Who he was and where he came from remains a mystery. He became part of the lore of Idaho Springs by coming into town for provisions for about 15 years, walking alongside his two-wheel cart pulled by his old grey donkey on his very regular ten day intervals. This continued into the mid 1940’s when working animals on the streets had become a thing of the past. Male donkeys are referred to as Jack and female donkeys as Jennys. Some speculate 10 Day Jack’s actual name is unknown and locals simply referred to him by his old four-legged friend.  Upon heading north from town, returning to his cabin and mine in a forested area known as Indian Flats, the cart always carried a prominent bale of hay atop the load of provisions. All who encountered 10 Day Jack reported he was a pleasant fellow, always with a smoking pipe in his mouth and a “European” accent.

Sol Weinberger operated the Weinberger Liquor Company, a saloon and store that stood at 1630 Miner Street. Solomon “Sol” Weinberger was a diminutive five feet, three inches, tall. His height had little to do with his reputation in Idaho Springs as a genial proprietor and civic-minded citizen of his adopted country.

The diminutive Sol was born in July 1864 in a part of Europe then in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. At the age of 17 he emigrated to the United States, arriving in June 1881 aboard the steamer Normannia.

Upon his arrival in Idaho Springs around 1900, Sol appears rapidly to have gained popularity as a saloonkeeper, providing strong drink to thirsty miners. He gave a healthy five cent token to regular customers, always a way to gain acclaim among the populace. 

His wholesale and retail whiskey sales proved lucrative. The railroad had arrived in Idaho Springs in 1877, opening access to freight. As a result, Weinberger could obtain shipments of whiskey in barrels through Denver. Sol would decant them into one and two gallon ceramic jugs and sell them to the many other saloons that inhabited the town. These containers varied from very rough pottery with crudely stenciled labels to more crafted stoneware jugs with lettering under an Albany slip glaze.

Weinberger also was selling whiskey at retail, using glass flasks holding a pint of liquor. The bottle shown here with embossing of his name and location are indicative of his healthy trade. Embossed bottles cost more than plain glass with a paper label.

Although Idaho Springs continued to exhibit a buoyant economy into the 20th Century, prohibition was making a statement in Colorado, first through local option laws and then a state law establishing a total ban on making or selling alcoholic beverages. On January 1, 1916 — four years before National Prohibition — Colorado went “dry.” Sol had no choice but to shut down his saloon and liquor business.

Wagers and enthusiasm ran high in the old mining towns of Central City and Idaho Springs as the time approached for the Rocky Mountain News Pony Express Race. The race was run each year as a ‘modern memorial’ of the sprint made in the early days with the mail by Pony Express between the two mountain – enshrouded towns. Horses, their riders and saddlebags stuffed with mail, struck out from the Old Castle in ldaho Springs. They raced over nine gruelling miles through Virginia Canyon and Russell Gulch. Several horse changes later, they reached the finish line in front of the Old Opera House on Eureka st. in Central City. The race was a dashing climax to the opening day of the world – renowned Central City Opera Festival.

Thomas B. Bryan built the castle in Idaho Springs and was the mayor of the town for part of 1880. In addition to his mining enterprises, he was interested in the health resort possibilities of Idaho Springs. On the banks of Soda Creek, he built another immense stone structure, not far from his castle. He then built a bath house and drove a tunnel under the present Miner Street roadway to tap the hot mineral springs of the Santa Fe mountain hillside. However, this enterprise was halted by H. M. Montague, who then owned the Hot Springs bath house. Some say Montague’s method was a court injunction to stop the driving of the tunnel by Bryan. Others say that one night when the tunnel was nearing completion, a series of violent explosions destroyed the timbering which held up the gravel and boulders through which most of the tunnel had been driven, and caved it in.

Fred was born in 1929 in Boulder. He graduated from the University of Colorado in 1950, majoring in mathematics and chemistry, then continued with graduate studies in mathematics at the University of Denver.

He lived with his family in Malibu, Calif., and Annapolis, Md., for many years. His first marriage ended in divorce, after which he settled in Idaho Springs with his second wife. They eventually retired in Golden.

Fred was an avid skier and outdoorsman his entire life. He was a professional ski patroller in the 1940s at Aspen and Sun Valley, Idaho. While his skiing was interrupted by the Korean Conflict, he was a founding member of the El Paso Ski Club in the 1950s and served as a director at-large for the Southern Rocky Mountain Ski Association.

Fred participated in competitive skiing for the University of Colorado Buffalo Ski Club, the Aspen Ski Club and the Sun Valley Ski Club in the 1940s. His last major ski competition was the National Slalom Championship at Sugar Bowl, Calif., in 1950.

He resumed his competitive skiing activities in the 1990s with the Rocky Mountain Masters Ski Racing Series. In 2001, at the age of 72, he was the National Open Champion in NASTAR for his age group.

Along with others, he was a founding member of what is now the SkiMeisters, a ski club with many activities for senior citizens. He organized and led its cross-country skiing program for many years. An image of him skiing as a teenager (below) was featured on the Colorado license plate in 1958.

There is a legend that Spanish and Mexican explorers came through Clear Creek Canyon before the gold rush of 1859. 

“It was during the year 1859 that Clear Creek County received its first influx of gold-seekers.  Even at that time, observing men claim to have seen evidences of the works of pre-existing gold-miners; and indeed there is a strong probability that there were genuine traces of  the primordial gulch miner; But if so, his lineage and the date and results of his labors had died into forgetfulness.”  (History of Clear Creek Valley 1880, p. 273)

It is believed the Spanish carved four “markers” into the sides of the canyon to indicate the possibility of precious metals.  The markers are a shallow hole about six feet by six feet and six feet deep.  There is one at the bottom of Floyd Hill and one just above the Stanley Mine, both visible from the road.  There is another marker at Turkey Creek as well as one in Dumont.

Legend has it that there is a Spanish grave up Fall River Road.