This column tells the stories of the people whose faces appear on “A Colorado Panorama: A People’s History,” a two-block-long tile mural on the southeast side of the Colorado Convention Center. Inspired by Howard Zinn’s groundbreaking book, “A People’s History of the United States,” the mural was created by artist Barbara Jo Revelle in 1989 to celebrate those who rarely make it into the history books, but who have nonetheless had a profound impact on the history of our state. This week we’re featuring profiles of Silas Soule and Dr. Mary Elizabeth Bates.
Silas Soule – Sand Creek Whistleblower (1838-1865)
As a teenager in Kansas, Silas Soule served as a “conductor” on the Underground Railroad, escorting escaped slaves to safe havens in Canada. At the outbreak of the Civil War, he joined the Colorado Volunteer Cavalry under the command of Col. John Chivington, and fought in the Battle of Glorietta Pass. He was present at Sand Creek on November 29, 1864, when Chivington gave the order to attack. At the time Sand Creek was a designated safe haven for the women, children and elderly of the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes. Capt. Soule refused to participate and ordered his men to stand down.
Chivington tried to paint the action as a glorious battle, but Soule lobbied Congress to open an investigation. As a result, Chivington left the Cavalry in disgrace. The following year, Soule was murdered in Denver by two assailants widely believed to be working for Chivington. In 2010, the Colorado Historical Society placed a marker on the spot where Soule was assassinated.
Dr. Mary Elizabeth Bates – Physician and Political Activist (1861-1954)
Mary Elizabeth Bates followed in her mother’s footsteps and became a practicing physician. In 1890, after a stint teaching anatomy and surgery at Northwestern University, she moved to Denver to establish a practice and involve herself in civic affairs.
She campaigned in favor of women’s suffrage and lobbied successfully for an “Age-of-Consent” law to make sexual contact with minors a felony. She argued in favor of a “White Slave Law” which rendered prostitution illegal in the State of Colorado. She advocated for women doctors to be permitted to practice in military hospitals for equal rank and pay.
She was a vocal supporter of clean streets, healthy babies, and public drinking fountains. She is perhaps best known, however, for her love for animals. She was an early supporter of the Denver Dumb Friends League, to which she left a substantial endowment. The Mary E. Bates Founders Society was established in her honor to recognize those who leave a legacy gift to the Dumb Friends League.
Want to help me with my research? I’m looking for information on a Vietnamese woman named Hanh Thi Nguyen (1930-1976) who brought 11 refugee kids with her when she came to America. Contact me at donmorreale@hotmail.com.
Week One: Barney L. Ford and Agnes Smedley
Week Two: Benjamin Barr Lindsey and Anne Bassett
Week Three: William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody and Clara Brown
Week Four: William “Big Bill” Haywood and Anne Evans
Week Five: Buckskin Charley and “Babe” Didrikson-Zaharias
Week Six: Antonia Brico and Chief Black Kettle
Week Seven: Casimiro Barela and Daisy Anderson
Week Eight: Chogyam Trungpa and Ellen Elliot Jack
Week Nine: Elizabeth Hickok Robbins Stone and Chin Lin Sou
Week Ten: Emily Griffith and Dalton Trumbo
Week Eleven: Chipeta and Wallace Werner
Week Twelve: Eve Drewelowe and Davis Waite
Week Thirteen: Dr. Carl J. Johnson and Florence Sabin
Week Fourteen: Damon Runyon and Emma Langdon
Week Fifteen: Ellison Onizuka and Golda Meir
Week Sixteen: John Lewis Dyer and Helen Hunt Jackson
Week Seventeen: Edward Berthoud and Frances Wisebart Jacobs
Week Eighteen: Hattie McDaniel and Enos Mills
Week Nineteen: Isabella Bird and Francis Schlatter
Week Twenty: Laura Gilpin and Henry O. Wagoner
Week Twenty-One: Justina Ford and George Norlin
Week Twenty-Two: George Bent and Julia Archibald Holmes
Week Twenty-Three: Herbert Bayer and Mabel Barbee Lee
Week Twenty-Four: Martha Maxwell and Chief Ignacio
Week Twenty-Five: Isom Dart and Marvel Crosson
Week Twenty-Six: Jack Dempsey and Mary Long
Week Twenty-Seven: Mary Lathrop and James Beckwourth
Week Twenty-Eight: John Otto and Mina Loy
Week Twenty-Nine: Mary Rippon and Joseph Henry Stuart
Week Thirty: Lauren Watson and Molly Brown
Week Thirty-One: Mary “Mother” Jones and Chief Little Bear
Week Thirty-Two: Chief Little Raven and Neva Romero
Week Thirty-Three: Olga Little and Louis Tikas
Week Thirty-Four: Lowell Thomas and Poker Alice Ivers
Week Thirty-Five: Mariano Medina and Dr. Portia Lubchenko McKnight
Week Thirty-Six: Tsianina Redfeather and Rodolfo “Corky” Gonzalez
Week Thirty-Seven: Minoru Yasui and Ruth Cave Flowers
Week Thirty-Eight: Sadie Likens and Neal Cassady
Week Thirty-Nine: Nikola Tesla and Rose Marie Tabor
Week Forty: Oliver Toussaint Jackson and Sarah Platt-Decker
Week Forty-One: Portia Mansfield and Luis Junior Martinez
Week Forty-Two: Chief Ouray and Anne Ellis
Week Forty-Three: Stan Brakhage and Shawsheen
Week Forty-Four: Mary “Grandma” Shelton and Thomas Ferril
Week Forty-Five: Silver Heels and Oliver E. Aultman
Week Forty-Six: Louella Gooding and Jefferson Randolph “Soapy” Smith