William Jackson Palmer
Encyclopedia
William Jackson Palmer was an American civil engineer
, soldier
, industrialist, and philanthropist
.
in Pennsylvania
was interrupted by the American Civil War
(1861–65). He served in colorful fashion as a Union Army
colonel and was appointed to the brevet
grade of brigadier general
. After the War, he contributed financially to educational efforts for the freed former slaves of the South.
Heading west in 1867, while Palmer helped build the Kansas Pacific Railroad he met a young English doctor, Dr William Bell
who became his friend and partner in most of his business ventures in which we would generally find Palmer as president with Bell as vice president. The two men are best known as co-founders of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, known popularly as the "Rio Grande" railroad. The Rio Grande and its successors eventually operated the largest network of narrow gauge railroad in the United States, and ultimately became part of the 21st century Union Pacific Railroad
.
Palmer and Bell are notable for observing in Great Britain
(Bell's country of origin) and helping introduce to the United States railroads, the practices of burning coal
(rather than wood) and the use of narrow gauge railroading. He helped develop rail-related industries in Colorado
, such as a large steel
mill near Pueblo
. He was the founder of the new city of Colorado Springs
, in 1871, as well as several other communities. After moving west, General Palmer continued his philanthropic efforts in his adopted home, particularly educational institutions of higher education. Public schools in Colorado Springs were named for both the General, and his wife, Mary (née Mellen) Palmer, who was known by her nickname of "Queen".
, a small coastal town in Kent County, Delaware
in 1836. When he was five years old, his family moved to the Germantown
section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
. As a young boy, his fascination with steam locomotive
s spurred him on to learn all he could about railroads.
In 1853, at age 17, Palmer went to work for a railroad building company working near Washington, Pennsylvania
, on a line to Pittsburgh
. He was sent to England
and France
to study railroad engineering and mining.
Upon his return, in 1856, Palmer went to work for the Pennsylvania Railroad
(PRR), where he rose to the position of Private Secretary to PRR President John Edgar Thomson
. With the PRR, Palmer was exposed to the inner workings of the railroad empire and learned the state of the art of railroading in general.
Young Palmer explained to Thomson that, from his observations in England, coal
could replace wood
as the railroad's fuel
source. The PRR was then in an "ecological" crisis, burning 60,000 cords (220,000 m³) of wood per year and rapidly stripping the right-of-way of all trees. The Pennsylvania Railroad became the first American railroad to convert to coal. Over the next four years, Palmer was most concerned with the problems of efficiency and power in combustion. Among his collaborators in experimental industrialism were the PRR vice president Thomas A. Scott, and Scott's assistant, Andrew Carnegie
, an immigrant from Scotland one year older than Palmer.
began in 1861, although his Quaker upbringing made Palmer abhor violence, his passion to see the slave
s set free compelled him to enter the war. Palmer took a commission as a colonel
in the Union Army
. Palmer was an expert scout and effective military recruiter for the Union
cause, helping with the formation of the 15th Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry
.
In 1862, he was captured by the Confederate
s while scouting after the Battle of Antietam
. He was well within Confederate lines, garbed in civilian clothes, while gathering information for General George McClellan
. When questioned, Palmer gave his name as "W.J. Peters," and claimed to be a mine owner on an inspection trip. While the Confederates did not know he was a spy, his circumstances were suspicious. He was detained and sent to Richmond, Virginia
, and incarcerated at the notorious Castle Thunder
prison on Tobacco Row
. He was set free in a prisoner exchange and rejoined his regiment
in February 1863. Palmer was very vigorous in pursuing Confederate General John B. Hood after the Battle of Nashville
in 1864. On March 9, 1865, President
Abraham Lincoln
nominated Palmer for appointment to the brevet
grade of brigadier general
of volunteers and the U.S. Senate confirmed the appointment on March 10, 1865. Palmer was mustered out of the Union Army volunteer force on June 21, 1865. On February 24, 1894, Palmer was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions as colonel leading the 15th Pennsylvania Cavalry at Red Hill, Alabama, January 14, 1865 where "with less than 200 men, [he] attacked and defeated a superior force of the enemy, captured their fieldpiece and about 100 prisoners without losing a man."
near Fort Monroe at Hampton, Virginia
received much of its financial and leadership support from church groups and former officers and soldiers who had served in the Union Army. The new normal school
at Hampton was led by former Union General Samuel C. Armstrong
, himself son of missionaries and head of the local Freedmen's Bureau, and former General Palmer gave substantial sums to help. "Palmer Hall" on the Hampton University campus was named in honor and gratitude of the good general's financial support.
