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 Elizabeth Byers and Frederick Douglass Jr.
Elizabeth Sumner Byers – Philanthropist (1834-1920)
The granddaughter of Governor Robert Lucas of Ohio, Elizabeth Byers was raised in Muscatine, Iowa. She crossed the plains seven times by stagecoach and wagon train, and was the first woman ever to ride a railroad train west of the Missouri River. She was also one of the first nine non-native women to live in Denver. Her husband, H.M. Byers, was the founder of the Rocky Mountain News. The marriage, however, turned sour when it was discovered that Byers was having an affair with a married woman. Despite the ensuing public scandal, Elizabeth chose to stay with him, occupying herself with philanthropic and civic endeavors. She became a member of the board of Denver University, founded the Ladies Union Aid Society, and established the Elizabeth M. Byers Home for Boys. She was a charter member of the Denver Women’s Club, and the Woman’s Press Club, and contributed generously to a number of Denver churches and charitable organizations.
Frederick Douglass Jr. – Denver Businessman, Son of Frederick Douglass (1841-1892)
Born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, Frederick Douglass Jr. was the third child of abolitionist Frederick Douglass. He was raised in Rochester, New York, and educated in integrated schools. During the Civil War he was tasked with recruiting Black troops to fight for the Union. After the war, he moved to Denver with his elder brother, Lewis. The two established the city’s first school for Black children, started the Douglass Undertaking Company in the Five Points neighborhood, and opened a restaurant on California Street. They also lobbied against Colorado statehood until Black people were granted the right to vote. Frederick later relocated to Washington, D.C., to open his own grocery store. After his father was appointed U.S. Marshal in 1877, Frederick became a bailiff, and was given a job as clerk in the Office of Recorder of Deeds. His later years were marked by sadness at the death of his wife. Douglass died of consumption in 1892.
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
Week Forty-Seven: Silas Soule and Dr. Mary Elizabeth Bates
Week Forty-Eight: Tim Flores and Irene Elizabeth Jerome Hood
Week Forty-Nine: Marcella Lucero Trujillo and William N. Byers
Week Fifty: Virginia Neal Blue and William Henry Jackson
Week Fifty-One: George Morrison and Elizabeth Beranek
Week Fifty-Two: William “Billy” Adams and Mother Pancratia Bonfils