On April 10, 1904, the bodies of Jennie Galbraith and her nine year old son were found murdered in their family cottage in Russell Gulch, Colorado. Their bodies had been there, lying on their beds for a month, slain by the family patriarch, Azel Galbraith.
At the dead end of a dirt road, surrounded by aspen, pine, and cottonwood trees, lies the Galbraith cottage, built in 1895. It was bought five years ago by American artist Brian O’Donnell and his wife, and has since been restored into a studio/museum hybrid, housing over 80 paintings spanning O’Donnell’s 55 years as an artist.
“The famous ‘1904 murder house’ in Gilpin County was put on the market and it was at the point that the building was about to become unsavable,” O’Donnell told The Mountain-Ear. “My wife and I bought it and have spent the last five years saving the building. I’ve always wanted my own place to display my paintings and it finally came to me in the form of a haunted house.”
O’Donnell moved to Gilpin County in 1973 and commuted 60 miles a day, five days a week to attend the Rocky Mountain School of Art in Denver. O’Donnell wore many hats as he continued evolving as a painter, including working as a janitor, a lumberjack, and as a laborer on the Denver Rio Grande Railroad.
In 1983, O’Donnell moved to South Carolina where he had his own exhibits, participated in juried competitions, and his paintings hung in many galleries. O’Donnell worked in the film industry for several years, producing his own films including the documentary Deadheads, about the dedicated fans of The Grateful Dead. He left the film industry and South Carolina in 1999, returning to Gilpin County where he would write and publish his first novel, A Life at High Altitude.
“At 72 years of age and having been a painter for most of my life, I want to share my artwork as well as this interesting historical location with the public,” O’Donnell said, stating that the Studio/Museum will be completely free. He detailed the Studio/Museum as a “mom and pop operation,” with his wife’s love and support ever leading them forward.
The cottage has been painstakingly restored by O’Donnell and his wife to preserve its authenticity. It’s a small and airy setting, slightly isolated and seemingly idyllic; but its grim history is ever present. O’Donnell’s works adorn the walls, his entire career displayed throughout each of the cottage’s four rooms. His paintings of colorful, sweeping, Colorado-inspired landscapes brighten the bedroom where the bodies were found.
O’Donnell has always been inspired by his surroundings, which is expressively evident in his paintings that capture the Bohemian lifestyle, and in a series of pastel works showcasing the music/club scene in South Carolina. O’Donnell’s works vary from abstract dreamscapes, open to imaginative interpretation, to poignant statements on the very real world around us. His delicate, intimate portraits reveal a different perspective when viewed within the stark moroseness of the cottage’s history. O’Donnell hopes that this dichotomy within the Studio/ Museum hybrid will elevate it as more than just “another roadside attraction.”
“The Studio/Museum is completely unique. I hope to draw visitors from across the country as well as international visitors.”
The Resident Artist of Russell Gulch Studio/Museum is located at 190 Russell Gulch Road in Central City and is open to visitors from June to October. From I-70 take the Hidden Valley/Central City Parkway exit 243, go 7 miles to Lake Gulch Road, exit parkway and turn left on Lake Gulch Road, go 0.3 miles to Virginia Canyon Road, turn left and go 1.5 miles to Russell Gulch Road, turn left; the Ghost Town Course is 0.5 miles on the right. For more information call 303-582-3083, or go to their website at https://artistbrianodonnell.com.
Sponsored by Gilpin County Commissioners, with funds from the American Rescue Plan Act.
