T.A. (Tom) Stevens.
Courtesy photo
A new novel, “Ida Chatfield: Aspen’s Oldest Unsolved Mystery,” by T.A. Stevens is making its mark as Women’s History Month approaches and an Aspen mystery goes unsolved.
In winter 2025, Steven’s latest book won a Bronze North American Book Award in the historical fiction category and is drawing growing interest from readers. It has also earned five-star ratings from both Literary Titan and Reader’s Favorite.
“It’s the story of how assigned women’s roles and women’s rights, and human rights in general, affected this young girl in the 1800s and how it is still resonating today,” the author and former Aspen resident said.
The story unfolds in the spring of 1886, when an 18-year-old Ida Chatfield vanished from Aspen. Two months later, her body was found in a river. The family disputed the authorities’ ruling and left Aspen a few months later.
Years passed until, one day, Stevens felt compelled to tell her tale. The author already had a connection to the subject, visiting her grave since 1961. He felt sad for her, even as a little kid, he said. He brought his new wife to the cemetery in the early 1970s.
A significant moment occurred in the fall of 2007, while he was taking a walk in the cemetery. His cell phone buzzed, and an image of Chatfield came up.
“I thought, she’s trying to get to me,” he said.
Stevens began adding her character in his other stories, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that she didn’t commit suicide as originally determined. He found out she was very close with her family and had appeared in The Aspen Times “probably 200 times because of her singing and her acting,” he said. He decided to find out more.
Through tons of research, including extensive efforts by the Chatfields, along with court letters, court files and newspaper clippings, he reconstructed Ida’s journey, telling the tale through her voice.
“It’s a very accurate telling of Ida’s life,” Stevens said.
He even found something written by Chatfield — “So I could kind of capture her voice and how she sounded,” he said, with a young lyrical tone.
Chatfield was a pioneer in Nebraska before coming to Colorado, where she hoped to teach, according to Stevens. It’s a path that provokes questions: Was she being followed? Did a friend’s mysterious death trigger events into motion? Did a single misstep seal her fate?
Through a mix of social history and investigations, he traversed her tale in a compelling work showcasing the struggles women of courage faced in the American West through a maze of hazards and constraints.
Chatfield was expected to help her mother raise her siblings until she was ready to be a farmer’s wife.
But, “She was so bright,” Stevens said: She had graduated from college when she was 16 years old.
Little did she know, only two years later, she would go missing. Readers can decide for themselves what happened.
Stevens noted her relatives expressed they loved the book as well.
All of the proceeds from the book sales go to the Aspen Historical Society. Aspen Historical Society will partner with Voices to present “Ghost Voices,” which aims to include a monologue performance of a portion of the book in September, according to Aspen Historical Society Vice President of Education and Programs Amy Honey.
The book is for sale locally at Explore Books, Carl’s Pharmacy, Aspenglow in Glenwood, White River in Carbondale, Redstone General Store, Joy and Wild Art Gallery in Redstone, and online.
For more information, visit ta-stevens.com.
