Famous Coloradoans of the 1800s

Susan “Doc Susie” Anderson

1870-1960 One of the first female

doctors in Colorado Rode her horse to get to

patients in remote mining and logging areas

Saved many lives during the Great Influenza Epidemic of 1918-19.

Casamira Barela 1847-1920 Colorado state senator for

37 years Helped write Colorado

State Constitution Businessman

James Beckworth 1798-1866 African-American mountain

man and fur trader Led early expeditions of

the Rocky Mountains Lived with the Crow Indians

for many years

William Bent 1809-1869 Built Bent’s Fort along the

Santa Fe Trail Married to a Cheyenne, he

helped build good relationships between whites and Indians

Isabella Bird 1831-1904 World traveler and author 3,000 mile horseback trip on

“Birdie” along the Front Range

One of the first women to climb Long’s Peak in 1873.

Black Kettle 1803-1868 Cheyenne chief A great peacemaker

between the Indians and white settlers

Survived Sand Creek Massacre

“Aunt” Clara Brown 1803-1885 Nicknamed “Angel of the

Rockies” Freed slave Businesswoman Worked hard to bring black

people out of enslavement and poverty

Margaret “Molly” Brown

1867-1932 Worked for women’s

suffrage Gave generously to poor Survived sinking of The

Titanic

William Byers 1831-1905 First newspaper in Denver,

the Rocky Mountain News Businessman

Kit Carson 1809-1868 Mountain man, trapper Guide for early pioneers

and explorers

Chipeta 1843-1924 Ute tribe She and her husband, Chief

Ouray, were peacemakers Traveled to Washington DC

in attempts to negotiate better relations between whites and Indians

Buffalo Bill Cody 1846-1917 Rode for the pony express Army scout Wild West showman

Mary Elitch 1865-1936 Businesswoman Opened Elitch Zoological

Gardens in 1890, only zoo west of Chicago

Later added roller coaster and other amusement rides

Elizabeth Ensely 1848-1915 African-American who

worked for civil rights for blacks

Fought for women’s suffrage (Colorado was the 2nd state to allow women for vote in 1893)

Justina Ford 1871-1952 Denver’s 1st female African-

American doctor She treated anyone who

needed medical care regardless of their race, citizenship, or ability to pay

John Gregory 1820-1865 Discovered first lode gold

in Colorado in 1859.

Emily Griffith 1868-1947 Teacher Founded Emily Griffith

Opportunity School Believed education could

lift people out of poverty Helped poor with food and

money

Frances Jacobs 1843-1892 “Mother of Charities” Founded the Denver

Ladies’ Relief Society to help with sickness and poverty

Her concern over tuberculosis led her to establish National Jewish Hospital in 1892.

John Henry “Doc” Holliday

1851-1887 Dentist turned outlaw Shootout at the O.K. Corral

Little Raven 1810?-1889 Arapaho chief Negotiated peace between

the Southern Arapaho, Cheyenne, Kiowa, Comanche, and Plains Apache in 1840

Survived Sand Creek Massacre

Travelled to Washington, DC to try to make peace between government and Indians

Martha Maxwell 1831-1881 Naturalist, taxidermist, and

markswoman Opened her own natural

history museum in Boulder

Ellis Meredith 1865-1955 Journalist for Rocky

Mountain News Suffragist Worked hard for women’s

rights Author of 4 books

Enos Mills 1870-1922 Mountain guide in Estes

Park Naturalist and

photographer Established Rocky

Mountain National Park in 1915

Chief Ouray 1833-1880 Great Ute chief Spoke 4 languages Peacemaker

Owl Woman 1800?-1840 Cheyenne Indian married

to William Bent, founder of Bent’s Fort

Built positive relationships between two worlds – white and Indian

Alferd Packer 1842-1907 Mountain man who led

expeditions over the Rocky Mountains

Accused of cannibalism

William Palmer 1838-1909 Civil War soldier Owner and co-founder of

the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad

Built first railroad from Denver to Pikes Peak region

Founded Colorado Springs

Zebulon Pike 1879-1913 Soldier and explorer Led expedition to explore

Pikes Peak region

Dr. Florence Sabin 1871-1953 Doctor, medical researcher 1st woman to become a

professor at any medical college in U.S.

Pioneered research in fighting tuberculosis

Teresita Sandoval 1811-1894 One of Colorado’s first

pioneers Early settler along

Arkansas River near Pueblo Helped her husband run

Fort El Pueblo

Minnie Scalabrino 1865-1936 Journalist for Rocky

Mountain News Suffragist Equal rights for African-

Americans

Jefferson “Soapy” Smith

1860-1898 One of the greatest con

men of all times Very generous, and gave to

charities

Chin Lin Sou 1837-1894 Immigrant, railroad worker,

miner Brought thousands of

Chinese to Colorado Mayor of Hop Alley Helped improve working

conditions for workers

Winfield S. Stratton 1848-1902 Known as “The Gold King” Discovered one of the

richest gold mines on Earth in Colorado

Elizabeth “Baby Doe” Tabor

1854-1935 Colorado’s Silver Queen Rags to riches to……..

Horace Tabor 1830-1899 Silver King Became one of Colorado’s

richest men

“Uncle Dick” Wootten 1816-1892 Mountain man Provided buffalo meat for

sale at Bent’s Fort Built toll road over Raton

Pass

Bibliography http://www.coloradohistory.

org/kids/kidsbios.htm http://jeffcoweb.jeffco.k12.c

o.us/elem/stevens/library/colorado.html

http://www.loc.gov/index.html

http://hewit.unco.edu/dohist/teachers/webs/famous.htm

http://www.colorado.gov/dpa/doit/archives/arcbiog.html