Richard Sopris in Early Denver: Captain, Mayor & Colorado Fifty-Niner

by Linda Bjorklund, Dr. Thomas Noel (Foreword by)

Overview

From Gregory's Diggings prospector to Denver mayor, Richard Sopris left an indelible mark on the Mile High City and Centennial State. During an 1860 prospecting expedition, Sopris discovered Glenwood Springs and the nearly thirteen-thousand-foot summit later named for him. Following life as a steamboat captain, he was appointed captain of Company C, First Colorado Cavalry, in 1861 and commanded volunteer troops at Glorieta Pass. After serving as a delegate to the first constitutional convention of Colorado and as Arapaho County sheriff, he helped quell the Hop Alley Chinese Riot of 1880 and enacted public works projects to rid Denver of a deadly typhoid outbreak. After his mayoral term ended in 1881, Sopris became the first commissioner of his beloved City Park. Author Linda Bjorklund celebrates the unsung life and accomplishments of a founding son of Colorado.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781439656938
Publisher:	The History Press
Publication date:	07/25/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	144
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Linda Bjorklund's books include Burros! and A Brief History of Fairplay (The History Press, 2013). She publishes a quarterly newsletter for the Park County Local History Archives and writes a monthly historical article for the Ute Country News. Her interest in Richard Sopris came out of her acquaintance with one of his descendants, Betty Farrington, through the American Legion Post in Buena Vista, Colorado.