The beginning of a town. The year was 1906. Two brothers, John and Norman Matheson, built a store and post office on a parcel of land on the eastern plains of Colorado. Next came the lumber yard, a hotel, livery barn, and blacksmith shop. This small community soon grew with the influx of hundreds of immigrants - good, hard-working people who pioneered what would become the Matheson community. In Pioneer Matheson, Fred F. Isgar, who at the age of three moved with his family by covered wagon to a farm in the Matheson area, tells the story of the birth of this tiny plains town through its prosperous years to its gradual decline.
About the Author: Fred Isgar was born April 25, 1906, near Las Animas, Colorado. When he was three years old, he moved with his family by covered wagon to the Matheson area. After growing up on the family farm, Fred spent many years farming and ranching in the community. In 1937, the farm he and his wife, Delphine, owned got hailed out so the couple bought a garage and moved to Matheson. Following the failure of the garage, they moved back to the farm until they bought the Matheson Telephone Exchange in 1942. In 1958 Fred and Delphine bought the Ramah Telephone Exchange and moved into a home they had built there. After they sold the two telephone exchanges and moved to Colorado Springs in 1974, the Isgars traveled throughout the United States and England. Fred never met a stranger. His greatest pleasure in life was visiting with everyone he met. After Delphine died, he baked and gave away hundreds of loaves of his applesauce bread to his numerous friends as well as employees in various stores in his neighborhood. Devoted to helping people, Fred drove for the Silver Key senior services organization and volunteered at Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs. Fred was always an avid reader and self-taught man, placing great value on education. He was an exemplary student and was offered a college scholarship he was unable to accept because he was needed on the farm. Fred wrote detailed stories of his life. It was very important to him to pass on his history and he wanted everyone to know about the wonderful pioneers and high plains community he had the honor of being part of. His memory for details was astounding, and he told many of his stories with a hint of humor, which made his tales all the more interesting. Fred spent his final eight months living at the Good Samaritan Center in Simla, Colorado, where he spent his days visiting with residents and staff, and continuing to record his stories. He passed away at the age of ninety-two.