USA > Colorado > Colorado pioneers in picture and story > Part 33
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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33
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LAWRENCE C. PHIPPS
Mr. Lawrence Cowle Phipps, though only a resident of this State for the past fourteen years, has in that time become one of its foremost builders because of the power of statesmanship and quality of public-spiritedness he possesses.
He was born in Amwell Township, Washington County, Pennsylvania, August 13, A. D. 1862, and from the age of five years was reared and educated in Pittsburgh, where he re- sided until he removed to Colorado. He graduated from high school at the age of sixteen, shortly afterward entering the of- fice of Carnegie Brothers & Company, Ltd., pro- gressing in the steel busi- ness with various affiliated companies to the positions of assistant treasurer, treasurer, vice-president and member of the board of managers, until the companies with which he was associated were final- ly absorbed by the United States Steel Corporation, on April 1, 1901, when he retired from active busi- Lawrence C. Phipps ness. The fall of that year he brought his family to Denver to reside- being attracted to the State by its unsurpassed climatic conditions-since which time he has become identified with all forward movements in the
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City and State, encouraging by gift and service the charity organizations and those for the advancement of the fine arts; while, latterly, his influence as a builder has been felt by both City and State as the head of the Colorado Tax Payers' Protective League in its endeavors to free the City and State of hampering influences and to stimulate a unity of interest and action not only on the part of "the powers that be," but that of each indi- vidual citizen, for the ultimate good of all.
Mr. Phipps is primarily identified with the State of Colorado by having built and endowed, in the year 1905, at a cost of $700,000, the Agnes Memorial Sana- torium, an institution located in the suburbs of Denver for the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis. which has proved a blessing to humanity far beyond the confines of this State.
Next in importance of his activities might be con- sidered his connection with the Denver and Salt Lake railroad. more popularly known as the "Moffat Road." as he has been for some years one of the leading spirits of this enterprise, which embraces two hundred and fifty miles of road. wholly within the State of Colorado, which has done much toward the development of the State in general, having opened up to commerce some of the richest coal and other mineral lands in the United States.
JOHN F. SHAFROTH
John F. Shafroth came from Fayette, Missouri, to Denver in 1879, and from that time he has been identi- fied with the growth of the City and State, and has been active in projects for the advancement and upbuilding. not only of Colorado, but of the entire West.
During his service in Congress from 1894 to 1904 he urgently championed all measures before that body which looked to the welfare and betterment of the western part
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of the United States, and actively participated in dealing with questions of national and international import. It was during that period, and under his leadership, that the first agitation for the establish- ment of national parks in Colorado was started, which was finally culmi- nated in the estab- lishment, not only of the Mesa Verde National Park, but has gone even further and led in the last year to the creation of the Rocky Mountain National Park through united ac- tion of the Colo- rado senators and representatives.
It was while he was in Congress that he delivered a John F. Shafroth speech on the sil- ver question in defense of the position of the western States of the Union that was considered by many ad- vocates of bimetallism to be absolutely unanswerable.
During his term in Congress he was very eager to unhold the traditions of his State by advocating the cause of the weak and oppressed against the aggressions of the strong.
At the time of both the Boer and Philippine Wars
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Colorado Pioneers in Picture and Story
he earnestly pressed upon Congress, in speeches that were printed by the thousands, and circulated throughout the United States, the duty of the United States to stand by its traditions and uphold truth and justice in their deal- ings and in the dealings of other nations with a small and numerically inferior people. It was this same love of justice that early in life converted him to the cause of woman suffrage and spurred him on to champion its cause throughout his public life.
Probably the work of Mr. Shafroth which was of more material benefit to the people of Colorado than any other one thing was his action in pushing through the House of Representatives in 1902 the so-called reclama- tion bill, which has meant so much to the development of the arid lands of the West. It was due to the passage of this bill that the enormous development of irrigable lands in the West received its first tremendous impetus.
The numerous slanders that were at one time cast upon Colorado relative to the men there elected to offices were most emphatically disproved by the action of Mr. Shafroth in voluntarily retiring from Congress on find- ing that the general election at which he was a candidate for Congress was tainted with fraud.
