On the night of Thursday, Oct. 16 1941, local homesteader Sumner Osborn stepped out of his cabin and into the cool mountain air. His goal was to report a theft to the local sheriff in Divide. Little did he know this was the last journey he would take.

Sumner never made it to the sheriff and after that day was never seen again.

What happened to him? His body has never been found, making it a hard question to answer. Maybe we can uncover some clues by exploring his story leading up to that day.

Sumner was born to Alfred and Fannie Osborn in Iowa in 1886. Not long after, they packed the kids and necessary belongings into a horsedrawn wagon to begin the 800-mile trek to Colorado. Eventually they settled in Midland, a community near the location of Mueller State Park today.

Sumner and his younger brother Earl both built cabins in the area in 1915. Remnants of their homesteads can still be seen in the park. Homesteading wasn’t easy, so the brothers kept busy raising livestock and growing crops like lettuce and potatoes. Earl also logged to provide timber for the Midland Railway. Sumner was particularly proud of his horses.

During these times everyone was doing their best to make a living, but they didn’t all agree on the best way to do it. The Cahill brothers also settled in the area and had a different idea on how to make ends meet. Since this was prohibition times, they made their money by making bootleg whiskey and stealing cattle.

Shortly before Sumner’s disappearance, four of his horses went missing. Having run into the Cahill brothers previously, Sumner immediately suspected they were to blame. This was the theft he was going to report on the night of his disappearance.

To add more suspicion, a check made out to Sumner arrived at his mother’s house from the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. On closer inspection it was clear that the signature to cash the check was forged and it was payment for the sale of his four horses. Another suspicious check for $459.99 was found as a payment from the Denver stockyards for the sale of 14 cattle stolen from Sumner’s ranch soon after his disappearance. This check was also forged.

Today, that check would be worth around $10,000. Was that the motive for murder? The answer is unclear.

The Cahill brothers confessed to stealing the animals and forging signatures on the checks in order to cash them. When asked about the location of Sumner or his body, they consistently claimed to have no idea of his whereabouts.

Many people had ideas about what happened. Some thought the Cahills dropped his body down a well on their property. Maybe he was dropped, or fell into, the Little Annie Mine which is now a part of Dome Rock State Wildlife Area. Would he simply leave knowing the Cahill’s would be blamed?

No one knows, or if they did, they chose to stay silent.

We often share this story during the spooky season at the park, and it is entertaining to hear theories about what happened. I’d like everyone to remember that this is a true story and to acknowledge the very real feelings of the families and friends of the Osborns and Cahills who were affected by this unfortunate event.

Continue to unravel Sumner’s story by joining our Murder Mystery Hike on Halloween. Hikers will meet at 4:30 p.m. at Homestead Trailhead. Hike 4.5 miles with us and explore remnants of the Osborn Homestead, where Sumner’s brother lived. You will also hear the full story of Sumner’s disappearance and theories of what may have happened in greater detail. Then you can decide what may have happened.