Colorado Charley Utter Deadwood Businessman and Resident of South Bend

"Herancourt's birdseye view of Deadwood will be completed in about a week. It is one of the finest pictures we ever saw and will be something that will ornament the parlors of our finest residences. It takes in the whole city from the White Rocks, with South Bend, Gayville, Central City, Terraville, with Bald Mountain and Terry's Peak, with the smoke from the big mills at Lead City looming up grandly in the distance." December 15, 1883

Utter and Seymour establish Deadwood to Ft. Laramie pony express.
July 08 1876
In regard to: Utter, Charley
In regard to: Seymour, J. F.

Utter and Seymour start pony express.
July 22 1876
In regard to: Utter, Charley
In regard to: Seymour, J. F.

Utter and Professor Ingalls defend Pony Express.
October 14, 1876
In regard to: Utter, Charley
In regard to: Ingalls, A. O.

Cheyenne Sun reports of Charley's brother's death.
September 09 1876
In regard to: Utter, Charley

Utter and Seymour's pony express, Mr. Clippinger is angry.
September 23 1876
In regard to: Utter, Charley
In regard to: Seymour, J. F.
In regard to: Clippinger, C. T.

Utter and Frank conspiracy to defraud Peter Ganz.
July 14 1877
In regard to: Utter, Charley
In regard to: Frank
In regard to: Ganz, Peter

Pete Reid is clerk for Utter's saloon.
August 09 1877
In regard to: Reid, Pete
In regard to: Utter, Charley.

Citizens of South Bend.
September 01 1877
In regard to: Utter, Charley.

Colorado Charley leaves Deadwood with lady.
July 03 1878
In regard to: Utter, Charley.

Committee appointed to draft constitution and by-laws.
January 24 1879
In regard to: Chisholm, R. A.
In regard to: Dolan, E., Miss.
In regard to: Dolan, Ed.
In regard to: Kean, E. R.
In regard to: Utter, Charley.

Fancy Attired Dance Hall Man
Arrested for Maintaining a Public Nuisance


Made his appearance on streets with giant sombrero
February 08 1879
In regard to: Utter, Charley

Colorado Charley has bought saloon and club house
Feb 12 1879
In regard to: Eaves Saloon
In regard to: Utter, Charley

Has purchased building occupied by Charles Utter
February 22 1879
In regard to: Majors, J. W.
In regard to: Utter, Charley.

Was hauled up for selling liquor without a license
March 22 1879
In regard to: Utter, Charley

Utter indicted for nuisance.
June 18 1879
In regard to: Eaves, John
In regard to: Marsh, R. J.
In regard to: Utter, Charley.

Nuisance case postponed until Friday next.
June 19 1879
In regard to: Utter, Charley.

Charley's nuisance trial.
June 21 1879
In regard to: Hastie, Addison W.
In regard to: Utter, Charley.

Found guilty of maintaining
a nuisance dance hall.
June 21 1879
In regard to: Utter, Charley

Received a stern lecture, 1 hour confinement and $50 fine.
June 24 1879
In regard to: Utter, Charley

Body moved to Mt Moriah by Schoenfield, Utter purchases monument.
August 05 1879
In regard to: Hickok, Wild Bill
In regard to: Schoenfield, Louis.
In regard to: Utter, Charley.
In regard to: Mount Moriah.

Testimony in the Harmon case, stealing beer stamps
Feb 05 1880
In regard to: Utter, Charley

Is in Leadville
Feb 17 1880
In regard to: Utter, Charley

Continuation of the story of the Wild Bill murder trial.
March 02 1880
In regard to: McCall, Jack
In regard to: Hickok, Wild Bill.
In regard to: Utter, Charley.

Removes Wild Bill's body to Mt Moriah for reburial
Mar 04 1880
In regard to: Utter, Charley

Black Hillers that are now at the Gunnison
Jun 11 1880
In regard to: Utter, Charley

Arrived at Gunnison City with his sporting outfit
Sep 18 1880
In regard to: Utter, Charley

Black Hiller in Gunnison Co. ready to return
Oct 01 1880
In regard to: Utter, Charley

Letter at post office
May 15 1881
In regard to: Utter, C.

