The author and American Indian advocate Helen Hunt Jackson was another famous resident of our city. I can't find much information as to how long she lived here, but I know she was in Colorado Springs around 1873 or 1874, seeking a cure for her tuberculosis (our dry, relatively mild climate made us the go-to place for TB sufferers in the early days of our city).
Helen Hunt Jackson suffered the loss of both her parents early in life, then her husband and both her sons as a young woman. She met her second husband in Colorado Springs while seeking the cure. During these years she had blossomed into a prolific writer, publishing popular novels until she became concerned about the plight of the Native Americans. Jackson became a well known activist for the cause (which makes her a hero if you ask me), and was even appointed Commissioner of Indian Affairs, the first woman to hold that post. She died in 1885 of stomach cancer.
Helen Hunt Falls is one of our most popular attractions. It's an easy drive up into Cheyenne Cañon, and if we've had a snowy winter the falls are quite magnificent well into summer. I took this photo today, just before a rainstorm hit. I like the tourist waving from the bridge. I don't think she's waving at my camera, but who knows?
2 comments:
She's waving at all of us bloggers! The waterfall is very pretty and I enjoyed reading about Helen Hunt Jackson.
People are so friendly here in the Springs;-) Come see the falls as they were on June 6.
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