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Ancestors / Jackson

John Richard Jackson

b. 10 Aug 1927 · Creede, Mineral County, Colorado – d. 9 Jan 2005 · Crawford, Delta County, Colorado

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Black-and-white photograph of a young John Richard Jackson holding two-year-old Shannon in Creede, Colorado, circa 1959. Both are smiling; the Creede landscape and buildings are visible in the background.
John Richard Jackson with his niece, Shannon, in Creede, Colorado, circa 1959. Scanned by Randy from an original slide in John's collection.

Vital Facts

Event Date Place Status Source
Birth 10 Aug 1927 Creede, Mineral County, Colorado Proven 1a,1b,1c Self-reported on WWII draft registration card, registered on his 18th birthday; corroborated by BIRLS, SSDI, Mesa County obituary index, and Find a Grave.
Death 9 Jan 2005 Crawford, Delta County, Colorado Proven 1b,1c,2 Died at home in Crawford, Colorado; confirmed against the Social Security Death Index, which correctly lists Crawford as his last residence. The Mesa County obituary index record Cedaredge.
Burial Family homestead property, Moonshine Mesa, Creede, Colorado Proven 1c Cremated; ashes spread on the family homestead property on Moonshine Mesa, per Find a Grave.

Family

Parents

Spouse

  • Inez Mae Schriver — m. unknown , Taos, New Mexico (per family account) (Unverified) 3a,3b,3c — Inez Mae Schriver, b. 21 May 1933, Melrose, Kansas, daughter of Paul M. Schriver and Mary E. Forkner; d. 18 Jan 2002, Cedaredge, Colorado, of cancer. No marriage license or date has been located. Inez was cremated but her ashes were never claimed from the crematorium; per Shannon's direct inquiry with Mesa View Cemetery staff, she is interred in their communal plot for unclaimed cremated remains (Christus Section 2, Block C, Space 1).

Research Narrative

John's own back-cover author photo and note, from "Once Around the Thunder Mug" (1993):

Black-and-white photograph of John Richard Jackson dressed as an old-time miner, wearing a wide-brimmed hat and a bandana and smoking a cigarette, from the back cover of "Once Around the Thunder Mug."
From the back cover of "Once Around the Thunder Mug," 1993.

John Richard Jackson had a rewarding 27 years "in the hole." He began work as a mucker operating a #6 square point shovel for which he was both physically and mentally qualified. He rose in rank to become both manager and independent operator of several small hard rock mines, positions for which he was eminently unqualified and he promptly went broke; several times. The last 13 years of his working career were spent with Freeport Exploration Company prospecting for precious metals where the tools were advanced geology and geophysics, a far cry from his first shift in the mines of Creede. He retired in 1989 and now lives on a small ranch in Hinsdale County with his wife, Inez, and their Siberian Husky, Skeeter.

Written in the third person, as back-cover author notes are, but almost certainly in John's own words — the "eminently unqualified... went broke; several times" turn of phrase is very much his voice elsewhere in the book. "Now lives" reflects the book's 1993 printing, not his circumstances at the time of his death in 2005.

Timeline

  1. 10 Aug 1927 Born, Creede, Mineral County, Colorado. 1a,1c
  2. Spring 1945 Graduates as one of five seniors of Mineral County High School, despite an attendance record that had led the family to doubt he would graduate. A classmate's newspaper sketch notes he was rarely seen at school and spent his time "playing about Model T Fords" with friend A. J. Hosselkus, and states his intention to enlist with "Uncle Sam, in the marines," like his brothers Joel and Scoot before him. 4a,4b
  3. 10 Aug 1945 Registers for the draft on his 18th birthday, Local Board 75, Creede, Mineral County, Colorado. Described as 5'10", 150 lbs, blue eyes, blonde hair, ruddy complexion, with a scar on the back of his head; employer listed as Creede Transportation Company, Creede, Colorado. 1a
  4. 24 Oct 1945 Enlists in the U.S. Army at Fort Logan, Colorado — not the Marine Corps, as he and his family had expected, likely owing to the war's end that August. 5
  5. 1945–1947 Serves in the U.S. Army; per family account, guards German prisoners of war and saw no combat.
  6. 12 Feb 1947 Discharged from the U.S. Army. 1b
  7. unknown Marries Inez Mae Schriver, reportedly in Taos, New Mexico. No marriage record has been located and no date is known. The marriage was not supported by the family. Family account
  8. ca. 1947–1989 Works as a hard-rock miner in the Creede mining district for 27 years, beginning as a mucker operating a #6 square-point shovel and rising to manager and independent operator of several small hard-rock mines. Spends the final 13 years of his working career with Freeport Exploration Company, prospecting for precious metals, before retiring in 1989. 1c
  9. undated Writes a long-running column, "Once Around the Thundermug," for The Mineral County Miner (also styled The Mineral County Miner and South Fork Tines), Creede's weekly newspaper, later expanded into several self-published books: Once Around the Thunder Mug, Third Stool from the Rear, Who Upset the Thundermug, Hell Cats and She Ghosts, Echoes from the Thundermug, and Get Grandpa off the Thundermug. Read full account → 1c,6
  10. 1988 Writes "Friend Doesn't Forget," a tribute to his brother Joel following Joel's death.7 Read full account →
  11. undated Drafts "Please Go to Hell," a planned joint memoir of growing up in Creede with his sister Pauline — his half from a boy's perspective, hers from a girl's. John finishes his half; his sister's half is never written.8 Found among his papers after his death, transcribed by Shannon, and published here in sections. Read full account →
  12. 18 Jan 2002 Wife, Inez Mae Schriver Jackson, dies, Cedaredge, Colorado. Family account and Find a Grave
  13. 9 Jan 2005 Dies, Crawford, Delta County, Colorado; cause of death recorded as natural. Cremated; ashes spread on the family homestead property on Moonshine Mesa, Creede. 1b,1c