What happened to "Colorado Charley"?
Jan 20 1882
In regard to: Utter, Charley

Rapid lays claim to Wild Bill's pistol.
March 13, 1887
Rapid Republican greatly excited over discovery of gentleman
in that city who is the proud possessor of the cap and ball pistol
of Wild Bill. Times dispute the story, re-capping events.
In regard to: Wild Bill Hickok.
In regard to: Utter, Charley.

Utter paid all the bills.
Oct. 1, 1892
B.P. Smith calls article concerning sale of body of Wild Bill
to pay for burial lot and funeral expenses a dirty lie, Charley Utter
having paid every cent in full for lot and all burial expense.
In regard to: Smith, Barclay P.
In regard to: Hickok, Wild Bill.
In regard to: Utter, Charley.

Remembering His Pard

"Funeral notice. Died, in Deadwood, Black Hills, August 2, 1876, from the effect of a pistol shot, J. B. Hickock, Wild Bill, formerly of Cheyenne, Wyoming. Funeral services will be held at Charley Utter's camp, on Thursday afternoon, August 3, 1876, at 3 o'clock. All are respectfully invited to attend."

Wild Bill
J. B. Hickok
Killed by the asassin Jack McCall
Deadwood, Black Hills
August 2, 1876
Pard we will meet again in the
Happy Hunting Grounds to part no more
Good bye
Colorado Charlie, C. H. Utter

The Nuisance Dance Hall, The Best of Times, The End of Times

Colorado Charley spent several years in Central City and Georgetown, Colorado buying and selling mining properties, collecting fees as a mining district recorder and guiding hunting parties over the continental divide to North Park, CO.

With the demise of his Deadwood to Ft. Laramie pony express service, Charley turned his interests to the mining camps of South Bend and Gayville, which were located just a few miles south of Deadwood.

Utter purchases the Eaves Saloon and club house from John Eaves of Gayville in February 1879. By March, Charley finds himself in trouble with the law for selling liquor without a license. Charley is later taken to court and found guilty of maintaining a nuisance dance hall in June 1879.

Black Hillers begin to leave Deadwood as the easy placer gold deposits pinch out for more promising camps in Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Texas, and South America.

"Black Hillers there now whistling "Sweet Home"
Jul 01 1879
In regard to: Leadville, Colorado

C. H. Utter moves on to Leadville, Colorado by February 1880. Visiting many of the new mining camps up and down the Gunnison valley, Charley is recorded in a moment in time as the June 1880 Federal Cenus snares him in Ruby City, a small and less than promising camp north of Durango, Colorado. As Ruby City fades out of existence, so does Colorado Charley.

Charley follows the gem miners to Socorro, New Mexico, where he operates a saloon and gambling establishment and it is there we begin to lose track of Wild Bill's most faithful pardner.

1880 Federal Census

Name, Home in 1880 (City,County,State), Age in 1880, Est. Birth Year, Birthplace, Gender, Relation to Head-of-house

Charles H. Utter, Ruby City, Gunnison, CO, 49, 1831, New York, Male, Self

Twentieth century biographers places Mr. C. H. Utter, as he often preferred to call himself, in the most unlikely of places in his later years.

It has been suggested that Charley moved to South America, in the business of physician to the local Indians of the area. Some weight may be given to this theory, as some eye witness accounts were offered up by those who knew him, stating they saw him there.

Ship Departure Logs Caribbean

Name, Arrival Date, Estimated Birth Year, Gender, Port of Departure, Place of Origin, Destination, Ship Name, Occupation

Ship logs indicate a Mr. C. H. Utter traveled to the area. It would be hard to say, if this truly is our Colorado Charley.

C H Utter, 18 Feb 1891, 1843, Male, Port Maria, Jamaica, United States of America, New York, America, Physician