October 2004 Western Regional Show DenverColorado2004

Jack Roach won the award for "Best Color" with this display of beehives made by the American Insulator Company.

According to Jack, only four American beehives are known in amber. Greens are scarce too, but look at the variety of shades in his display below.

He said he named his display "Nasty Americans'" only because of the anti-American sentiment at the Olympics. Well, Jack, it seems to us that these are both naughty and nice!

Co-show host Mike Green (right) presents a thank you
plaque to his partner in the event, Galen Howard.

"Congratulations and Commendations to Galen Howard & Mike Green for the great job they did in putting on the Western Regional. I've been to a lot of shows and this ranked up with the best of them in regards to organization." Those words, from attendee Jim Meyer of Florida, summarize the opinion of many who attended this year's Western Regional show in Denver. Meyer said he was quite impressed with how Mike and Galen went out of their way to meet every individual's need.

At the banquet, in which Mike public ally thanked Galen for his assistance (above), Mike expressed his priority in insulator collecting when he stated, "It's the people that make the difference in the hobby." Placing a focus on people made the Denver show stand out.

Mike and Galen sponsored two events that supplemented the show. First was a hike on the transcontinental railroad a few hours drive north of Denver. Participants of the hike found a number of insulator shards including CD 735 Mulford & Biddle's, CD 731, a threadless pin, and a point left behind by Native Americans. It is too large to be an arrowhead. A knowledgeable collector told Galen it's not a spear point either, but more likely a scraping tool used in knifelike fashion. Compare the historic picture of the bridge with the color picture on the inside of the back page of the same site today.

The second event was a ride on the narrow gage Georgetown Loop Railroad. Insulator collectors were bussed from the show to the mining town of Silver Plume high in the Rocky Mountains where they rode over the Devil's Gate High Bridge. The railroad loop was completed in 1884, and restored as a tourist attraction 30 years ago. Pictures of the outing on the Georgetown Loop Railroad are found mixed in with show pictures on pages 30, 31, 38, 39 and on the back cover.

Ross Baird brought some of his favorite threadless insulators to the Western Regional.

Voted by both dealers and the public as the favorite exhibit of the show was Mike Miller's display showing both bottles and insulators made by the Western Glass Manufacturing Company in the same color of glass.

Mike shows off a glass cane made by workers at the W.G.M. Co. plant
for use in a community parade company employees participated in.

Collectors brought insulators not often encountered for a combined display. Here are just a few of them.

Sandra & Glenn Drummond earned both Best of Show and Best Specialty awards with their display on Hemingray's No.2 Telegraph Insulator manufactured circa 1870 - 1885.

Ben Tucker receives the award for Best General Display from show co-host Mike Green. Ben displayed historic photographs and corresponding insulators.

Brian Riecker displayed strain insulators from around the world.

A couple of the items in the display are the only examples known in this growing area of insulator collecting.

Insulators shown on page 32 were from a display aptly named the "Seldom Seen" display. Collectors from around the nation were invited to bring pieces to the show for the "combined display". We only show a half dozen from the outstanding display. Depicted on page 32 are:

Top Left: CD 181.5 nicknamed "space man". This is the only example of that insulator known.

Top Right: CD 158.9 Boston Bottle Works insulator nicknamed "screw top". This is the only example known in amber glass.

Middle Right: CD 160.7 American Insulator Company nicknamed "snow cone". Very tough to find in such a dramatically bright color.

Bottom Right: M-2795 Multi-part glass & porcelain Fred M Locke insulator with a white glaze on the porcelain top, another one-of-a-kind insulator.

Thanks to Butch Haltman, Jim Meyer, Richard Dawson, Elton Gish, Jason Townsend, Mike Green, Galen Howard, Ross Baird, Mike Gay, Duane Davenport, Gil Hedges, John & Carol McDougald, Kevin Jacobson, Dwayne Anthony, Roger Hicken, Denny Hackthorne, Glenn Drummond, Ron Yuhas, Bill & Linda Connell, and Dave Hall for supplying insulators for the Seldom Seen Display.

Photographs for this article were taken by Kevin Jacobson, Mike Green and Howard Banks. Linda Banks did much of the photo editing, layout and design for this issue.

Elton Gish won the award for Best Porcelain Display for his exhibit of 100 Year Old Wall Tubes.

Ron Yuhas displayed glass power insulators made for Fred M Locke,
including the fabulous 287.1 in 7-Up green show at the left above.


FATHER & SON Dave and Andrew Elliott frequently display their collections at shows throughout the West. Dad collects CD 121 tolls and acquired this Denver-made toll that's so full of "junk" at the Western Regional. Andrew collects Star insulators of all CD's. Based on the color, you'd think the CD 102 pony shown above was a Diamond.

Barbie relaxes at home with her favorite insulator, a Chambers CD 317 (purple, of course). Displayed on shelves nearby are more insulators from her collection, and close at hand are her favorite reference books by the McDougalds. Barbie likes all insulators, but says purple ones are the best.

Savannah Lewis says she came up with the idea of "Insulator Barbie" on a shopping trip to Walmart. Here's Savannah with her Barbie display and some of those favorite purples.

Collectors donated insulators for a drawing to benefit the Western Regional. Carol McDougald won the drawing and promptly gave insulators of their choice to junior collectors.