Weekly dramatizations of the Old West being offered at restaurant through October

       CallMurphy Tours, which has been offering walking tours through Old Colorado City this summer, has begun a new historical presentation.

Four of the characters in the just-started Gold Fever Chronicles are (from left) "Sean Murphy" (a telegraph operator), "Zack Watkins" (saloon owner), "Drew Jackson" (stagecoach driver) and "Sarah Thompson" (a minister's helper). A production of CallMurphy Tours, The shows are being offered upstairs at the Thunder & Buttons restaurant Mondays at 11:30 a.m. through October.
Westside Pioneer photo

       “Gold Fever Chronicles - Dramatic Tales of Old Colorado City” features reenactors from a seven-member cast in a weekly lunchtime show upstairs at the Thunder & Buttons restaurant, 2415 W. Colorado Ave.
       The starting time is 11:30 a.m. The cost of a performance, including a lunch buffet, is $25 a person.
       The characters are from eras of the late 1800s and early 1900s.
       Three of the characters - talking in character - described their roles in a recent interview:
  • Drew Jackson, stagecoach driver and shotgun guard. He'd worked his way to Colorado from Illinois and drives the stage between Florence and Cripple Creek.
  • Zack Watkins, owner of the Nickel Plate Saloon in Old Colorado City. Hailing from Etna, Pa., he came to the West in the 1870s, working in the saloon business.
  • Sarah Thompson, who works for the Rev. Will Simmons in Old Colorado City. This helps out her mother, who got consumption when the family moved West; meanwhile, her father is working at a gold mine in the mountains.
           Other characters are Rev. Simmons; Ned Reddick, a Colorado ranger; Charlotte Ophelia, a “soiled dove”; and Sean Murphy, a telegraph agent for the Midland railroad.
           The latter is played by Gerry Murphy, who owns CallMurphy Tours with his wife Cathy.
           Cathy wrote the characters and stories. Doing so involved “total immersion in historical lore,” she said. “For the most part, we're telling stories in the context of Old Colorado City. For example, the ranger and bartender know each other from way back and talk about the crazy things that have happened.”
           But when Sarah and the minister are on stage, it gives a “different angle” to the events of those times, Cathy said.
           The shows are about 30 minutes long, with 15 minutes afterward for questions.
           The Chronicles are scheduled to continue through October.
           Reservations are necessary, preferably a week in advance, at CallMurphy Tours, 304-1049.

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