100 years ago, Springs lost founder and chief benefactor

The Gazette, gazette.com and the city of Colorado Springs are taking a step back in time today to remember the life and death of Colorado Springs founder Gen. William Jackson Palmer. The Gazette will publish a commemorative section marking the 100th anniversary of Palmer's Death. The cover, seen with this article, is a replica of the original Page One from March 14, 1909.

Click here for today's events, including a funeral re-enactment.

Springs Loses Founder And Chief Benefactor

Gen. William J. Palmer, founder of Colorado Springs, died at his home at Glen Eyrie at 1:15 o'clock yesterday afternoon at the age of 72 years.

The end came peacefully, following a sinking spell of about 24 hours' duration, during most of which the general was unconscious.

Surrounding his bedside were his daughters, Mrs. Leopold H. Myers of London, and the Misses Dorothy and Marjorie Palmer; his son-in-law, Mr. Myers, and sister, Miss Sylvia Myers; Dr. Will Howard Swan of this city, Miss Cecile Jacobeit, and three of the general's most intimate friends, President W.F. Slocum of Colorado College, and Colonel and Mrs. D.C. Dodge of Denver. Death was caused by the general weakening and exhaustion of the system which followed the injuries sustained by a fall from his horse in October, 1906.

General Palmer was out riding in his automobile last Wednesday and seemingly enjoyed the bracing weather. His condition was low the next, and about noon on Friday he fell into a deep sleep, from which he never awoke. He had frequently fallen into a similar sleeping condition during the last 10 days, and, although the household felt that the end was not far, no special alarm was caused by his last spell until the general's breathing became more labored, and he was found to be in a comatose condition.

Dr. W.H. Swan was hastily summoned Friday night and remained all night at Glen Eyrie, and until the end, Colonel Dodge was notified of the critical condition of his friend, and arrived from Denver with Mrs. Dodge yesterday morning.

No definite arrangements have been made for the funeral of General Palmer beyond the intention to take the body to Denver tomorrow from cremation. This is in accordance with the disposition of the body of Mrs. Palmer in 1895, and is in compliance with the expressed wish of the general.

Prominent citizens of Colorado Springs tried to prevail on the Palmer family to allow the body to lie in state at the city hall, but this was refused. They pointed out that it would be in direct violation of the wishes of the general, to whom ostentation and display were repugnant.

The general's mother, who died seven or eight years ago, at the age of 94, was a Quaker, and her son followed her precepts, although the family has a pew at St. Stephen's Episcopal church. The Rev. Arthur N. Taft, rector of St. Stephen's church, will probably officiate at the funeral services. A public memorial service will be held at the College auditorium, in Perkins hall, after the funeral, though the date has not been set.


Whole City Mourns.

The City Council last night authorized the Mayor to appoint a committee to frame resolutions of regret regarding the general's death, and the Mayor may also issue a proclamation requesting merchants to close their business houses on the day of the funeral. Appropriate resolutions will be adopted by the various civic and commercial bodies of Colorado Springs.

The only blood relatives surviving are the three daughters and the 5-months-old granddaughter, Mrs. Myers' child. The general's wife, Mrs. Queen Palmer, who died in London in 1895, was a sister of the following: Clark Mellen of Colorado Springs, temporarily in New York city; Nat and Chase Mellen, both of New York city; Mrs. W.L. Sclater of this city, and Mrs. Maude S. van Oestveen of London. Clark Mellen is president of the Colorado Brick and Artificial Stone company of this city. Nat Mellen is a well known architect and the third brother, Chase, is a lawyer. He is counsel to the carter revision committee of New York city.

Mrs. Van Oestveen and her four children visited General Palmer for several weeks, leaving Glen Eyrie for home last Wednesday.

They expect to sail from New York next Wednesday. The four children, ranging in age from 2 to 12 years, frequently accompanied the general on his automobile rides, and were great friends of the invalid, who was noted throughout his life for his ardent love of children. Mrs. Sclater is the wife of the curate of the Colorado College museum.

Thomas J. Fisher, secretary of the companies controlled by General Palmer, was his most intimate business associate in this city. Dr. W. A. Bell, formerly of Manitou, and now of Bletchingly, Surrey, England, who has large interests in this state and in Europe, was also a former close business associate. He is now in New York, and is expected here this week.


General Palmer's Character.

In reviewing the history of this wonderful man the points in his character which possibly stand out above all others are, his extreme modesty and the invariable good judgment and foresight which seemed almost to stamp him as being of a superior kind. His faith in the future of the west was apparently of that divine order which is accorded to but few men in a century, and beyond doubt the greatest joy of his life was in living to see and know the realization of that faith.

From a typical "barefoot boy," such as Whittier wrote of, in a modest, country home in Delaware, to become the manager of railroads at twenty-one, the commander of troops and the confidant of the greatest military leaders of the Civil War at twenty-six, the pioneer of a new empire and the builder of railroads at thirty-five, the found of cities and an international financier at forty, and the dispenser of millions to the cause of humanity in the evening of his life - this was the career of General Palmer.

Of his vast wealth, estimated at not less than $5,000,000, not one penny was made through anything which flavored of financial gambling of modern "frenzied" finance. He was essentially an empire builder and the originator of wealth, not for the mere sordid purpose of money-getting, but with the nobler ambition of conquering the apparently insurmountable difficulties of Nature in a new land and turning the desert into a paradise for future generation.


Money-Getting Not His Prime Object.