, headed west from their hometown of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Palmer was the construction manager for the Kansas Pacific Railroad, mapping routes through New Mexico and Arizona to the Pacific coast.
The Kansas Pacific Railroad was an enterprise of the Pennsylvania Railroad, whose president John Edgar Thomson had employed Palmer as his personal secretary before the War. Under General Palmer's direction the Kansas Pacific was extended from Kansas City, Missouri, reaching Denver, Colorado
, in August, 1870. The railroad was constructed eastward from Denver as well as westward from Kansas City. The two lines were connected at Strasburg, Colorado, thus giving Colorado its own miniversion of the connecting of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railroads at Promontory, Utah, to form the First Transcontinental Railroad
. Upon completion of that line, Palmer founded his own railroad, the north-south Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, whose first section was a Denver to Pikes Peak
area line.
Palmer met Mary Lincoln (Queen) Mellen while she and her father, William Proctor Mellen, were on a train going to see the West. They were married November 8, 1870 in Flushing, New York where the Mellen family lived at the time. On their honeymoon in the British Isles
, Palmer saw narrow gauge railroading in operation and realized the advantages for use on his own line, with substantial initial savings in manpower and materials. Furthermore, the narrow 3-foot gauge lent itself to mountain construction with the ability to take sharper curves and steeper grades. Thus, Palmer's Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad was built in narrow gauge. Two sections remain of his narrow gauge empire: the 45 miles (72.4 km) Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad
, and the 63 miles (101.4 km) Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad
. The former is a National Historic Landmark District; the latter, a historic district
listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
Palmer envisioned "an integrated industrial complex based on steel manufacturing" in which all necessary resources were controlled by one company. In 1879, as Palmer's railroads were expanding, he noted the demand for steel
for rails was high in Colorado. This prompted him to construct Colorado Coal and Iron Company
's steel mill south of Pueblo
. His dream became a reality for his successors when, in 1892, CC&I merged with the Colorado Fuel Company to form Colorado Fuel and Iron
. This company became Colorado's largest employer and dominated industry around the state for decades.
Palmer was delighted with the new area. In 1871, he acquired 10,000 acres (40 km²) of land east of the former (unofficial) Colorado territorial capital, Colorado City
. He called his new community Colorado Springs
. Saloons and gambling houses were not welcome in Colorado Springs, and if one wanted alcohol, they had to travel to the more unruly Colorado City, or nearby Manitou Springs, to get it. Production or sale of alcohol was illegal in Colorado Springs until 1933, when Prohibition was lifted nationally.
rock formations (now owned by the Navigators
.) Palmer's dear friend and partner Dr. William Bell built his home, Briarhurst
, at the opposite end of Garden of the Gods. Palmer built a large carriage house, where the family lived for a time while Palmer and Queen built a 22-room frame house. This house was remodeled in 1881 to include a tower and additional rooms.
Queen Palmer, at age twenty, opened the first public school in Colorado Springs in November, 1871. The Palmers had three daughters, Elsie, Dorothy, and Marjory.
In 1880, Mrs. Palmer suffered a mild heart attack and was advised to move to a lower altitude. She and the girls moved to the East Coast and then to England where General Palmer visited them as often as he could. Queen died on December 28, 1894, at the age of 44. In sorrow, General Palmer went to England to return Mrs. Palmer's remains and the girls to Colorado Springs.
Palmer set upon making his railroad extend from Denver to Mexico
, but failed in his bid. His north-south narrow gauge railroad was subjected to conflicting right of way issues from the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
, and the U.S. Supreme Court
ruled against his interests in 1880. In 1901, Palmer sold the Rio Grande Western Railroad, which extended from Grand Junction, Colorado, to Salt Lake City, Utah, and retired.
, suffered a fall from a horse while on a ride with his daughters and a friend and was paralyzed.
His last hurrah before his death was the invitation and hosting of the Union
veterans of his beloved 15th Pennsylvania Volunteer Regiment troopers for their annual reunion in 1907 at his cherished home in Glen Eyrie. It was held there because General Palmer was unable to travel as usual after his accident, because he used a wheelchair. Most of the surviving troopers, over 200, attended that memorable reunion.
