World War II-era Denver was a bustling hub for the war effort. Countless troops and supplies made their way in and out of town, heading to the Pacific or European theaters of operation. It wasn’t uncommon to see soldiers in uniform walking around Denver and frequenting spots beloved by local, such as Elitch Gardens.
For Privates Robert Cecil McIlvain and Robert Jacobberger, both stationed at Buckley Air Field, July 16, 1944, was the last day of leave with their wives, Mary McIlvain of Emporia, Kansas, and Maxine Jacobberger of Omaha, Nebraska, before they headed back home after visiting their husbands. Mary and Mxine already had their bags packed and waiting in their rooms at the Wynne hotel on 14th and California for their trips home. The two couples decided to make a day of it by going to Elitch Gardens, but their final trip out on the town took a fatal turn in the most unassuming attraction.
The hot July day reached a balmy 92 degrees, so it’s easy to see why going to Elitch’s would be a popular destination. It was a busy day for employees at the park, including 14-year-old George Keitherline and Ed Lowery, who were working at the Old Mill, a popular attraction featuring a flat boat ride that entertained parkgoers with a series of themed scenes. It provided a cool respite from the sweltering summer days.
The late afternoon hour brought about the routine any amusement park employee would know, ride attendees were on automatic pilot, loading boats to rush inside. In contrast, others were being offloaded at the end of the attraction.
But the day took an unfortunate turn when a boat rider informed Keitherline quietly that there was a fire in the Old Mill. Laurette Grimsley was with her family and friends, who also visited Elitch’s. She noticed a tiny trace of a fire starting and growing exponentially before they left the tunnel. Other boat riders informed the employees of the burgeoning fire they had seen. Some relayed the information to park management..
Corporal William Killbourne of Buckley Field was in the second boat that emerged from the Old after reports of the fire.
“I heard a scream and looked back over my shoulder,” Killbourne said. “I saw a flash of flame in the other boat or beside it. It was difficult to tell exactly where it was, as everything happened so quickly.
Toxic smoke quickly filled the tunnel, and while Killborune attempted to grab the third boat, he was unsuccessful in pulling it out of the fire.
Once reported, the fire turned into a two-alarm blaze with dozens of fire trucks speeding to Elitch’s. Firefighters reported seeing a large plume of black smoke billowing from the park.
While first responders were en route to the scene, Keitherline grabbed a fire extinguisher to rush in and help save a stranded boat in the attraction. Ed Lowery was the manager of the Old Mill and also rushed in to try to save the captive park patrons, neither of whom would be seen alive again.
Once firefighters arrived on the scene, they focused on extinguishing the fire and rescuing the trapped victims. Some were working on running lines from far-away hydrants, while others were working on entering the Old Mill. Rescue teams were sent to the entrance or exit of the tunnel, where they found the third boat three-quarters of the way through the attraction. Firefighters cut through the Old Mill near the exact spot where the two soldiers and their wives were all motionless and unresponsive. Firefighters found Keitherline’s body in the water in the back of the boat. They found Lowery’s body 40 feet away from the entrance of the tunnel, facedown in the water.
While the fire was localized to the Old Mill, the structure was a total loss, resulting in at least $20,000 in damage and the loss of six souls. Flickering embers were still coming from the heap of ash where thousands of patrons enjoyed warm summer days for nearly three decades.
Inconclusive Findings
A few days after the tragic July day, the inquest into the fire reached conflicting results from the fire investigation. After nine hours of testimony from 23 witnesses, they determined that the Old Mill was a fire hazard, but did not place responsibility for the condition of the dark ride for the blaze and deaths. The six-man jury also ruled that the six victims died of carbon monoxide poisoning from the fire of unknown origin.
The Denver Post reported that the jury did not answer several questions surrounding the fire, including whether the fire started due to wiring that did not meet current city ordinances, whether the Old Tunnel scenes were fireproof, and whether negligence on the part of Elitch’s or public officials was to blame for the fatal fire.
The reason for the pushback about why the ride had avoided recent inspections was that Assistant Fire Chief Patrick J. Boyne, in charge of fire prevention, stated the Old Mill had been approved for so many years that no one had thought to disapprove it. Boyne also said that he was unable to determine the definitive cause of the fire.
