Colorful Coloradans Biographies
Portia Lubchenco (1887 - 1978)
Portia Lubchenco was one of the first female chiefs of staff of any hospital in Colorado. "Doctor Portia" survived the Russian Revolution and helped modernize hospitals and medicine throughout Colorado.
Tadaatsu Matsudaira (1851 - 1888)
Tadaatsu Matsudaira was an early Colorado pioneer and engineer who worked in the mining industry in Colorado. He was likely the first Japanese immigrant to come to Colorado.
Burnis McCloud (1908 - 1990)
Photographer who created the largest visual record of Denver's African-American history, with photos of everything from daily events to visits by leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr.
Hattie McDaniel (1893 - 1952)
Hattie McDaniel was the child of former slaves who grew up to be the first African American to win an Academy Award.
Florence Crannell Means (1891 - 1980)
Florence Crannell Means was a children's book author who was willing to learn about and write about marginalized groups when most did not.
Enos Mills (1870 - 1922)
Writer, speaker, and conservationist best known as "The Father of Rocky Mountain National Park."
Old Mose (1892 - 1904)
In 1904, one of the last grizzly bears in Colorado was killed for crimes he was innocent of. Settlers and local newspapers invented his life story and the name "Old Mose."
Rachel Noel (1918 - 2008)
A pioneer in education, Rachel Noel helped integrate the Denver Public School system and provide equal opportunities to all Denver students.
Noguchi Family
Colorado pioneers and women ahead of their time with roots in Japan.
Maurice Pate (1894-1965)
Maurice Pate grew up in Denver, went on to give aid to the victims of WWI and was an important founding member of UNICEF.