William Jackson Palmer died at his home on March 13, 1909 at the age of 72. He was buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
, several churches in central Colorado Springs, and Cragmor Sanitarium, a tuberculosis
sanitarium which later was re-founded in 1965 as the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
(UCCS). He also provided land and funding for the creation of Colorado College
and was one of its founding trustees. Palmer Hall, the main social science building on the Colorado College campus, is named for the General.
Queen Palmer Elementary School in Colorado Springs is named in honor of Palmer's wife, Mary (Queen) Mellen Palmer; General William J. Palmer High School
in downtown Colorado Springs and Lewis-Palmer High School
in nearby Monument are named for the general himself.
"Palmer Divide
," a geographic feature north of Colorado Springs, and the community of Palmer Lake, Colorado
are named after him, as is Palmer Park in Colorado Springs.
The Palmer family's beloved home, Glen Eyrie
, is now owned by The Navigators
, and tours of the main house are available.
Rank and Organization:
Citation:
Civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
, soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
, industrialist, and philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
.
Overview
Young Palmer's early career helping build and develop the expanding railroads of the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
was interrupted by the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
(1861–65). He served in colorful fashion as a Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
colonel and was appointed to the brevet
Brevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
grade of brigadier general
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
. After the War, he contributed financially to educational efforts for the freed former slaves of the South.
Heading west in 1867, while Palmer helped build the Kansas Pacific Railroad he met a young English doctor, Dr William Bell
William Bell (city founder)
Dr. William Bell was a physician and the founder of Manitou Springs, Colorado.In 1867, Bell left London for Saint Louis, Missouri to Saratoga Springs, New York to attend a series of lectures on the medical principles of homeopathy...
who became his friend and partner in most of his business ventures in which we would generally find Palmer as president with Bell as vice president. The two men are best known as co-founders of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, known popularly as the "Rio Grande" railroad. The Rio Grande and its successors eventually operated the largest network of narrow gauge railroad in the United States, and ultimately became part of the 21st century Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
.
Palmer and Bell are notable for observing in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
(Bell's country of origin) and helping introduce to the United States railroads, the practices of burning coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
(rather than wood) and the use of narrow gauge railroading. He helped develop rail-related industries in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, such as a large steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
mill near Pueblo
Pueblo, Colorado
Pueblo is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. The population was 106,595 in 2010 census, making it the 246th most populous city in the United States....
. He was the founder of the new city of Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado...
, in 1871, as well as several other communities. After moving west, General Palmer continued his philanthropic efforts in his adopted home, particularly educational institutions of higher education. Public schools in Colorado Springs were named for both the General, and his wife, Mary (née Mellen) Palmer, who was known by her nickname of "Queen".
Childhood, education in railroad engineering
William Jackson Palmer was born to a Quaker family in LeipsicLeipsic, Delaware
Leipsic is a town in Kent County, Delaware, United States. It is part of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 183 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Leipsic is located at ....
, a small coastal town in Kent County, Delaware
Kent County, Delaware
Kent County is a county located in the central part of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is coextensive with the Dover, Delaware, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010 the population was 162,310, a 28.1% increase over the previous decade. The county seat is Dover, the state capital...
in 1836. When he was five years old, his family moved to the Germantown
Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Germantown is a neighborhood in the northwest section of the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, about 7–8 miles northwest from the center of the city...
section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. As a young boy, his fascination with steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s spurred him on to learn all he could about railroads.
In 1853, at age 17, Palmer went to work for a railroad building company working near Washington, Pennsylvania
Washington, Pennsylvania
Washington is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States, within the Pittsburgh Metro Area in the southwestern part of the state...
, on a line to Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. He was sent to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
to study railroad engineering and mining.
Upon his return, in 1856, Palmer went to work for the Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
(PRR), where he rose to the position of Private Secretary to PRR President John Edgar Thomson
John Edgar Thomson
John Edgar Thomson was an American civil engineer and industrialist. Thomson was an entrepreneur best known for his leadership of the Pennsylvania Railroad from 1852 until his death 1874, making it the largest business enterprise in the world and a world-class model for technological and...
. With the PRR, Palmer was exposed to the inner workings of the railroad empire and learned the state of the art of railroading in general.