During his term as governor his efforts were largely directed to bringing about a more democratic form of government and abolishing certain evils that had grown up in the State. The passage of the initiative and refer- endum, the direct primary, the election of United States senators by direct vote of the people, and the headless ballot law was the culmination of this work. Great strides were also taken in the upbuilding of the State educational institutions, improvement in the State peni- tentiary and the betterment of the roads of the State.
During his term in the Senate the chief work with which he has been connected was the framing and passage
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of the federal reserve act of 1913, which is universally declared throughout the country to be a boon to every State and section of the Union. Besides the enormous amount of work undertaken by Mr. Shafroth and the three other senators who were mainly instrumental in framing and passing the so-called banking and currency bill, he was able also to obtain the passage of numerous measures looking to the relief and advancement of the settlers of Colorado. His bill for the relief of desert entrymen and his so-called summer homestead act, looking to a further and greater use of our mountain country, form a part of his work for the betterment and upbuild- ing of Colorado.
Mrs. John F. Shafroth is an unusual woman; while she belongs to nu- merous organizations, and her influence is felt in all of them, she has no desire to hold office. Her ambi- tion is to keep step in the world of progress. She is interested in all subjects that claim the attention of her husband, and through her finely trained mind she is his constant helper, shar- ing in his plans and work.
Her education has been broadened by exten- sive reading and by cul- ture obtained in travel. Mrs. John F. Shafroth She is active in club work, enjoys the social side of life, and one of her distinctive traits is her steadfast loyalty to her friends.
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SOME PRESENT DAY ACTIVITIES
The cornerstone of Colorado was laid of gold and silver, and while she steadily holds her position in the front rank of the producers of the precious metals, she has a rich store of common metals-lead, zinc and cop- per. Her mineral output includes tungsten, bismuth, vanadium and uranium; other substances, such as sul- phur, manganese and graphite, are found in large quan- tities. Colorado marble is the finest in the country. Colorado is one of the great coal States; her beds of clay
E ELECTRIC LIGHT CO.
Manufacturers' Association Banquet-Eating Home Products
are of countless variety and vast extent; she has immense bodies of iron ore, of lime, and mountains of building .stone.
The distinguishing feature of Colorado's develop- ment today is her great variety of industries-mining, agriculture and manufacturing. The vast deposits of coal, iron and stone mineral have been made to pour forth their quota of wealth and enable the establishing of manufactures of almost every description.
The Manufacturers' Association, as its name implies. is strictly an organization composed of manufacturers.
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A company has to have its general offices in the State, and manufacture here fifty-one per cent of its products before it is eligible for membership. These restrictions enable the members to handle with success problems which cannot be taken up by other organizations repre- senting diversified lines of business.
The principal purpose of the association is to up- build and protect the manufacturing industry of the State. Added to that is the work of creating and en- larging a home market for Colorado-made goods. It conducts educational campaigns on the necessity of citi- zens being loyal to the local interests; it looks after building contracts, inspection of factories by health de- partments, watches legislation and reaches out in many other directions.
W. J. H. Doran, who was most active in organizing the association, was chosen for its first president, and in April, 1915, he was elected to succeed himself in recognition of the excellent work he had per- formed.
The Denver Real Estate Ex- change, which stimulates interest and activity in real estate invest- ments, is an up-to-date association.
The Denver Real Estate Ad- vertiser, ably edited by Halsey M. Rhoads, fosters and maintains a cordial co-operation among the members, and publishes facts and statistics useful to the association and the public.
E. B. Morgan
The Colorado Taxpayers' Pro- tective League, though only about a year old, is a pioneer in its line. About one hundred of our leading citizens. contributing their time and money, are endeavoring to
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improve the tax conditions and public expenditures of our City and State for the benefit of every taxpayer. .
Mr. Edward B. Morgan, chairman of the executive committee of the league, has been appointed by Governor Carlson a member of the Colorado Tax Commission. Mr. Morgan is deeply interested in Colorado and her welfare: he steadfastly adheres to the belief that Denver is destined to become a great city, and proves his faith by making himself one of the leaders in its upbuilding at the present time. Mr. Morgan is convinced that there is a chance for constructive labor on taxation subjects.
