Ida Chatfield
About
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.
I'm indebted toCatherine (Clemens) Sevenau, the great-granddaughter of I.W. Chatfield (Ida Chatfield’s uncle), for her untold hours of research.
Now available everywhere books are sold.
Praise for this book
Silvia Pettem, Colorado's leading author of history and true crime, posted the following review.
Ida Chatfield: Aspen's Oldest Unsolved Mystery is a fictional autobiography that grabs the reader's attention from Ida's stunning portrait on the cover to the young woman's mysterious disappearance, in 1886, in Aspen, Colorado. As author T. A. Stevens states, however, "There is far more to every life than a beginning and an end." Throughout the narrative, Stevens skillfully describes the era that Ida lived in and who she was as a person, as well as her interactions with friends and family.Of particular interest to this reader is that the author thoroughly did his research. In addition to setting the scene and developing Ida's character, he interspersed her story with numerous newspaper references. The author's writing style is relatable to teens and adults alike and really makes history come alive. Bravo!