Winfield Scott Stratton

This statue on the corner of Nevada and Pikes Peak depicts one of our city's most important early residents, Winfield Scott Stratton (apologies for the odd angle -- I shot this out my car window while waiting for the light to change!). No doubt countless people have rolled past Mr. Stratton's stern countenance without realizing who he was and what great contributions he made to Colorado Springs.

Originally from Indiana, Mr. Stratton moved here to pursue a career in carpentry but was soon swept up in the gold rush. After many years of prospecting for gold during summertime and working winters in the carpentry trade, he finally struck it rich on the south slope of Pikes Peak, near Victor and Cripple Creek. His discovery was christened the Independence Lode and it soon made Winfield Stratton a very wealthy man.

By all accounts Mr. Stratton was a generous and philanthropic soul. He donated important tracts of land to our city, including the block where City Hall sits. Our stately downtown post office, which is named after him, sits on a parcel acquired from Mr. Stratton at a fraction of its actual value; he also donated a large sum of money to the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, one of his alma maters. He bailed many a friend out of financial difficulty, and when Cripple Creek burned to the ground he provided assistance to the thousands left homeless. Mr. Stratton was especially generous to the poor elderly and children in our region, and for this he forever wins my heart. Upon his death in 1902, his millions went toward establishing the Myron Stratton Home, named after his father, which to this day fulfills his original mission of assisting "poor persons who are without means of support and who are physically unable by reason of old age, youth, sickness or other infirmity to earn a livelihood." More than a century after his death, Winfield Scott Stratton continues to give generously to our community. Bravo!