Alice Bemis Taylor was a pioneer of arts and social programs in Colorado Springs. Although she preferred a quiet, humble lifestyle, her legacy has been the foundation of many familiar landmarks of Colorado Springs. In 1881, Alice Bemis was four years old when her family to Colorado Springs for her mother’s health. This was a common […]
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This series, “Pioneer Profiles,” explores some of the interesting characters that define Colorado history. All the quotes from the following article are from Cripple Creek Days by Mabel Barbee Lee. *** Mabel Barbee was born to Johnson and Kitty Barbee in 1884. Johnson Barbee was a prospector who spent his time looking for his mother lode,
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Emma Langdon is not like other women who are profiled as “pioneers.” Others were involved in women’s rights, suffrage, or independence, but Langdon wasn’t a pioneer for any of those reasons. She simply believed that gender was not a barrier to what a person could do. It wasn’t about “equal rights for women,” it was
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This series, Pioneer Profiles, explores some of the interesting characters that define Colorado history, including Bob Womack. *** Bob Womack was probably the least-likely person ever to have his share of fame, but because of his love of the Colorado back country, he became what is locally known as Cripple Creek’s first official resident. Born
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This series, “Pioneer Profiles,” explores some of the interesting characters that define Colorado history. *** How is it that many Colorado Springs natives have never heard of Irving Howbert? He did so much for the city of Colorado Springs and the County of El Paso that it is astonishing how little-known he is. Why don’t
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Pearl DeVere, the most famous madam of the Colorado gold rush era, was a bit of a mystery. She is said to have had red hair and milky white skin, but no picture of her exists. Born near Chicago, Illinois in a small town called Evansville, Pearl (not her real name) was raised by wealthy
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It would be remiss of me not to include animals in the Pioneer Profiles series, since they were, at times, just as pioneering as humans were. A perfect example of such animals are Thunder and Buttons, two elk that lived a crazier life as a trained team than they ever would have if left in
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Not many Colorado Springs residents are familiar with Jimmie Burns, but they sure know his house, the grandest on Millionaire’s row at 1315 Wood Avenue. Now a set of apartments, Burns bought and expanded that huge complex after striking it rich in Cripple Creek from his Portland Mine, the richest mine in Colorado history. Attracted
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Laura Bell McDaniel, known as the “Queen of the Colorado City Tenderloin,” was a pioneer not just because she was an early resident of Colorado City, but because, as the city’s premier madam, she was an anomaly among the soiled doves. She used her given name, she kept in close contact with her family, and
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Nobody thinks the origin of the term “money to burn” might be attributed to one person, but Horace Austin Warner Tabor, known commonly as “Haw,” may very well have been responsible for it. Haw Tabor was born on November 26, 1830 to a life of modest means. He trained as a stone mason, and in
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