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 parents and grew up to become a Gibson Girl, learning to sew while working for
The “Pioneer Profiles” series explores some of the interesting characters that define Colorado history. This article discusses the life of Spencer Penrose. *** Spencer Penrose got a rather inauspicious debut in Colorado Springs. Fresh from a Harvard education that taught him little but decent boxing skills, Penrose had been eking out a living in Cripple Creek doing real estate transactions with his buddy Charlie Tutt. They made the rounds to
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, which he was sure was somewhere in Nevada. However, when he heard that Bob Womack
Charles Fox Gardiner grew up in a rich family where he was coddled and spoiled. Because he was a sickly child, his parents didn’t force him to go to school. Instead, they took him with them as they traveled in Europe. During one such trip in 1870, he looked out his hotel window in Germany during the Franco-Prussian War. A group of men were manning a makeshift hospital. He wandered
This series, “Pioneer Profiles,” explores some of the interesting characters that define Colorado history. *** Chipeta, a quiet, amenable woman, never expected to serve in a chief-like role among the Ute people, but many historians view her as an icon of female strength in the late 1800s. Married to Chief Ouray, this power couple served as liaisons between white agents, the U.S. government, and their people. Chipeta and Ouray tried
Isabella Bird had the pioneer spirit unlike any woman of her age. She was an avid horsewoman, photographer, writer, and naturalist. Born in 1831, as a child she was told she was sickly and that fresh air and travel were the cure. Taking her doctor’s advice to the extreme, she traveled all over the world during her lifetime. Trips to Korea, China, Japan, Western Europe, and the Middle and Far
