H.B. ‘Squire’ Wallace, ‘The Human Lead Mine’

H.B. Wallace, better known as “Squire’ Wallace, died at Dolores, Colorado. He was a pioneer cattleman in Southwest Colorado and probably carried more lead in his body that any other human being in the tri-county area. It is said that in his days he stopped as many as 26 bullets.Wallace was born in Webster County, Kentucky, on Jan. 26, 1849. He went to Texas in 1859 and remained there for several years. Family lore said he served as a Texas Ranger, knew no fear and was a man who never lost his nerve when facing a gun in the hands of a foe. No doubt this is where he picked up a lot of lead. In 1873, he moved to New Mexico, where he resided until 1878. While in New Mexico, he started a herd of longhorn cattle, which he was later to bring into Colorado. Before leaving New Mexico, he and George Morrison were set upon by a band of Mexicans who didn’t take kindly to the cowboys moving into their territory. Squire was critically injured in the ensuing gunfight. Squire was a good friend of Clay Allison, the outlaw gunfighter of the Old West. Allison lived in New Mexico. Clay came into the fray, and transported Squire to a doctor, where he was treated, and ultimately survived to fight again. From New Mexico, Wallace came to Colorado and located at Pine River in La Plata County, bringing his herd of cattle with him. There he was married to Elizabeth “Lizzie” Dunham to which union seven children were born...After moving to Dolores, Wallace became involved in horse racing in the Mancos area. In 1900, Squire and Curg Williams, the owner of racehorse “Silver Dick,” took on the responsibility of building a race track with a 1-half mile course. They leveled and graded the land on Curg’s property located just south of Mancos, and built a grandstand and an 8-foot-tall fence. Squire was a rancher by trade, but the horses were his pride and joy...more