WOMEN OF THE CRIPPLE CREEK MINING DISTRICT #PrairieRosePublications, @PrairieRosePub

Headframe-Cripple Creek Mining District (c) Doris McCraw

We hear a lot about what the men did in the early days of the settling of the West, and they did a great deal. However, as many of you know, I focus not only on Colorado History, but Women’s History. For this post I thought I’d share a bit about the women who made the Cripple Creek Mining District home during its start up and heyday years.

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

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

SEARCHING IN CRIPPLE CREEK plus a Giveaway

Post (c) Doris McCraw

In honor of June and my birthday month, I am giving away a new copy of the book "Cripple Creek: City of Influence" in a random drawing to one commenter on this post on Wednesday June 7, 2017.
( http://amzn.to/2rxdreg )

Open pit mine slag near Cripple Creek- photo (c) author

While I am finishing up the story of Annika and Gerold, I decided to head up to Cripple Creek on my day off. I'd made an appointment to go through some of the city directories at the unique Cripple Creek District Museum.  Museum  

For those who don't know, I live on the east side of Pikes Peak and a short drive up Ute Pass to the west side of that mountain and you are in Cripple Creek. My elevation 6,032 feet, Cripple Creek 9,494 feet. The day was sunny and the drive up relaxing. For me great think time for the above story.

Starting in City Directories is great fun. Of course I was up there searching for any undiscovered women doctors who may have practiced in the area. I didn't find any new ones in the directories from 1893 through 1900, but I've still a few resources to peruse. 

However there were some interesting pieces of history not to mention people from the 1893 directory. 

Mrs. Sarah F Harp, who resided west of Bennett Ave in what was known as the Freeman Placer, advertised herself as a clairvoyant.  I did not find any mention of a husband.

Also in 1893, Hiram Wilson was the town marshal of Cripple Creek, with a spelling of marshall.

In the town of Anaconda, Dr. A.A. Smith was the mayor and they had a weekly newspaper called the Mining Standard. Its editor and business manager was W.A. Bray.

The ones that really tickled me were in Mound City. J.C. Outhouse had a store that provided groceries and provisions. And one of the saloons was called 'Uncle John's Sample Room'. The proprietor were Kelly, Narfelt and Richardson.

In Arequa, Caroline Lark ran the 'Miner's Home Boarding House'.

Cripple Creek proper had a restaurant called the 'Mush and Milk House' on Third between Bennett and Myers Avenue. While in Victor, Sarah Hayes ran the 'Free Coinage Restaurant'.

Sign on the Old Homestead House museum
 the one remaining parlor house from Cripple Creek's heyday.
Photo (c) author 

The greatest or most unique for me was the following:

The Woman's Gold Mining Company

(incorporated under the laws of the state of Colorado)

Officers and Directors

Mrs. A. Gremes,– Pres., Colorado Springs

Mrs. A. Reynolds -VP, Cripple Creek

Miss Mary E Gover – Treas.. Cripple Creek

Mrs. Lucy G Pierce – 36 Abon Street, Peabody Massachusetts

Mrs. Joan Hanford, 336 First St., San Bernardino, CA

Capital stock $800,000, divided into 800,000 shares

certificate, full paid and non-assessable $.10 per share

Upon the principle mind of the company known as "she", work completed up to the present time has been done upon the vein by sinking a shaft which is 7 1/2' x 3 1/2' in the clear and well timbered with a shaft house erected over it. The shaft is sunk in ore mineral bearing rock from the surface. The width of the vein is 5 1/2 feet in or, of a value averaging $14 and running as high as $75. Stock in this company can be purchased through the treasurer. Cripple Creek Colorado Miss Mary E Gover 

There is so much more. I can't wait until I can dig up additional stories on the people I found, not only in this directory but the others also.

Doris Gardner-McCraw writing as Angela Raines
Author, Speaker, Historian-specializing in
Colorado and Women's History

For a list of Angela Raines Books: Here 

Photo and Poem: Click Here 

Angela Raines FaceBook: Click Here

HIGH COUNTRY GOLD!

Post (c) by Doris McCraw/Angela Raines

Saturday October 1, 2016 was the first Saturday I'd had off since the middle of May. So what did I do? Did I sit and write? Did I work on edits for the Women Doctors paper? No, I played hooky and went to the high country. So I won't feel so guilty, I'm going to share the day with you.

