Ida Chatfield

This work of creative non-fiction weaves together several narrative strands. One thread reveals a mystery told from beyond the grave as the ghost of Ida Chatfield revisits the moments leading to her untimely death and challenges long-held assumptions about her fate. Another fiber explores women's struggles and societal expectations in the nineteenth century. The reprise of her story still echoes today. 

Ida's spectral narrative questions the reliability of historical accounts and the ways in which personal identity can be misinterpreted or oversimplified by others.

The purpose of this work is not to solve an impenetrable mystery but to honor the memory of a young woman whose life began on the banks of the placid Missouri River in Nebraska and ended in the wild Roaring Fork River of Colorado. The legacy of her Uncle I.W. lives on in Chatfield Reservoir, Chatfield State Park, Denver Botanic Garden's Chatfield Farms, and Chatfield High School. 

An unpretentious stone marks Ida's grave in the Ute Cemetery east of Aspen, Colorado. Join us as this tapestry of loss and historical events intertwine, with individual experiences and family dynamics to shape our understanding of social mores, past tragedies, and enduring mysteries.

Throughline Publishing will debut this speculative non-fiction in the spring or early summer of 2025