track of each other all these years, and it’s sad to lose another classmate.”