 |
| Headframe-Cripple Creek Mining District (c) Doris McCraw |
To
make it a bit easier I’ve broken these women into groups for ease
of understanding where they were in relation to what was happening.
Ladies of the Evening, Business Women, High Society and Creative
Women.
Ladies
of the Evening
Probably
the most well known lady of the evening was Pearl DeVere. She was the
madam of The Homestead House, Cripple Creek’s most elegant and
expensive ‘parlor house’. She died in 1897 of what the doctor
said was an accidental morphine overdose. An anonymous donor sent
$1,000 for her funeral, as she was reported to be broke. Pearl might
have been forgotten to time, if the story of her funeral had not been
immortalized in the book “Cripple Creek Days” by Mabel Barbee
Lee.
 |
| Pearl DeVere headstone, Mt.Pisgah Cemetery (c) Doris McCraw |
One
Lady of the Evening that has almost been forgotten is Blanche Burton.
Blanche arrived in Cripple Creek in 1891, at the beginning of the
boom. She had her place of business on the main street, probably
above a saloon. Blanche could be considered the first madam in the
district. She ‘retired’ back to Colorado City, just to the west
of Colorado Springs after leaving the district. Her last listed
occupation prior to her death was seamstress.
Business
Women
Of
all the business women in the district, the one that fascinates me
the most is Mollie O’Brien (O'Bryan). Mollie was the first women on a mining
exchange in the United States. The following quote about Mollie was
printed in the “Mining Investor” published in 1909, Miss Mollie
O’Brien is a successful operator in mines, both in Cripple Creek
and Nevada and has been very successful in financing some of the
largest properties of the Cripple Creek and Goldfield. She was the
secretary/treasurer of the Trilby Mines company.
 |
| Mollie O'Bryan headstone, Mt. Pisgah Cemetery (c) Doris McCraw |
Dr.
Catherine Polly was active in the Cripple Creek District Medical
Society. By 1905 Dr. Polly
and other women doctors
of the
Women’s Medical Society of Denver, created a polyclinic in
December of that year. Dr. Polly along with Dr. Love were in charge
of surgery. She was also involved with helping to set standards for
public instruction in the state of Colorado. Her husband, was also a
medical doctor.
High
Society Women
Ethel
Frizzell-Carlton, wife of Cripple Creek millionaire Albert E.
Carlton. Ethel was
the daughter of one of the early lawyers in Cripple Creek and caught
the eye of banker, investor Albert Carlton. The two of them were some
of the elite of the Cripple Creek District.
Creative
Women
Julia
Skolas was one of the most successful photographers in Cripple Creek.
She moved to Cripple Creek in 1907 from Colorado Springs. She was
known for her landscape and portraits. Her Skolas Madonna and
waterfall photos are still available for viewing in various areas and
online.
These are just a few of the women who were instrumental in helping
the Cripple Creek mining district become the greatest gold camp in
Colorado.
Doris Gardner-McCraw -
Author, Speaker, Historian-specializing in
Colorado and Women's History
Colorado and Women's History
Member of National League of American Pen Women,
Women Writing the West,
Pikes Peak Posse of the Westerners
Angela Raines - author: Where Love & History Meet
For a list of Angela Raines Books: Here
Photo and Poem: Click Here
Angela Raines FaceBook: Click Here