Of course the camera was along and the aspens are turning, so here we go.

First stop along the way was the Hornbeck Homestead on the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument property. Below are photos of that property. I first wrote about Adeline Hornbeck on October 5, 2014 for PRP blog. You can read about her here: http://bit.ly/2dj2EPA

Dugout to the north of
the homestead house

The Hornbeck house, built in 1878

Then I headed on toward Cripple Creek and the Mount Pisgah Cemetery. Anyone who knows me, knows how much I appreciate the information and history I find in these mini museums.But there were a couple of shots of the gold that cried out to be captured on this back trail to town.

The back side of Pikes Peak

Mt. Pisgah

At the cemetery I searched and found the headstone for Pearl DeVere. Right next to her is Fred E. Krueger, for those who remember the Halloween films, the name may be familiar. I sometimes wonder if Pearl, the madam at the Homestead Parlor house who died 'accidently', would be as well known as she is if Mabel Barbee Lee had not written about her funeral in her charming book "Cripple Creek Days". For more about Pearl : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_de_Vere

Fred E. Krueger, not yet 20
 when he died.

Headstone for Pearl DeVere, her resting place is covered with
concrete to keep vandals out.

I also located Mollie O' Brian's headstone. She was the first women on a mining exchange in the country. In the 'Mining Investor' you will find the following quote, "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 Cripple Creek and Goldfield." Mollie never married.

Mollie O'Brien 

I slipped into Cripple Creek for a quick photo of the 'Old Homestead' where Pearl and other ladies of the evening worked. Men had to pass a credit check before even entering, the prices were that high.

Now a museum- The Homestead Parlor House where Pearl DeVere was madam

I will leave you with some images of the natural gold in Colorado's high country.

Trail back to another part of Mt. Pisgah Cemetery

Gold against the cloudy sky

Multi-colored aspens

From Cripple Creek looking West

Thanks for trailing along. There was so much to see and I've so much to share. But we all need to get back to our creativity. Hope you enjoyed the break.

Angela Raines is the pen name for Doris McCraw. Doris also writes haiku posted five days a week at – http://fivesevenfivepage.blogspot.com and has now passed one thousand haiku and photos posted on this blog. Check out her other work or like her Amazon author page:  http://amzn.to/1I0YoeL

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JUST THE FACTS by DORIS MCCRAW

If you remember the old Jack Webb 'Dragnet' show, it was famous for the line, “just the facts”.

On June 6, 1904, twenty-seven non-union miners, who had just finished their shift, were waiting at the Independence, Colorado depot near the Independence mine, for the 2:15 am train to take them home. Just before the train arrived an explosion ripped through the platform, killing thirteen and wounding six.

Those are the facts and they really can't be disputed. Nothing can change the outcome, it is set in stone so to say. For writers, those facts can open up worlds of ideas and outcomes. For historians, they can and have opened a can of worms. It is the facts and the events leading up to and after the tragedy that murk up the waters.

To give some background. In 1903-04 the Cripple Creek-Victor, Colorado mining district was going through the throes of yet another 'labor war'. Ten years earlier the miners had won the right to and eight-hour,$3.00 per day wage. (That event is yet another story altogether). Now the miners were striking in sympathy for their 'brother' workers at the smelters in Colorado City, Colorado.

Events had been building over the almost two years with no resolution. After the explosion the sheriff at the time did his investigation, but was suddenly removed from office by the Mine Owners Association (MOA) and the Citizen Alliance (CA). Story is that the sheriff was sympathetic to the miners and would not be impartial. This eventually lead to a riot in the streets of Victor which added a few more to the total killed or wounded. In this strike the mine owners won, and the union labor lost.

Now, as some think, the CA and MOA planted the bomb to bring about the very outcome they were hoping for. There is some evidence that this may have been the case.

There are others who believe that the Western Federation of Miners (WFM) planted the bomb to get back at the non-union workers who were not supporting their strike. Some evidence this may have been the case.

The historian needs to weigh the facts, look at the sources and understand they may never get a definitive answers. The writer has the luxury of choosing a side or not to tell the story.

There will probably never be an answer to this set of 'facts', too much time and too many variables won't allow for it. Still the stories that might come from these few facts and the events leading up to them are the stuff of great works. It depends on the dedication and skill of the storyteller. In the meantime, the historians are stuck with “just the facts”.
(Post written and copyrighted by Doris McCraw.)