Charlene Kittinger is a Colorado native who was born at Barr Lake and went to school from the first through fourth grade at Barr Lake School. Charlene's mother Mildred Nelson moved to Barr Lake when she was 11 or 12. Charlene recalls that Homer Mayberry's father-in-law ran the depot in Barr Lake. She remembers enjoying a trip to the Northern Ice Cream Co. in Brighton. The Northern Ice Cream Co. began when O.E. Frink started the Frink Cheese Factory on Main Street in Brighton in 1899. The factory later became Northern Colorado Dairy.

Charlene's family moved to Dupont in 1943. At that time Dupont had a restaurant, Boob's Creamery and a store. Mrs. Peterson owned the store and the Post Office was located in that shop. When Charlene was growing up their main entertainment was roller-skating at the Derby Rink. "We went two or three times a week," says Charlene.

Charlene attended the Adams City grade school and graduated from Adams City High School. Her uncle was a good friend of the Kennedy's, the rodeo uncles of Bob Reed. Charlene's uncle performed with King's Wild West Show and went to England with them. He is buried close to the Kennedy's in the Evergreen cemetery.

Charlene lived close to the airport that once was located in Dupont. She says that the airport was called Adams City Airpark but other people referred to it as the Dupont Airport. Adams City pioneer resident Verne Eason recalled that the airport was called Rutlidge Field.

Frances Melrose in her "Rocky Mountain Memories" column in the Rocky Mountain News wrote about a crash that happened on October 8, 1928 when Charles F. Wilson, a student pilot crashed an airplane at the Dupont Airport in which three people were killed.

Charlene remembered a less dramatic plane crash that happened in 1952 or 1953, in a letter she wrote to Frances Melrose and was printed in the Rocky Mountain News. Charlene lived across 80th Ave. One Sunday morning she heard a strange noise, ran to the window and saw a plane lying upside down in the field. It was a crop duster plane that had taken off and lost altitude. The pilot had attempted to fly the plane between telephone lines and the fence, but one wingtip caught on the telephone pole. The plane crashed. The pilot was fortunate - he only had a cut on the nose. Charlene said that the airport was torn down in 1953 or 1954.

Charlene has worked part time for the Dupont Post office for the past five years. Dupont was named after the Dupont de Nemours family and company of the same name. The firm had several buildings in this area where explosives were stored. The Dupont Post Office was established in 1926.

Charlene and her husband Jay have one boy, one daughter and two grandchildren.

Charlene Kittinger has many fascinating memories of this area. Thank you Charlene for sharing some of your recollections with us.