Open Research Questions

  1. No marriage record for John and Inez Mae Schriver has been located; family account places the marriage in Taos, New Mexico, but no date is known.
  2. Family account holds that John worked as a geological engineer for Freeport Exploration Company and personally owned several mines, including one named 'Joleen.' No employment records or mining claim documentation have yet been located.
  3. The unit, location, and circumstances of John's Army service guarding German POWs (1945–1947) are undocumented.
  4. "Please Go to Hell" itself is undated. Several of the poems within it are individually signed and dated 2002–2003 under John's pen name, "Thundermug," and the manuscript must predate his death on 9 Jan 2005. The best estimate is that it was written sometime between 2003 and 2005, but this is a working estimate, not a confirmed date.

Repository Targets

  • Freeport-McMoRan / Freeport Exploration Company — Employment records confirming role and dates, per family account [Not yet searched]
  • Colorado Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety / mining claim records — Records of mines owned or operated by John, including one reportedly named 'Joleen' [Not yet searched]
  • Taos County, New Mexico — County Clerk — Marriage license, John Richard Jackson and Inez Mae Schriver [Not yet searched]
  • U.S. Army personnel records — Unit assignment and duty station for POW guard service, 1945–1947 [Not yet searched]

References

  • 1a. ↩ John Richard Jackson, World War II draft registration card, registered 10 Aug 1945, Local Board 75, Creede, Mineral County, Colorado, order no. 10070, serial no. W-6; employer listed as Creede Transportation Company, Creede, Colorado; registrar's report signed by Winifred L. Leary; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 18 Jul 2026), "U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947"; citing National Archives at St. Louis, Missouri, WWII Draft Registration Cards for Colorado, 10/16/1940–03/31/1947, Records of the Selective Service System, Record Group 147, Box 118.
  • 1b. ↩ "U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2020," database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 18 Jul 2026), entry for John R Jackson, b. 10 Aug 1927, d. 9 Jan 2005, cause of death natural, SSN 524-20-0131; U.S. Army enlistment 24 Oct 1945, discharge 12 Feb 1947; citing U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem (BIRLS) Death File, 1850–2022.
  • 1c. ↩ Find a Grave, database and images (memorial ID 240781869 : accessed 18 Jul 2026), memorial page for John Richard Jackson (10 Aug 1927–9 Jan 2005), created and maintained by Shannon Field.
  • 2. ↩ "Mesa County, Colorado, U.S., Obituaries, 1870-2023," database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 18 Jul 2026), entry for John Richard Jackson, death age 77, b. 10 Aug 1927, d. 9 Jan 2005; citing Mesa County Libraries obituary index.
  • 3a. ↩ "Social Security Death Index," database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 18 Jul 2026), Inez M. Jackson, SSN 522-36-1372, b. 21 May 1933, d. 18 Jan 2002, last residence 81413, Cedaredge, Delta, Colorado; citing Social Security Administration, Social Security Death Index, Master File.
  • 3b. ↩ "U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007," database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 18 Jul 2026), Inez Mae Schriver, b. 21 May 1933, Melrose, Kansas, d. 18 Jan 2002, daughter of Paul M. Schriver and Mary E. Forkner, SSN 522-36-1372; notes name changes from Schriver to Jackson recorded Apr 1956.
  • 3c. ↩ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/243936984 : accessed 18 Jul 2026), memorial page for Inez Mae Schriver Jackson (21 May 1933–18 Jan 2002), Mesa View Cemetery, Cedaredge, Delta County, Colorado, Christus Section 2, Block C, Space 1.
  • 4a. ↩ "Mineral School News Topics," Del Norte Prospector (Del Norte, Colorado), vol. 71, no. 7, 16 Mar 1945; Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection (https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/ : accessed 17 Jul 2026).
  • 4b. ↩ "Senior Sketches: John Richard Jackson," Del Norte Prospector (Del Norte, Colorado), vol. 71, no. 10, 6 Apr 1945; Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection (https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/ : accessed 17 Jul 2026).
  • 5. ↩ "U.S., World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946," database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 18 Jul 2026), John R Jackson, enlisted 24 Oct 1945, Fort Logan, Colorado, service no. 37882049; citing National Archives at College Park, Maryland, Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, 1938–1946, NAID 1263923, Record Group 64, Box 1271, Reel 6.37.
  • 6. ↩ John Jackson, "Echoes from the Thundermug" (Gunnison, Colorado: B&B Printers, 1997). Foreword, p. 2: "I was a hard rock miner for most of my years but kept both a mental and written chronicle that served me well when I began writing a weekly column for THE MINERAL COUNTY MINER AND SOUTH FORK TINES, a weekly newspaper originating in Creede, Colorado." Acknowledgments (unpaginated): "Belated, but heartfelt thanks to Steve and Cynthia Haynes for letting me contribute to The Mineral County Miner and The San Luis Valley Publishers."
  • 7. ↩ John Jackson, "Friend Doesn't Forget," Mineral County Miner (Creede, Colorado), "Home Front," Section B, 4 Feb 1988, p. [1B] (page number not printed; inferred from "Continued from Page 1B" on p. 16B), continued p. 16B.
  • 8. ↩ John Richard Jackson and Pauline Roberta "Bubbles" Jackson Bates, "Please Go to Hell" (unpublished manuscript, Creede, Colorado, n.d.), typescript found among John's papers after his death; transcribed by Shannon Field, 2026.