Patrice Sterling
Dr. Andrews
Paper #2

The Colorado Gold Rush began in 1858 and attracted a staggering variety of characters. United by a common desire to find their fortunes in the West, these prospectors faced harsh conditions and often, little reward. Fifty years later, those flocking to Colorado were a very different sort. Entrepreneurs, tycoons, and even European nobility sought out the state’s pristine natural beauty by visiting luxury hotels and by building lavish private residences. Increasingly, Colorado became a destination for those who had already secured their fortunes, rather than a place to start from scratch. Certainly, more modest citizens continued to flow into the new state, but compared with earlier days in the state’s past, Colorado began to attract more people from the luxury set than ever before. I chose two photographs, taken fifty years apart, to exemplify the changing character and reputation of Colorado during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The first image I will be analyzing shows a prospector working panning for gold on a river bank in the Colorado mountains near Cripple Creek. It was taken circa 1890 by an unidentified photographer. The man’s clothing is tattered and his beard is unkempt. He crouches in the icy water, staring woefully into his sieve, which presumably contains nothing more valuable than river gravel. On the bank to his left, a well used shovel lies as if tossed aside along with a pick axe. This man is working hard with his sleeves rolled up and facing the elements in search of wealth. In the picture he is alone, no one else is visible in the photograph, there is not even wildlife around. It appears that this man is living a cold, lonely life and banking on what has turned out to be a long shot to make his fortune. Perhaps because the image is so character driven, I found it easy to picture a day in the life of this man: although he has it rough, he doesn’t have the option to abandon his life of hardship. Many people left their homes in hopes to make a fortune but only some expected to use a pick and shovel.(Abbott) The second image is superficially similar, but its details tell a different story. This is a picture of F.O. Stanley outside the hotel bearing his name in Estes Park. The photo was taken soon after the completion of hotel construction, and shows Stanley in extravagant (and spotless) western-style clothing, looking out onto all that his wealth had built. Stanley was an entrepreneur known for the creation of the Stanley Steamer Car Company and the development of a photographic process he later sold to Eastman Kodak. When his doctor suggested a trip out west as a cure for his persistent tuberculosis, he came to Colorado and found his new home. In 1909, he opened the Stanley Hotel as a Summer resort so that others could come West to enjoy the beauty and health benefits of the Rocky Mountain West. In the picture Stanley’s beard is well kept, he is wearing many more layers of clothing then the man in the first photo. Stanley appears to not be a hard working man, the photograph looks much more staged, he is not standing in a river, his clothes are well kept, he has no tools near him. In the picture it’s as if Stanley is trying to retell history himself by wearing his Western wear. Stanley seemed like the type of gentleman that wouldn’t wear that type of clothing on a regular basis. He had money, and panning for gold was not the way he became rich. It is easy to see how over the years Colorado has changed in huge ways. In 1895 and even earlier then that people came to Colorado to seek opportunity, hoping to hit in big and gain fortune while panning for gold all over the Colorado mountains. Then in 1909 after the opening of The Stanley Hotel people came to Colorado to show off their fortune. Such guests such as the Margaret Brown known to most as “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” whom was on the Titanic when it sank and lived to tell the story. Colorado started as a place for hopes and dreams to come true and then developed into a place to show off your money by being able to afford to stay in such a lavish hotel. In another 50 years, it will be interesting to see what kind of turn Colorado will take and what opportunities Colorado will provide.