When construction workers unearthed a set of bones while digging the Town Pump stormwater retention system on Aug. 10, news of the discovery – and speculation associated with it – quickly spread throughout Boulder, even traveling as far as Livingston.
Almost instantaneously, rumors of uncovered bodies spread like wildfire. Some talebearers reported hearing specific details, such as the position of the body’s arms: crossed over the chest and holding a rifle.
But it wasn’t quite true.
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On Aug. 10, around 11 a.m., Greg Garwood made a shocking discovery while working on the new Town Pump’s stormwater retention system. Garwood and two other workers noticed several bones, some pieces of metal and other materials amongst the disturbed dirt. “We weren’t sure what it was,” Garwood told The Monitor. “We figured we better call the authorities and have them come check it out before we do any more digging.”
Jefferson County Sheriff Craig Doolittle carefully uncovered the bones, following the instructions of state Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Walter Kemp. Within three hours of the discovery, Kemp identified the bones as “a nice collection, but not human,” according to Doolittle.
At this point, the commotion at Town Pump had attracted a significant amount of attention. Joshua Noble, a Bloom employee, reported hearing from one customer that they had seen a skeleton with cowboy boots, with a rifle in its crossed arms.
“He had said that he came out of the gas station and saw the cop cars and everyone looking down in the pit,” Noble said. “So he went and looked.”
Noble eventually passed the story on to his neighbor Rose Perna, the city of Boulder’s accounting assistant. Perna had also received information from a Town Pump employee that police had uncovered two bodies, in addition to hearing that Gary Pace had seen the body with a rifle himself.
Pace clarified that he had never seen the physical bones, only overhead the deputies talking about the contents of hole while onscene. “I heard more than I saw,” Pace said.
Perna relayed the information she had received to Ellen Rae Thiel, a Heritage Center volunteer. Thiel had also received word of rumors from others, both in and beyond Jefferson County.
Prior to knowing the origin of the bones, Doolittle sought clarity from longtime community members: Thiel and Sally Buckles. Buckles told The Monitor that Doolittle had contacted her to ask if she knew of any potential missing persons from her time as a deputy sheriff. Meanwhile, Doolittle’s questions for Thiel focused on the location of a truck stop restaurant which operated near the current Town Pump location.
Eventually, Doolittle confirmed that Town Pump rests on the old Boulder dump, reasoning that this was how the bones made their way to their –almost – final resting place.
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It’s unknown how many rumors resulted from the Boulder Town Pump bone discovery, and unclear the exact path those stories traveled to reach Livingston resident Cody Wortman.
Wortman told The Monitor that a relative had contacted him about the events at Town Pump, telling him that workers had found two bodies, one wearing a pair of cowboy boots with a gun tucked inside.
Although the Sheriff’s Department has identified the bones as “non-human,” Wortman doesn’t buy into the story, calling it a “cover up” to ensure Town Pump can continue construction.
Wortman passed his theories and the information he received from his cousin onto his grandfather, Leonard Wortman.
With the truth of the Boulder Town Pump bone discovery out to the public, only time will tell whether rumors and conspiracies about the situation will continue to spread throughout Jefferson County and the state.
