Palmer Lake Historical Society, April 17 – Women of the Colorado gold rush era

By Marlene Brown

The Palmer Lake Historical Society (PLHS) featured at its April 17 regular monthly membership meeting author J.v.L Bell, who co-wrote Women of the Colorado Gold Rush Era. The book features women who lived and worked in Colorado before 1865. Many made their way west and their fortune by themselves, in a time where men still owned everything, including slaves and women. The following is a few of the women highlighted at the meeting.

Clara Brown, an African American pioneer, was born a slave and had no form of education. Being freed in 1857, she headed west and became a successful businesswoman. She set up a very successful laundry business and bought several properties in Denver, Central City, Georgetown and Boulder.

Katrina Murat is thought to be one of the first Anglo women to arrive in the Pikes Peak area. She sewed the first American flag to fly over Cherry Creek and was known as the “Betsy Ross of Colorado.” Murat and her husband later retired in Palmer Lake and built a cottage below Sundance Mountain.

Maria Dolores Ballejos, a citizen of Spain, living in Spain’s New World territory. In 1821, after Spain recognized Mexico’s independence, she was a Mexican citizen, and after the Mexican-American war she lived in the Territory of New Mexico and was citizen of the United States. She had never moved out of the area, and then the San Luis Valley became part of the Colorado Territory.

Special acknowledgement to Maria Clara Martinez, who is the great-great-granddaughter of Maria Delores and lives in the San Luis area. She researches her and other families’ genealogy and was able to share information with the author. I had the great pleasure of spending a few days with Maria Clara in Taos in summer 2024.

The book holds many stories of the women of the early days of Colorado. J.v.L (Julie) Bell is a 1973 Lewis-Palmer graduate and won the 2024 Colorado Book Award. Julie is with Filter Press, which also published Shootouts, Killings, and War Heroes: The History Hidden in Monument’s Cemetery written by Michael Weinfeld and John Howe, speakers at the March 2024 PLHS meeting.

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At next month’s presentation May 15, Patric Ryan will discuss Nikola Tesla. PLHS usually holds its regular monthly meetings on the third Thursday of the month from 7-8:30 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 pm) at the Palmer Lake Town Hall, 28 Valley Crescent St. Free and open to the public. For more information about PLHS, go to palmerdividehistory.org.

Marlene Brown can be contacted at marlenebrown@ocn.me.

Other Palmer Lake Historical Society articles

• Palmer Lake Historical Society, Jan. 15 – 2026 board installed at annual meeting (2/4/2026)
• Palmer Lake Historical Society, Oct. 16 – Ancient days of Garden of the Gods explored (10/30/2025)
• Palmer Lake Historical Society, Sept. 18 – Pioneers Museum: past and present (10/2/2025)
• Palmer Lake Historical Society, July 19 – The power of print (7/31/2025)
• Palmer Lake Historical Society, June 15 – Father’s Day Ice Cream Social (7/3/2025)
• Palmer Lake Historical Society, May 15 – Author recounts life of Nikola Tesla (6/7/2025)
• Palmer Lake Historical Society, April 21 – General Palmer’s life explored (4/5/2025)
• Palmer Lake Historical Society, Jan. 16 – 2024 events recalled (2/1/2025)
• Palmer Lake Historical Society, Dec. 19 – Palmer Lake holds 91st annual Yule Log Hunt (1/4/2025)
• Palmer Lake Historical Society, Nov. 21 – Life of town hero explored (12/5/2024)