One man’s heritage on paper

MONTROSE  — John Watson’s oil paintings depict the natural beauty of Colorado’s landscape and wildlife. The 88-year-old man has used his art throughout his life as a hobby and sometimes as a needed source of income, and now, his short book, “Life Sketches,” tells those stories and preserves his heritage which is rooted in Colorado’s diverse history he paints.

Watson’s grandfather, James Watson, was one of the first homesteaders in the Shavano Valley, which lies west of Montrose. Watson grew up in the area and always had a knack for capturing the beauty around him on canvas, or in his case, wood slabs. However, there were many other adventures throughout Watson’s life. He spent time at the family’s mine site outside of Lake City, he ventured to college at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln and served in the Army during World War II. All these stories lay within the pages, which he said were written for his grandchild.

“I didn’t intend for the book to make money,” he said.

He had put it together and wanted 50 copies for family and friends. However, the printers limit was 500 copies. So Watson decided all the money he receives from his book will go towards building a church for a friend in India. He’s raised half the funds so far from his book.

On Sunday, Watson set up several of his pantings and copies of his book at Hastings Books, Music and Videos for a book signing.

The cover of his 40-page book has one of his painting which depicts his vision of the early days when Native Americans camped by the river. Inside, more recent paintings, done at the age of 87, fill several pages.

The rest of the book is filled with short stories of his life from the 1920s to 2007. Stories which draw out the imagination of what it would have been like to be Watson in the 1900s.

Watson, still full of life, sat at Hastings sharing his stories as if his grandchildren were siting on his lap. He spoke passionately of many event, which are included in this book, but a story about one life-changing moment stood out.

Watson had met his wife while attending college in Nashville, Tenn.

Annie Laurie, a “smart girl” who had started college at the age of 14, caught his eye. On Nov. 10, 1945, three months after Watson was discharged from the Army, the two married. They later moved to Grand Junction, where they enjoyed visiting the old mining claim cabin outside of Lake City.

A three-quarter inch steel cable stretched across a large canyon; on the other side was the cabin. To get to it, a carrier was rigged so that a person and supplies could be moved across the large gap.

One night, Watson and Annie decided they would venture out to the cabin. It was about two in the morning, he said. Annie, pregnant and holding their year-and-a-half-old son, was first to cross in the dark and cloudy night, but half way across she stopped and became stuck, hanging over the the “angry” river below.

Watson said he remembers her screaming.

“I didn’t know what to do,” he said. “I told her to hold tight, I had to do something.”

Through what he calls a miracle, he found a new 50-foot rope in the trunk of his car. In the dark, he threw the rope out to her. Amazingly the rope managed to wrap several time around Annie, who had no extra hands to help, and Watson was able to pull her to safety.

“Now, you can’t tell me there’s not guardian angels,” he said.

Stories like this one and others about the rich history of the valley and the strife many dealt with to live just to survive here are in Watson’s book. Though the book is of his own life and primarily written for his family, the stories’ interesting details and the book’s scenic photos can be appreciated  by all Coloradans.

Contact Kati O’Hare via e-mail at katio@montrosepress.com