Hayden Heritage Center Museum 970-276-4380
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Sarah Jane Lillicrap's Wedding Dress
Sarah Jane Lillicrap of England was married to James Wadge at her parent's home in the late 1870s. James had already established a home near Hayden in remote Northwestern Colorado, and had returned to England to claim his bethrothed. If Sarah Jane ever had second thoughts as she filled her trunks with the fine items of her trousseau, she never shared it. From her genteel British home, she carried fine household items, carefully sewn clothing and delicate handmade lace textiles to grace her Western log home. Her fine black wedding dress came with her, and is on display today at the museum. This well-brought up English girl was soon to be immersed in the rough and wild land of Routt County, where she sometimes passed 6 months without seeing another woman. She and her husband were the founders of the first coal mine in the area, which later became the base for the Mt. Harris Coal Company and town.
