Off to Colorado
It does sound like times were tough in the beginning, but something happened around 1894. Perhaps it was the early death of their two daughters. Or perhaps the Filipeks took stock of their situation and decided a change was in order if they were to succeed. Also helping was that their nephews were older, John Sokolik was 20 and Theodore 15. Their own children were also older, John 12, Mary, 5 and James 2. So perhaps there was a little less stress as less day-to-day care was needed for the younger children and John and Theodore were old enough to begin better paying jobs.

The exact timing is not known, but sometime in late 1894 to early 1896, James, Katherine, John, Mary, and little James Filipek, along with Theodore Sokolik left for Pueblo, Colorado. John Sokolik appears to have stayed in Chicago, although he might have accompanied the group in the beginning and returned shortly thereafter. The reason for the move was that James and Katherine had taken jobs with the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, he as a foreman and she as a cook for a large work crew. Theodore also worked for the railroad during this period, in particular as a fireman for a switch engine. What drew them to Pueblo is uncertain, but it was a time of continued expansion of the railroads and most likely there were ads in the papers for workers and managers.

From this period there are a number of pictures and letters. The pictures are located in the Vaclav Filipek Picture Collection, including an interesting postcard collection of places in Colorado. From the dates on the letters it is known that in 1896 the Filipeks were in Pueblo, in 1897 in Pinon and Dawkins, and in 1898 in Dawkins. Theodore was listed in the Pueblo City Directory for 1897 as a laborer for the Denver and Rio Grande and as a resident of the Old Union Depot. In 1898, a letter indicated he was a fireman on a switch engine, and the 1899 Directory indicated he was a fireman for the Denver and Rio Grande. So most likely Theodore stayed at different places and likely boarded with other work crews.

Pinon and Dawkins were both small towns located about 10 miles north of Pueblo. They were both started about 1885, but Dawkins merged into Pinon about 1905. Today Interstate 25, which connects Pueblo to Denver, passes near Pinon. I believe the interstate parallels the original rail line, which followed the old Cherokee Trail from the Denver area to Pueblo. By 1895 there was likely a rail line in place and the Filipeks were part of a project to either maintain or widen the line. It might be possible to sort out the story someday from old maps and railroad records.