Mary Elizabeth "Betty" Gateley
1921 March 8: She was born to Edna (York) and Sydney Gateley in Burkburnett, Texas.
| Betty in the garden, in the snow and Uncle Glen & Bill on the front steps of 1806 Cheyenne Blvd. in Colorado Springs |
Back: Sidney and Etta Gateley
Front: Betty & Bill Gateley with Martha Kendall Wilson |
Bill Gateley, Harry & Linnie York, Etta Gateley and Betty Gateley in front |
 |
|
 |
August 13, 1937: She died in Colorado Springs, CO, from injuries received from falling over the Silver Cascade Falls in North Cheyenne Canyon. She fell while she was standing on the edge of the falls, attempting to take a picture of the group with whom she was picnicking.
| Silver Cascade Falls in North Cheyenne Canyon |
 |
|
Another victim of the Silver Cascades: from the Gazette/Telegraph, May 24, 1999 It's still a dangerous place… |
|
WOMAN IN STABLE CONDITION AFTER FALL A Colorado Springs woman who fell 150 feet down an embankment near Silver Cascade Falls in Cheyenne Canyon remained in stable condition Sunday at Memorial Hospital.
|
| A letter from Edna Gateley to Victor Copeland, who was Betty's acquaintance and was probably among the friends with her at the time of her fatal accident. |
|
Colorado Springs, January 27, 1939 Dear Victor:
I am mailing a small rock collection to you today and hope that
it will be of some value to you in your work. I'm sure you will enjoy
geology if you are half as much of a rock-hound as we all are. The free
gold specimen is from the London mine at Alma, the barite from the
Barcoe mine at Alma, the sylvanite ore from Cripple Creek, the
copper-vanadium from Nevada, the lead and iron cubes from Breckenridge,
Colo., and the vermiculite from Salida. It is a rather recent discovery
- being a form of mica, used for insulation purposes due to its
qualities of expansion. You can put a little piece of the rock on a tin
on the stove and watch it puff up. It expands from seven to twenty-one
times its size. The forest rock came from Atlantic City, Wyoming, where
we found it this summer and the fossil is from the hill back of the
house.
Dave was supposed to mail the rocks two weeks ago, but he hasn't
been down, so I'll mail them myself. I guess he is too busy skating and
skiing. He brought your letters down and I surely enjoyed them both.
Hope you'll write another one real soon.
You really are growing up, but I don't think you are one bit too
tall. I hope Billy gets that tall too. I have such a weakness for tall
men.
Suppose you are deep in semester exams, which aren't exactly the
pleasantest things in the world. Bill finished his yesterday and its
quite a relief. He has had good grades so far this year, so I'm not much
worried as to the outcome of the tests. Its been awfully hard for
Dorothy, the girl who came to live with us last fall - she doesn't seem
to get ahead very fast. I don't think she applies herself too much. But
she's awfully sweet and I enjoy having her so much, so if she'll just
get by I won't say a word.
Sheppy is just fine - as spoiled as ever. We sure have made a
baby of him, and he is well aware of the fact that he can get his own
way if he makes fuss enough.
Bill has been on an all-day hike and is painfully getting ready
for a school party this evening. He would much rather be going to Scout
meeting, but I insisted on the Party. He is so very interested in Scouts
and has done such good work this winter that I think he is to be one of
the City Officials for one day in February.
Well, its dinner time so I must hurry on. Hope you are all well
and happy. Tell Frances that this letter is for her too - all but the
rocky part. We sure are looking forward to seeing you this summer. Hope
you can be here for a nice long stay. Mrs. Gateley |
