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A collection of mostly clothing worn by Bernard D. Rohlfing and Myrtle Rohlfing from the early 1900s- circa 1945.
Son of Mr. and Mrs. D. P. Rohlfing who moved to Aspen in the late 1880s. His father worked as a civil engineer in 1889. According to the 1889 directory he lived at 12 Keene Blk and SW corner Francis and 4th. By 1893, he was a mining/surveyor and resided at 422 W. Main. The family may have moved to Salt Lake City, Utah prior to the 1900
census.
Bernard Rohlfing born on 23 May 1887 (location unknown) was a graduate of the University of Utah in mining engineering and then worked at the Durant and Smuggler Mines in Aspen. He appears in the 1920 Census Records in Salt Lake City with a wife of
Myrtle- unsure of his marriage date or location. By the 1930’s, he lived on Main Street near his brother, who also worked the mines, then appears to have lived out of the Hotel Jerome and traveled extensively as he doesn’t appear in the directories again until 1949 and according to oral history from Michele Dunsdon. In 1949, he settled in Glenwood Springs and soon after started his Sports club called Bunny’s (a nick name he held). The sports club was in business through the 1950’s and by 1962 became Bunny’s Lounge. It no longer appears in the directories starting 1963, although Bernard is still listed through 1970. He died in March of 1972. No obituary has been located. No records have been located for Myrtle.
On January 26, 1894 Durant Carl Rohlfing was born, a younger brother to Bernard. Durant was born in Aspen, educated in Salt Lake City, Utah and graduated with honors from University of Utah with a degree in mining engineering. He served in WWI then
returned to Aspen to work in the mines his father leased. On June 6, 1931 he married Miss Kathryn Mogan (born 12/8/1902) and they bore one son, Ronald. On February 8, 1938, Durant died from a 230 foot plunge down an ore chute in the Durant Mine (see
Aspen Times Weekly Feb. 10, 1938 front page). He is buried in the Red Butte Cemetery next to his wife who passed away September 2, 1966.
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