John's History Corner

I have often pondered the lives of our city founder,

General William Jackson Palmer compared with

Winfield Scott Stratton.

They no doubt knew one another, but probably

had few words to say since their personalities and

backgrounds were quite different.

Palmer’s upbringing as a Quaker influenced his

life, but we are not aware of what, if any religion,

affected Stratton. They both called Colorado

Springs home for thirty years between 1872 and

1902 and probably came into conflict when

Stratton supposedly wanted to build his streetcar

line up Tejon Street and straight through the

Colorado College campus. There is speculation

that Palmer had Palmer Hall built to block the

route! Both men were amongst the city’s earliest

settlers and both were adventurous with vision

and tenacity – Palmer built railroads and Stratton

found gold. Whereas Palmer loved his castle,

threw parties and was comfortable with his wealth,

Stratton was uncomfortable with too much wealth

and possessions and preferred solitude over

socializing.

Both men were generous philanthropists,

particularly in giving away properties they had

acquired. Both were enamored with travel by rail,

Palmer in his railroad construction and Stratton

with his building of the Colorado Springs &

Interurban Railway and support of the Short Line

to Cripple Creek. Stratton had a weakness with

alcohol which likely contributed to his early death

in 1902 at age 54. Palmer, on the other hand, lived

to age 72 – sobriety was important to him. We

owe a great deal to both men – they made

significant contributions to our community that

will be enjoyed for many more generations!

John Haney