McCoy Mares is originally from Haxtun, Colorado, a small town in the northeast corner, but his roots stretch across the state.Throughout his lifetime, Mares has tried to confirm a link between his family tree and Col. Christopher A. Morgan, for whom Fort Morgan, Colorado, is named.Maresí grandfather, Andrew Abelino Mares, born in Wagon Mountain, New Mexico, was half-Apache and half-Navajo. Mares has found it difficult to find out more about his family background because of their ties to Native American heritage. ìI can only get each tribe to confirm that my grandfather was a member of each tribe,î he said. ìStops right there; nothing else.î His grandfather left home at age 15 and never returned. ìHe never said anything to his kin about his brothers, sisters, mom and dad. Nothing,î Mares said.Andrew Mares married a woman named Melvina Ellen Morgan. ìShe is the granddaughter of Col. Morgan; from what Iím told, but I canít document that,î Mares said. After Maresí grandparents married, they went to Canada to homestead, where they raised nine children. Eventually, they made their way back across the border to Colorado. ìThe reason he came back was because they (government) wanted him to renounce his U.S. citizenship and take the deed to the property that he homesteaded,î he said. ìThey could not do that. So they packed up and came back to the Fort Morgan area.îFast forward to McCoy Mares.Mares had three siblings. His two sisters are still living, but his brother died in the Big Thompson flood that happened July 31, 1976. Mares said his brother, sister-in-law and their three children had just returned from the Hewlett-Packard picnic in Estes Park. ìWe were talking to him on the telephone,î he said. ìThe water was coming up so he was going to get his family and go into town.î Mares thinks his brother and his brotherís family made it to the vehicle, but never made it out after being hit by the wall of water. ìI found part of the vehicle,î he said. The entire family perished.While growing up, Mares and his family moved throughout Colorado and eventually settled in Loveland. In 1965, Mares graduated from Loveland High School and joined the United States Marine Corps. A year later, after training in San Diego, the Marines sent him to Vietnam. ìI went to Vietnam by Braniff Airlines, and the pilot did not want to land in Da Nang because it was getting mortared,î he said. After Da Nang, Mares went to Chu Lai for about seven months, and later he spent several months in the hospital after he was injured in the war. Mares moved from hospital to hospital between the Philippines and Japan, eventually ending up in Oakland, California.In 1967, he was sent to Camp Lejeune Air Force Base, North Carolina, where he worked in cryptography. In 1969, Mares was sent to Paris Island, South Carolina, and a month later he left the military.After the service, Mares attended the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, hoping to become a coach and teacher. Mares, who excelled in math, took between 22 to 25 class hours each quarter, after receiving permission from the dean. He also worked several part-time jobs. After two and a half years of college, Mares was six hours short of completing his bachelorís degree and needed 15 hours for his masterís degree when he decided he didnít want to teach. He began working full-time in construction; and, after a couple years, ventured out on his own as a general contractor.He took a job as a subcontractor for Elitch Gardens in Denver — and never left. ìThey liked my work, and they had an opening; I filled the opening,î he said. ìThat beats driving around for a different job or bidding on jobs.îIn April 1976, Mares began working full time at Elitch Gardens repairing and maintaining the rides. ìIt was a fun job,î he said. ìI enjoyed seeing people happy, but we were also a stickler for safety.î Mares said occasionally he had to ride the ride to ensure it was running properly. ìSometimes you can look at them but canít tell what is wrong, but if you ride those you can feel what the rideís doing.îOver the years, Mares has witnessed many changes in the amusement park, from a zoological garden to a theme park. ìUntil 1995, they actually grew all their own plants,î he said. ìThey even had Elitch Seed Co., and their horticulturist was known around the world.î Mares said they began adding several rides and acquired animals from Barnum and Bailey Circus. ìThe owner, Mary Elitch, had her own bear,î Mares said.After more than a century at its original location, Elitch Gardens moved from the northwest part of Denver to its current location in Central Platte River Valley in downtown Denver. According to the parkís website, Elitch Gardens was the first amusement park to be built in an urban area in the United States in more than 30 years.Mares spent a year tearing down and moving rides from the old park, which sat on 23 acres of land, to the new 60-acre park. ìThey didnít have to move hardly any dirt. It was the first time the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) allowed them to haul in more dirt instead of removing it,î he said. ìThat was because it used to be the old railroad turntable.î Mares said moving the rides was a huge undertaking, and often involved taking them apart. ìWe didnít move the roller coasters. They built different roller coasters — completely different from the old ones.î The process took a year to complete. While in Denver, mutual friends introduced him to his wife, Glenda; and, they married in 1986. After Mares retired from Elitch Gardens in 2010, he and his wife decided they wanted more space, and they found a home on 5 acres in Peyton. Mares said he loves Colorado for its mountains, and enjoys the small-town atmosphere in Falcon. ìThe people are great,î he said. ìFalcon has just about everything you need, and everything else is just a hop, skip and a jump away.î For now, Maresí roots remain planted in Colorado.
