The prominent Worden family originally owned this undeveloped land nestled beneath the shadow of Mount Jumbo. The property changed hands several times before construction of the house sometime after 1902. The earliest known resident was William “Bill” Connell, a successful miner with claims in the Superior area. Connell lived here during the winter months. Married at age 52 in 1906, Connell and his wife, Annie, enjoyed a brief life together; Connell died in 1910. By 1913, Annie had married Andrew Leonard, a bartender and miner who, like her former husband, had claims near Superior. After Annie’s death in 1926, Leonard rented the house to railway express agent William J. Tonkin and his wife. The Tonkins eventually purchased the home and raised their family here. The hipped roof cottage features a front porch with Doric columns, double beaded siding, and ornamentation beneath the eaves. These original elements are a charming reminder of the simple elegance that often graced the practical homes of the Lower Rattlesnake’s hard-working residents.
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