The city inspectors testified that they found nothing wrong or received no complaints about the Old Mill ride. Meanwhile, the fire department leadership stated that they would have objected to the building if an inspection had taken place.
The inquest also had contradictory testimony from eyewitnesses who gave their point of view on the tragic July day.
The main point of contention arises from whether the employees who rushed into the Old Mill had taken a boat in and, if so, whether they entered together. Some witnesses claimed they saw Lowery and Keithline hop onto a flat boat with fire extinguishers, never to be seen alive again.
In contrast, others stated that no additional ships were sent in once reports of the fire came from those who witnessed the fire start in the tunnel.
More than a year later, Jacobberger’s ex-wife, Elizabeth Ellen Brock, filed a lawsuit against Elitch over the death of the private. The case brought witnesses who claimed they saw that the Old Mill ride was unsafe, while Denver Firefighter officers stated that the ride was safe and met current fire safety standards.
The jury awarded $2,500 ($45,372 today adjusted for inflation) to 7-year-old Robert Jacobberger R.M., of Omaha, for the death of his father in the Elitch Gardens fire.
The jury, comprising five women and one man, deliberated for seven and a half hours to reach the verdict.
Retrospect 50 Years Later
The debate over the cause of the fire persisted long after the inquest adjourned.
One witness, Laurette Grimsley Collins, continued to insist that the cause of the fire and guilt over the ultimate fate of 14-year-old Keithmiller. Her words are part of a collection of audio recordings from the Colorado History Museum, giving her perspective nearly 50 years after the 1944 fire.
“I jumped out to the boat and went to the young man and told him not to send that boat in, there’s a fire in there,” she said. “He ran to the operator, shut down the lever, and ran in. The water works and electricity were cut after the fire was reported.”
The course of time did not alleviate the amount of regret Larette had over the death of the young Elitch’s employee, who went into the Old Mill with a fire extinguisher in hand.
“The worst thing is that I went to church and prayed to be forgiven for sending that boy to his death,’ she said.
The Grimsley family was visiting Denver from Greeley and came to town to visit friends. Their outing led them to see the park on a beautiful summer day.
They were in the first boat when the fire ignited. Laurette said that she believed the fire started due to electrical issues.
I heard a (buzzing) noise and looked up, and the ceiling was burning horizontally. That can’t be part of the decoration.
Laurette scoffed at the idea that an errant cigarette was the reason for the fire.
“Someone would’ve needed a slingshot to get a cigarette up there,” she said.
The day also brought an eerie coincidence for Denver firefighter Robert Hyatt. His interview is also part of the Colorado History Museum’s oral history collection, and time did not fade any memory from that day either.
He was a member of one of the Denver Fire Department’s rescue crews at Station 4, on 20th and Curtis. His station was one of many throughout town that answered the alarm.
When the truck arrived at Elitch’s, they went to work retrieving victims in the Old Mill.
The firefighter commanders continued to have Hyatt’s team return to find Ed Lowery, the manager of the Old Mill attraction.
“We had seen what appeared to be a brown jacket floating on the water where the spare boats were kept, off the side of the main canal,” Hyatt said. “I turned him over, and it was Ed Lowery. I had known him for so long, it was a terrific shock to see the fella I had known for 10 years in this condition.”
Hyatt was also questioned a few weeks later by insurance adjusters who were locked in an inheritance battle. Lawyers on both sides of the matter attempted to determine whether Rober or Maxine Jacobberger died first, but Hyatt couldn’t confirm that due to the chaos from the day.
The audio recordings were research materials from Dick Kreck, a writer and Denver Post columnist and editor, whose prolific career included “Denver in Flames: Forging a New Mile High City,” a book chronicling the history of fires in Denver.
Dick Kreck passed away in 2024 at the age of 83, but his words live on. Other books penned by Kreck include Smaldone: The Untold Story of an American Crime Family, Murder at the Brown Palace: A True Story of Seduction and Betrayal, Rich People Misbehaving, Anton Woods: Boy Murderer and Hell on Wheels: Wicked Towns Along the Union Pacific Railroad.
