By Linda Jones
Steve Meade
Steve Meade’s Colorado roots go back almost to John Gregory dipping his gold pan into Gregory Creek. The first town established after Gregory discovered riches was Mountain City, halfway between the later towns of Black Hawk and Central City, and Steve’s great-great-uncle freighted to Mountain City. His great-grandparents Genevieve and Matt Weber rode in a covered wagon from Boulder to Baggs, Wyo., in 1906, to homestead property near the Snake River.
Hard work came with the land; they spent 31 years building the house and 25 years digging the irrigation canal from the river. Their daughter Charlotte was in the first graduation class from the Baggs High School in 1913. That homestead still belongs to family members.
Charlotte and her husband Alvie passed along their frontier virtues to young Steve. They taught him to play double-deck pinochle at age 9, and at age 10, he was a skilled poker player. By age 12 he was a competitive bridge player. Another legacy of Charlotte’s was Steve’s love of history and reading.
The hallmarks of the West – self-reliance and independence – were instilled in Steve early and helped prepare him for the eye problems he would have. From age 28, he has fought serious glaucoma, with many operations on his eyes. Despite his handicap, he worked for 20 years as an electrician for the Union Pacific before going into business for himself. He once played on the poker circuit but his vision now limits his poker playing.
“I play the penny slots to get my bus money back and then nickel video poker,” Meade said.
Because he doesn’t have a driver’s license, due to his poor eyesight, Steve has lived for 25 years in the Capitol Hill area. The Denver headquarters of Alcoholics Anonymous is not far away, which is important to him; this month is his 20th AA birthday. In Meade’s case, not having a driver’s license certainly doesn’t keep him homebound – he walks 6 to 10 miles a day. He also eats a healthy diet of mostly veggies and fruits, and because he particularly likes bananas, his friends call him a Walking Banana Smoothie, or just Smoothie for short.
On Tuesday walks, he always picks up a Gambler somewhere in downtown Denver. He’s faithfully picked up a Gambler every Tuesday for 20 years now.
Meade said, “I’ve appreciated so much all the history and gambling stories. I wouldn’t miss it.”
His favorite casinos are the Canyon and Fortune Valley.
