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The Lady and the Mountain Man:
Isabella Bird, Rocky Mountain Jim, and their Unlikely Friendship
Newspaper articles from the July 13, 1873, edition of the Chicago Tribune informed travelers bound for Colorado that the “atmosphere was so transparent Pikes Peak could be seen from the streets of Denver.” Pikes Peak was one hundred miles south of the booming city, and, truth be told on a clear day, with at least an average pair of eyes, it was impossible to make out even the dim outline of the peak. Such exaggerations lured explorers to the area. Any disappointment over not being able to see the highest summit of the southern front range of the Rocky Mountains from Denver was quickly forgotten when they proceeded to Colorado Springs where the Peak was clearly visible.
This was one of Isabella Bird’s coveted destinations. For years she had heard of the beauty of the Rocky Mountains and the amazing health- giving air that surrounded the setting. To stand at the base of the purple foothills in the snow leading to either Longs Peak or Pikes Peak for her was tantamount to drinking from the fountain of youth. As Isabella made her way across the ocean from the Sandwich Islands to San Francisco, she could see the Colorado mountains in her mind’s eye. The peaks in the far distance, their crests like burnished silver against the sky, were magnificent to behold. All she’d heard about the splendor of the territory would prove accurate. What she didn’t know then was the controversy over who owned and controlled Estes Park, the land in which the mountain range rested.