This was the great feature of his life work, and the proof of it is seen in the fact that he has never been regarded as a mere millionaire, nor will he be remembered as such, but rather as the developer of a state, the builder of great reailroads, the founder of beautiful cities. That he acquired wealth in the doing of his splendid deeds was a mere incident, and asuch was evidently the habitual attitude of his mind. Gold he took as it came to him and dispensed with a liberal hand, keeping it always at its true valuation and never making it the paramount object nor allowing it to taint the noble qualities of his mind and soul. In this he stands unique and almost alone among the millionaires of the world.

Small of stature and slight of frame, General Palmer was a phenomenal character from whatever standpoint he may be viewed. His early education was not what may be called "liberal" as measured by modern standards, for he was earning wages at an age when many boys of the present day are merely entering upon their college career, but his education was intensely practical. Yet he developed into a brilliant conversationalist, a patron of art and architecture of originality and taste. Possibly the most valuable year of his youthful education was that spent in England in the study of civil and mining engineering which gave him the basis for his great career as a builder. His four years of experience in the army developed those traits of devotion to duty, self-control and utter fearlessness in the face of danger and difficulty which marked his career.


Won Praise From Gen. Thomas.

His war record was one which reflected credit on his after life, and his bravery and brilliant feats called forth the commendation in words of highest praise of General George H. Thomas, "The Rock of Chicamauga," who was proverbially a silent man, little given to the expression of his thoughts and less to the bestowal of compliments: "The coolness Captain Palmer displayed when captured by the enemy as a spy and during his captivity undoubtedly saved his life under God, for such a man was never born to die until his work was accomplished."

While secretary and treasurer of the Kansas Pacific railroad, now the Union Pacific, General Palmer came to Colorado for the first time in 1869, and at once apparently realized that the then territory was to be the field of his life work, for within two years he had been one of the chief instruments in bringing to Denver two railways-the Kansas Pacific and the Denver and Cheyenne. Within the next two years was conceived, planned and carried to completion the magnificent system of mountain railroad which is the greatest monument to his energy and indomitable courage, for it was built in the face of incredible difficulties, both natural and financial.

His fight with the Santa Fe over the Royal Gorge, which he won, smacked of his former exciting military career and showed that he possessed in a marked degree the qualities that make the General Fremonts of America, and the Lord Clives of England. But the strife was not of his making, nor did he glory in the strife of man against man.

General Palmer's building of the Rio Grande Western came later and of all his achievements this was the one from which the bulk of his forturne was derived.


His Work in Mexico.

The story of General Palmer's work in Mexico would fill a volume, and when his biography comes to be written this may be among its most thrilling chapters. His operations in that country began in 1880 and are known in financial circles as the Palmer-Sullivan Concessions, consisting of grants obtained from the Mexican government by the consummate tact and skill in diplomacy of General Palmer in the face of tremendous opposition, not alone from the suspicious Mexicans but from financial rivalry both in America and England. The building of the Mexican National railroad from Laredo, Texas, to Mexico City, was an achievement of General Palmer in the early eighties.

In this he met with great opposition in financial circles. He pushed the construction from both ends of the line, and when all but 250 miles of the road was completed he was forced by his rivals to allow the enterprise to be completed by others and the road later went into the hands of the bondholders represented by W.G. Raoul of Atlanta, Georgia.

Within the last few years General Palmer disposed of his stock in the Mexican National railway in the Mexican Central Railway company. While his achievement in Mexico were remarkable, and will constitute an enduring monument to his foresight and enterprise, and a testimony to his financial ability and daring judgment, the General realized very little if any financial profit from his Mexican ventures.

Besides being the real founder of the Colorado Fuel and Iron company, General Palmer was the founder of the Pleasant Valley Coal company of Utah, now the Utah Fuel company. Although the originator of the Denver & Rio Grande system, he did not at the time of his death hold any stock in the company and is not believed by those close in his confidence to have held any in the Rio Grande Western. Just where his financial interests are at the present time is known only to his lawyers in New York, where his will was drawn, it is said, by Attorney E.M. Shepard.


The Value of His Estate.

His present estate is placed by a gentleman of this city in the confidence of the General, at about $5,000,000, which is considered a very conservative estimate. The same authority gives it as a matter of personal knowledge that in the past year alone General Palmer gave for philanthropic purposes not less than $1,000,000, His gifts in the last few years have been so munificent and numerous as not only to prevent the natural growth of his wealth but to decrease the amount of the principal. Had he lived a few years more to carry out the projects he had in mind he would more than likely have reduced his fortune to less than half of its present estimated value.

Of General Palmer's immediate family, consisting of a sister and two brothers, Frank and Charles, none are now living. His father died while the General was in the army in 1864, and his mother in 1898 at the extreme age of 94, in Germantown, Philadelphia, which was long the family home. His sister never married, and his only married brother Frank, died without issue, so that General Palmer is surived by no nephews or nieces. His brother Frank lived for some time in this city but both brothers died in the east. His wife, to whom he was married in 1870, died in London in January, 1895.

First of All, a Lover of Nature.

Love of Nature was the fundamental characteristic of General Palmer. This is shown first in his great and consistant to the mountains rather than the crowded and artificial centers of the east or Europe. This spirit is indicated in the choice of the location for his magnificent home, Glen Eyrie, close to the everlasting hills. It was his daily delight to take long horseback rides over the hills and through the glorious ravines which surround his home, and which to him held all that compelling power of attraction that the true lover of Nature feels for God's most glorious handiwork.

It was while enjoying one of these rides over the road leading from his home to the Garden of the Gods that he met with the accident which ultimately caused his death.


What you might not know about General Palmer