G. E. Hancock
Jesse Wheelock
T. C. Hitchings
W. J. Spray
DENVER ROTARY CLUB
The Denver Rotary Club was organized in September, 1910, by Gratton E. Hancock. Its charter membership was approximately twenty-five. It has grown to a membership in 1915 of about one hundred and fifty. The accom- panying picture shows its four presidents since its organization in Denver.
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The idea of rotary clubs originated with Paul P. Harris, an attorney in Chicago, who is known as the "Father of Rotary," and the first club was organized in 1905 in that city. The idea rapidly spread, until at the present time there are one hundred and eighty-six clubs in the United States, Canada and Great Britain, with a total membership of 20,900. These clubs are formed into what is known as the International Association of Rotary Clubs, with international officers and directors.
The unique feature of each club is that only one member is permitted from each line of business or pro- fession. In this respect it is different from all other clubs. Its object is acquaintance and good fellowship among leading men in every line of trade, believing that in this way much good may be done the community in general through the organized efforts of the club as a whole.
Rotary is described as an expression of the faith of the modern man in himself, of his realization that he can be true to himself only when he is true to his neigh- bor, and no matter how many wheels of contact his own life may impinge, the direction of his turning must be toward kindly judgment, efficient sympathy and neigh- borliness.
The slogan of the club, "Service, not Self," sums up its ideals and exemplifies, when properly carried out. the aphorism that "he profits most who serves best," which was coined for use in Rotary by one of its first members.
The Colorado Mountain Club is organized to unite the energy, interests and knowledge of the students, ex- plorers and lovers of the mountains of Colorado; to col- lect and disseminate information regarding them; to stimulate public interest; to encourage the preservation of natural conditions, and to render the mountains acces- sible.
FRED W. PITKIN
JAMES B. GRANT
RENJ. IL EATON
ALVA ADAMS
JOB A. COOPER
DAVIS H. WAITE ALBERT W. MCINTYRE
CHAS.S. THOMAS
JAMES B. ORMAN
HENRY A. BUCHTEL
JESSE F MCDONALD
JOUN SHAFROTH
CARLSON
JAMES H. PEABODY
Governors of Colorado
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It has grown since 1912, when it was organized, to a membership of about three hundred, with members all over the United States. Its activities cover a very wide range. It conducts an annual camp in the mountains for two weeks during August, runs a series of week-end excursions of one to three days into the mountains throughout the year, arranges a series of winter public lectures upon natural history and mountaineering sub- jects, which are very largely attended, and has devoted a great deal of time and money to movements such as the establishment of the Rocky Mountain National Park, the collection of a library, lantern slides and pictorial records of the mountains, the protection of flowers and birds by publicity on that subject, the encouragement of natural history subjects, and the investigation of the Indian and other pioneering history of the State.
Any suitable person interested in the purposes of the organization is entitled to membership, and persons who have climbed a 14,000-foot peak in the State on foot are specially enrolled as "qualified members." The club corresponds and co-operates with all the well-known out- door clubs of this country. James Grafton Rogers is the president. The work of the special committees is attractive: National Park, Morrison Shafroth; Nature Protection, Mrs. Henry F. Brooks; Library, Miss Ruth G. Rogers; Pictorial, Dr. Wm. H. Crisp; Nomenclature, Miss Harriet W. Vaille: Publicity, Robert B. Rockwell : Peak Registers, Roger W. Toll.
DENVER'S MOUNTAIN PARKS
Colorado crowns the supreme altitude of the Ameri- can continent, and her geographical location, between the north and the south, the east and the west, is of great commercial importance; eventually it will make her the common meeting place and market of exchange. But an
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advantage greater than that of mineral and agricultural wealth combined is in her climate and scenery.
Colorado is called the "National Sanitarium"-the mecca and pleasure resort of the world.
It was John Brisben Walker who made the first step in the chain of parks and splendid roads that now com- prise the mountain parks of Denver by placing the mat- ter before the Chamber of Commerce. A resolution was passed favoring the project.
