ATDTDA (17): Ed Chase's town (465.3)

[Tim Strzechowski]

"When he got back to Denver, it was still Ed Chase's town, and Frank began to fall back into the old habits of squandering time and money ..." (p. 465).


Since Ed Chase was referenced in the previous section of the novel, here's a quickie review via the Pynchon Wiki (p. 176):
 
Edward "Big Ed" Chase (1838-1921) was a New Yorker from Saratoga Springs who became the leader of criminal activities in Denver from 1860 on, and as such was an influential and respected man. He ran saloons, gambling houses, bordellos, and theaters (specializing in "burlesque"), and served on the Denver City Council from 1866-1869. After that, he was a behind-the-scenes ward boss and power broker for the Republican party, which dominated Denver politics at the time. Nearly every 19th century election in Denver was clouded by charges that Chase had organized an army of voters out of riffraff, vagrants, prostitutes, barflies and gamblers. By the time of his death in 1921, Chase had come to be regarded as a respected real estate investor and capitalist. For more info, consult The City & The Saloon: Denver 1858-1918 by Thomas J. Noel.
 
http://against-the-day.pynchonwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=ATD_171-198#Page_176
 
Arapahoe County is the third most populous of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the county population was 537,197 in 2006, a 10.09% increase since U.S. Census 2000. The county seat is Littleton and the most populous city is Aurora. Arapahoe County is part of the Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Denver-Aurora-Boulder Combined Statistical Area. Arapahoe County calls itself "Colorado's First County" since its origins predate the Pike's Peak Gold Rush. [...]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arapahoe_County,_Colorado


The county, however, provides the name for the street in Denver, CO which is the context for the actual quotation:

http://tinyurl.com/26grqp

http://tinyurl.com/39gmp