Edgewater History: KKK Membership Lists Include Early Edgewater Leader

From Book Two of the KKK Membership Ledger (History Colorado)

During the 1920s, Colorado had the second highest KKK membership in the United States. History Colorado just released the digitized records of two Ku Klux Klan administrative ledgers that record the names of members of the KKK from 1924 through 1926 during the height of KKK power. In a search for names with Edgewater addresses, one name stood out in the list of Edgewater KKK members: C.E. Spicer.

Charles E. Spicer moved to Edgewater with his wife and family in 1903. He was elected Edgewater mayor on the Prohibitionist ticket in 1908. He served as the postmaster in Edgewater from 1914 to 1923. Spicer also served as justice of the peace in Edgewater.

Prohibition played an important role in Edgewater’s history. Some of Edgewater’s first ordinances in 1901 were focused on regulating alcohol. Soon after Edgewater residents voted to make Edgewater a dry town.

Here is how the Colorado Transcript recorded the last day of public drinking on May 7, 1908:

Edgewater is now a dry town, but the last night of saloons there was celebrated Friday night of last week by a free for all fight, and as a result there are many black eyes, broken heads and a jail full of repentant scrappers. The trouble all started when Mayor Spicer attempted to look after the grand closing of the Golden Gate saloon. Cline, one of the proprietors of the saloon, and his bartender, Bill Sharp, gave Spicer a very severe beating, at least it is so alleged now, and this started the fun. Other fights followed in quick succession, and when Sheriff Whipple, Under Sheriff Dennis and Deputy Meneimer arrived on the scene a veritable riot was in progress. The officers quelled the disturbance and filled the Edgewater jail with pugilistic “wets.” Justice Fred Wender is having a busy week of it with preliminary hearing of the celebrants. 

Historians have linked the rise of the KKK with Prohibition enforcement and the targeting of immigrants, Catholics and African Americans. Historian Sam Bock writes, “Middle- and upper-middle class professionals who had moved to Colorado from points east found themselves living among newly-arrived immigrant laborers whose customs seemed incompatible with more traditional American values. Saloons and drinking were deemed antithetical to the hard-working, family-oriented values of the growing Anglo-Protestant middle and upper classes.”

38 recorded members of the KKK in Edgewater during the 1920s, including a former mayor and postmaster, would have influenced politics and community values. It is unknown exactly what this influence might have been, but it would have resulted in portions of the community and its leaders who were anti-immigrant, anti-Catholic and anti-Black.

Joel Newton

Joel has been a resident of Edgewater, Colorado with his family since 2012. He is the Executive Director of local education nonprofit Edgewater Collective and Editor of the Edgewater Echo.