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 people still talk about him? Perhaps it’s mustache envy. Look at that thing! It’s glorious.
Fannie Mae Duncan may have arrived in Colorado Springs 50 years after our city’s founders, but she was a pioneer in ways many people couldn’t fathom at the time. She ignored social constructions and paved the way not just for women, but for people of color during a time when Colorado Springs really needed it. She was progressive way before that word became a label, and she advanced the opportunities of marginalized
Winfield Scott Stratton Part 4: The More Things Change Continued from: Part 1: “A Test of Faith” Part 2: “Independence and Influence” Part 3: “A Testament to a Legacy” Winfield Scott Stratton was a man whose destiny had been shaped by dreams. As a teenager, he dreamed of coming to Colorado to seek gold. As a destitute carpenter and part-time prospector, he dreamed of the location of his mother lode.
Winfield Scott Stratton, Part 3: A Testament to a Legacy Continued from: Part 1: “A Test of Faith” Part 2: “Independence and Influence” Winfield Scott Stratton’s life had been directed by prophetic dreams: when he was a kid, he dreamed he would leave his hometown of Jeffersonville, Indiana to seek his fortune in Colorado. As a middle-aged man, he dreamed that he would find gold on Battle Mountain near the
Winfield Scott Stratton, Part 2: Independence and Influence Continued from: Part 1: “A Test of Faith” As dawn broke on July 4, 1891, Winfield Scott Stratton stood upon his two claims near Victor, Colorado: the Washington and the Independence, named to commemorate the date on which they were claimed. After paying off his grubstake to his former co-worker, Leslie Popejoy, he had $500 left to spend on his claims. He went
Winfield Scott Stratton, Part 1: A Test of Faith Winfield Scott Stratton, perhaps the least known but single largest contributor to Colorado Springs, was an enigma. Known as much for his benevolence as for his eccentricities, Stratton was America’s first and biggest nineteenth-century multi-millionaire. Stratton was born in Jeffersonville, Illinois in 1848 as one of eight children, six of whom were girls. He was named after Winfield Scott, nicknamed “Old
