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Resource Number: 5BL7980
<br />Temporary Resource Number: 157508426008
<br />William and Margaret Atkin had four children: Mary J., Margaret, Isabella, and Samuel, the first three of whom had
<br />been born in England. All four children were to live as adults in Louisville. Mary J. married Charles W. Taylor (who
<br />served as mayor of Louisville in the late 1890s and early 1900s) in 1891; Margaret "Maggie" married Charles Taylor's
<br />brother, B. Frank Taylor, in 1898; Isabella married John Clark; and Samuel married Olive (last name unknown). All of
<br />the men in the family worked as coal miners.
<br />William Atkin passed away in 1916. His wife, Margaret, then sold the house at 721 La Farge in 1918 and went to live
<br />with one of her daughters in Louisville. She died in 1925.
<br />The purchaser of this house in 1918 was Louis (Alois) Winkler. He had a wife, Mary, and five children: David, Louis
<br />Jr., Frank, Otto, and Lizzie (of the four boys, at least Louis Jr., Frank, and Otto are believed to have served in World
<br />War I). It seems very likely that he was related to the Winkler family that owned and resided at 737 La Farge (two
<br />doors to the north).
<br />Louis and Mary Winkler were both born in about 1863 in Austria and came to the United States in the 1880s, living
<br />for several years in Cable, Mercer County, Illinois before coming to Louisville in late 1908 or early 1909. Louis and
<br />Mary's granddaughter, Marion Dionigi Junior, has stated that in Austria, Louis was a wood carver who made
<br />furniture. A passenger list for December 1908 shows that the family had returned to Europe after residing in Cable,
<br />Illinois. The passenger list, which shows that they left Bremen, Germany and arrived in New York City, gives
<br />Louisville, Colorado as their final destination. In Louisville, Louis is remembered as having worked as a miner at the
<br />Monarch Mine.
<br />In 1932, Louis Winkler conveyed 721 La Farge to his daughter, Lizzie Winkler Dionigi. Lizzie had been born in 1899
<br />and she had married John "Ring" Dionigi in 1920. Ring had been born in Louisville in 1897 of Italian parents and he
<br />grew up at 1009 La Farge. He served in World War I as a member of the Marine Corps. Their first home was at 1132
<br />La Farge and Ring worked as a meat cutter at a Louisville store.
<br />Following their daughter's move with her family to 721 La Farge, Louis and Mary Winkler continued to reside there
<br />(their dates of death are not known). Ring Dionigi worked as a coal miner in the 1930s. Lizzie and Ring's children
<br />were Glen, Jack, Rudy, Rosemarie (Steinbaugh), Yvonne (Sutherland), and Marion (Junior).
<br />In addition to taking care of her six children, Lizzie also took care of her parents and her nephew, Gilbert Winkler,
<br />who lived with the family. According to daughter Marion Dionigi Junior, she herself slept with her two sisters on a
<br />fold -out couch; the three boys slept in one bed in a bedroom; and her grandmother and grandfather Winkler and
<br />cousin slept in what was described as a kitchen area (likely a summer kitchen building). Presumably, Ring and Lizzie
<br />Dionigi had their own bedroom.
<br />A Dionigi nephew, David Ferguson, recalled his Aunt Lizzie making spaghetti in a washtub in order to accommodate
<br />all of the relatives who would eat dinner at the house. Ring and Lizzie both prepared Italian food, and Ring made
<br />wine in the basement of the house using a chute to dump what his daughter described as "truckloads" of grapes in it.
<br />Being of Austrian heritage, Lizzie is also remembered for preparing Austrian dishes such as filled dumplings called
<br />krapfen.
<br />By 1940, Ring was listed in the directory for Louisville as "justice of the peace." It was around this time that he started
<br />his career as (in effect) the administrator for the town of Louisville for many years. During this time, he had a very
<br />short walk from 721 La Farge one block away to the Town Hall in the 700 block of Main Street. His positions were
<br />likely appointed by the Louisville City Council. In 1943, he was listed as clerk and water commissioner. According to
<br />a 1952 article from the Rocky Mountain News, he was city clerk, deputy town marshal, water commissioner, and
<br />street and alley commissioner all rolled into one. His daughter, Marion Dionigi Junior, has stated that he was Chief of
<br />Police from the 1930s until 1962. He also oversaw the following during his tenure with the town: first paving of
<br />Louisville streets; curbs and gutters put in; the transition from coal heating to natural gas supplied by Public Service;
<br />and the 1950s installation of Louisville's first sewer system and the laying of sewer lines.
<br />Ring Dionigi's role in the daily operations of the town reflects a time when Louisville was much smaller, and when job
<br />descriptions were less formal and delineated. Although he attended school only through the eighth grade (due to
<br />having to work in the mines to help support his family), he had a talent with languages that served him well, as he
<br />was able to communicate with members of different ethnic groups in Louisville.
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