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Peak
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Wayside
Excursion: Tuberculosis and the Growth of Colorado
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Both F.O. Stanley
and Enos Mills came to Colorado in hopes of improving their health.
They were not alone. Cynthia Stout, in her doctoral dissertation,
A Consumptives’ Refuge: Colorado and Tuberculosis (1997), provides
support for the widely held belief that by 1900 “one-third
of Colorado’s population were residents of the state because
of tuberculosis.” She contends that the fresh air, year-round
sunshine, low humidity, and mile-high elevation attracted more people
than gold or silver ever did. It is exactly these qualities that
continue to draw the many tourists who visit Colorado and contribute
so much to its economy.
Colorado’s reputation as a good place to seek a cure for tuberculosis
reflected one of the most popular treatments for the disease. The
open-air regimen included lots of fresh, clean air. That it was
dry and evergreen-scented made it even better. The Colorado climate
provided just that. Coupled with good food, sunshine, and bed rest
at first, then an exercise regime, the open-air cure was much more
pleasant than other treatments of the day which included patent
medicines containing arsenic or creosote and drinking fresh cow’s
blood.
At first, health seekers stayed in hotels, wagons, and tents, but
soon sanatoriums were built, ranging from the luxurious resort-like
Cragmor in Colorado Springs to facilities for the indigent such
as the Jewish Consumptive Relief Society (JCRS) in Denver. Many
of the hospitals in these cities began as sanatoriums, including
Penrose and Memorial hospitals in Colorado Springs, and Swedish,
Craig, Lutheran, National Jewish, Porter, and St. Anthony hospitals
in Denver.
Many health seekers chose to stay in Colorado and contributed to
the economic growth of the state. They took their places as responsible
citizens, building strong neighborhoods and adding to the civic
well-being of their towns and cities. Among the more familiar names
who came because of tuberculosis are:
- Baron von Richthofen, founder
of the Montclair neighborhood, one of the first planned communities
in Colorado.
- Denver mayor Robert Speer,
who transformed Denver into a “City Beautiful” and
was instrumental in building landmarks such as the Auditorium
Theater and Civic Center.
- “Big Ed” Johnson,
three-time governor and U.S. senator.
- Temple Hoyne Buell, architect
for the Paramount Theater and developer of the first Cherry
Creek Shopping Center.
- Dr. Gerald Webb, pioneer in
tuberculosis treatment and research.
- Lawrence Phipps, businessman,
philanthropist, U.S. senator, and patriarch of one of Colorado’s
most prominent families.
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Thanks to Cynthia Stout for permission
to use her dissertation in the preparation of this Wayside Excursion.
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