Footprints in the Sugar
A History of the Great Western Sugar Company
written by Candy Hamilton
and, in my own way, pay respect to all those who left their footprints in the sugar.
Footprints in the Sugar is not intended to be "the history" of the Great Western Sugar Company but rather "a history" of the company. As the book evolved it became much bigger than anticipated, its subject matter more extensive than originally planned. It became a book about ordinary people and rural towns, personal struggles and industrial triumphs, heartwarming quips and tragic sagas, not a book on how to plant and harvest sugar beets or an in-depth explanation as to how sugar beets are processed into refined sugar.
I believe what evolved from a decade of research and writing is a book that presents a unique perspective of a once grand company. It can be read as a history of an industrial conglomerate or read as a story of visionary men who believed there was more value in sugar beets than gold.
Footprints in the Sugar
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Chapters in the book:
Origin and Evolution of Sugar
Emergence of the Colorado
Beet Sugar Industry
Great Western Sugar Company Pioneers
The Company:
From Humble Beginnings to Dominance
German-Russians:
Their Journey to America
Los Betabeleros (The Beetworkers):
Foreigners in Their Own Land
World War II Prisoners of War in Colorado:
The Unspoken History
From Expertise to Ineptness:
Ownership Root of Demise
All That Remains:
Historical Overview and Status of Sites
Sugar Tramps: Backbone of the Company
Candy and John Hamilton
The idea for Footprints in the Sugar began when John and Candy lived in Johnstown, Colorado. From late 1998 to the summer of 2001 they lived in a home located on the site of the former Great Western Sugar Company's Molasses Desugarizing Plant. The factory was located on Highway 60 between Johnstown and Milliken; it had been purchased in 1998 by Colorado Sweet Gold, LLC.
While living on the factory site Candy wrote and published a monthly newsletter for Colorado Sweet Gold. In the newsletter Candy always included a page or two about the history of the Great Western Sugar Company and discovered the more she researched the company's history, the more she wanted to know; thus, the genesis of her writing Footprints in the Sugar.
"The company's history has come alive for me inasmuch as I have documented a segment of it. The stories and people have become a part of who I am; a part I will cherish forever."
