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"E |
clipse" may be a work of fiction, but Grand Junction readers made a true sport of speculating on characters’ real-life inspirations. A number of lists exist—jotted down quickly, penned in delicate script or typed on stationery tucked between the "Eclipse" pages.
On a handful of characters, various lists agree: Abbott for Moyer, Twinge for Benge and Brown for Walker. But from there, it was anybody’s guess who Trumbo had in mind when he created his characters. Some list-makers went so far as to weigh in on the veracity of events in "Eclipse" and betrayed a bit of their own sleuthing in the process. Partial contents of a half-dozen lists are compiled here, with recent editing and research by the Mesa County Historical Society.
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Mrs. Alloway’s Cafeteria |
Mrs. Glessner’s Cafeteria (Brink’s jewelry store on North 5th) |
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Bradford Creek |
Kannah Creek |
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The Emporium |
The Fair Store |
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Ferber’s Shoes |
Lowe’s |
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Moffat Ranch |
Lincoln Park |
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Sawtooth Mesa |
Grand Mesa or Bookcliffs |
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Shale City |
Grand Junction, Colorado |
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Shale City B&L |
Composite of Mesa and Mutual |
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Gerald Abbott |
Wm. Weiser (nephew of Moyer) |
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John Abbott |
W. J. Moyer (While on the blacklist, Trumbo took the name John Abbott as one of his pseudonyms under which to write.) |
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Fred Best |
Harold Wolverton |
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George Boone |
Mr. Bill Maguire (assistant manager, Fair Store, dress shop owner later) |
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Stanley Brown |
Walter Walker (The Daily Sentinel) |
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Violet Budd |
Emma Budilier (Story is true … WCTU . . . Probationer . . . Very bossy woman who tried to run Grand Junction) |
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Henry Crooks |
Frank Winfield (Stationer & Music, 500 Block of Main Street) or Chapman stationer (blind—wife still here) |
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Mrs. Art Frank |
Mrs. Ottman |
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Art French |
Sterling D. Lacy |
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Jimmy Garbutt |
Jim Golden (grandfather, lawyer) |
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Walter Goode |
D. B. Wright (real estate) |
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Phil Haley |
Bernard Woolverton (dress shop) |
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William Harwood |
George Parsons (jewelry store) |
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Mrs. Delmor Hayes |
Biggs, Kurtz or C.D. Smith |
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Karwin |
Krohn |
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Freddy Kilner |
Dalton Trumbo |
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Dr. Lawrence |
Dr. Day |
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Donna Long |
Belle Lay (W.B. Johnson’s sister-in-law . . . lived on First Fruitridge) (No one knows that I have talked to who she could be . . . Some people seem to think she was true. As Mrs. Trumbo and Mrs. Moyer were the closest of friends. Mrs. Trumbo is the mother of the author.) |
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Richard Maesfield |
J. Talbott, (Lived in Goodwin house) |
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Claudia McQuaid |
Merle McClintock (society editor of Sentinel) |
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Me-catch Me-kill |
Old Santa Claus Smith |
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Frank Packton |
Charlie Lumley |
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Bill Robinson |
Clarence A. Harris (Ladies’ dress store owner) |
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Hermann Schonk |
A. E. Carleton |
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Miss Septimus |
Julia Taylor (Latin teacher) or Miss Wilson (owned home with Belle Lay at 1138 White) |
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Slocum |
Rev. Forsythe |
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“Stumpy” (Maria) Telsa |
“Broken Jaw Nell” Paige (Story not all true—had broken jaw from gun shot—came from Leadville—don’t know about Moyer & money but know she gave lots to charity) |
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Harry Twinge |
B. M. Benge (shoe store owner—buxom wife) |
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Hermann Vogel |
History teacher Hydle |
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Miss Weems |
Ethel Cox (story true) |
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Mildred Wessingham |
Mrs. Wickersham (social climber in the 400 set with Mrs. Lacey etc … True, and really did blackmail him) |
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Henry Wilhelm |
H. Webber |
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Williams |
Carl Hillyer (music professor) |
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Henry Wilmer |
Mr. House (good Methodist) |
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Sam Wilmer |
Bill Rhone |
And for those a little less savvy of the makings of Shale City, here is one last comment included with an identifying list of names:
No nice woman walks on the South Side of Main . . . because of proximity of barber shops and cigar stores and pool rooms . . .