Lookout Mountain Park Roadway
Mr. Walker took up the subject with the Real Es- tate Exchange, and a committee was appointed, of which K. A. Pence was the chairman; the Chamber of Com- merce appointed a committee, of which Warwick M. Downing was chairman; the Denver Motor Club ap- pointed a committee, with E. E. Sommers as chairman. and all gave efficient help. May 21, 1912, the amendment to the charter was submitted to the people, whereby one- half mill tax was to be levied for mountain parks for a
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period of five years, and Mr. Pence was the campaign manager. Through his energy and management the peo- ple became aroused to the importance of the play-grounds, and the amendment was carried.
The Chamber was instrumental in having the bill passed by Congress, making Estes Park the Rocky Moun- tain National Park, which will eventually be connected with the Denver mountain parks, forming one great play- ground at Denver's door.
ESTES PARK
Joel Estes was the first white settler in that section; he camped there in 1859, and in the following year built his cabin on Fish creek; he and his wife lived there three years before the coming of other white people.
The "back to nature" apostle could not have desired a more simple life than that led by these two pioneers. They lived on Joel Estes and Wife wild game, fish, berries, bread, butter and coffee, and came to Denver twice a year to get their mail and sell game or hides. In their honor the park was given the name "Estes."
The recently established Rocky Mountain National Park and Estes are situated eighty-five miles northwest of Denver. Enos A. Mills. the noted naturalist, lives in Estes Park, and has given it world-wide fame by his wild life stories. He has devoted his efforts for six years to gain the creation of the Rocky Mountain National Park, and his great desire is to live to see the front range of Colorado's Rockies united in one vast play- ground for the pleasure seekers and health seekers of the world.
On the Way to Estes Park
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GOOD ROADS
This elaborate system of mountain parks makes Den- ver a touring center, and good roads a necessity. Under the administration of Honorable Thomas J. Ehrhart, State highway commissioner, the Colorado Good Roads Association has accomplished satisfactory results in the construction of good roads in Colorado.
Present plans include 5,840 miles of road, which traverse every valley and connect every county seat and important town in the State.
Mr. Thomas J. Tynan, warden of the Colorado State Penitentiary, says: "The Parkdale-Cotopaxi cut-off is the most important piece of highway construction ever performed in the West, for the reason that it gives the public a fair road from the Kansas line in the east and Denver and Cheyenne in the north to Grand Junction. The work on the Parkdale-Cotopaxi cut-off was com- menced by the prisoners of the State Penitentiary in October, 1913, with Captain Charles Baldwin in com- mand.
"It has been the policy of this institution for the last six years to do the heavy and expensive road work throughout the State, especially work that otherwise could not be afforded. This is particularly true in the mountain canyons, where the vast scenic beauties have been opened up for inspection to thousands of tourists.
"While we are doing a great deal of work in the mountains, we have constructed a greater number of miles of roadway in the farming communities. Since the pris- oners have been at work on the public highways we have built more than 500 miles of perfect roadway. The pris- oners are working simply on the public highways desig- nated by the Highway Commission and surveyed and laid out by them, and the Commission helps the counties in the building of these roads. When the main roads are com- plete across the State it will mean the construction of
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thousands of miles of feeder roads from the various moun- tains and country districts of the State to the main high- ways. This building of feeder roads has scarcely com- menced-it will be going on for years to come."
MOTORING IN COLORADO
The highways are now crossing back and forth through the State, covering it like a spider web. Motor- ing in Colorado means recreation in its fullest sense. From one end of the State to the other each mile un- furls some new sight-some new thrill of sensation-and during the summer months automobiles may be seen on the streets of the cities and on the roads in the rural sections, bearing license plates from almost every State in the country.
People from all points of the compass are continu- ally dropping in at the Denver Motor Club for informa- tion about good roads. Assistant Secretary Ralph P. Benedict says :
"The completion of the Ellwood Pass over the moun- tains from the San Luis Valley will give a short-cut to Pagosa Springs, Durango, Mesa Verde National Park and the San Juan country. In fact, the automobilist taking in all the wonders between the Rocky Mountain National Park and the Mesa Verde will have to keep going through the entire summer."
The organizations mentioned show how the pioneers of today are directing the building of the splendid State of Colorado and making her the highest example of in- dustrial progress and American civilization. The writers of history in the future will tell what the pioneers of today accomplish.
THE END
BOUND TO PLEASE Heckman Bindery THE INC.
APR.65
, .. 041
N. MANCHESTER. INDIANA
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