Young Palmer explained to Thomson that, from his observations in England, coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
could replace wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
as the railroad's fuel
Fuel
Fuel is any material that stores energy that can later be extracted to perform mechanical work in a controlled manner. Most fuels used by humans undergo combustion, a redox reaction in which a combustible substance releases energy after it ignites and reacts with the oxygen in the air...
source. The PRR was then in an "ecological" crisis, burning 60,000 cords (220,000 m³) of wood per year and rapidly stripping the right-of-way of all trees. The Pennsylvania Railroad became the first American railroad to convert to coal. Over the next four years, Palmer was most concerned with the problems of efficiency and power in combustion. Among his collaborators in experimental industrialism were the PRR vice president Thomas A. Scott, and Scott's assistant, Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist, businessman, and entrepreneur who led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century...
, an immigrant from Scotland one year older than Palmer.
American Civil War
As the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
began in 1861, although his Quaker upbringing made Palmer abhor violence, his passion to see the slave
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
s set free compelled him to enter the war. Palmer took a commission as a colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
in the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
. Palmer was an expert scout and effective military recruiter for the Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
cause, helping with the formation of the 15th Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry
15th Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry
The 15th Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry was a volunteer cavalry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-History:The regiment was recruited from July to October 1862, with mustering in taking place at Carlisle...
.
In 1862, he was captured by the Confederate
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
s while scouting after the Battle of Antietam
Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam , fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Antietam Creek, as part of the Maryland Campaign, was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern soil. It was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with about 23,000...
. He was well within Confederate lines, garbed in civilian clothes, while gathering information for General George McClellan
George B. McClellan
George Brinton McClellan was a major general during the American Civil War. He organized the famous Army of the Potomac and served briefly as the general-in-chief of the Union Army. Early in the war, McClellan played an important role in raising a well-trained and organized army for the Union...
. When questioned, Palmer gave his name as "W.J. Peters," and claimed to be a mine owner on an inspection trip. While the Confederates did not know he was a spy, his circumstances were suspicious. He was detained and sent to Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, and incarcerated at the notorious Castle Thunder
Castle Thunder (prison)
Castle Thunder, located in Richmond, Virginia, was a former tobacco warehouse located on Tobacco Row, converted into a prison used by the Confederacy to house civilian prisoners, including captured Union spies, political prisoners and those charged with treason during the American Civil War. A...
prison on Tobacco Row
Tobacco Row
Tobacco Row is a collection of tobacco warehouses and cigarette factories in Richmond, Virginia adjacent to the James River and Kanawha Canal near its eastern terminus at the head of navigation of the James River.-History:...
. He was set free in a prisoner exchange and rejoined his regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
in February 1863. Palmer was very vigorous in pursuing Confederate General John B. Hood after the Battle of Nashville
Battle of Nashville
The Battle of Nashville was a two-day battle in the Franklin-Nashville Campaign that represented the end of large-scale fighting in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. It was fought at Nashville, Tennessee, on December 15–16, 1864, between the Confederate Army of Tennessee under...
in 1864. On March 9, 1865, President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
nominated Palmer for appointment to the brevet
Brevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
grade of brigadier general
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
of volunteers and the U.S. Senate confirmed the appointment on March 10, 1865. Palmer was mustered out of the Union Army volunteer force on June 21, 1865. On February 24, 1894, Palmer was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions as colonel leading the 15th Pennsylvania Cavalry at Red Hill, Alabama, January 14, 1865 where "with less than 200 men, [he] attacked and defeated a superior force of the enemy, captured their fieldpiece and about 100 prisoners without losing a man."
Benefactor of Hampton University
Typical of many traditionally black colleges and universities which trace their roots to the period immediately after the end of American Civil War, the school which is now Hampton UniversityHampton University
Hampton University is a historically black university located in Hampton, Virginia, United States. It was founded by black and white leaders of the American Missionary Association after the American Civil War to provide education to freedmen.-History:...
near Fort Monroe at Hampton, Virginia
Hampton, Virginia
Hampton is an independent city that is not part of any county in Southeast Virginia. Its population is 137,436. As one of the seven major cities that compose the Hampton Roads metropolitan area, it is on the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula. Located on the Hampton Roads Beltway, it hosts...
received much of its financial and leadership support from church groups and former officers and soldiers who had served in the Union Army. The new normal school
Normal school
A normal school is a school created to train high school graduates to be teachers. Its purpose is to establish teaching standards or norms, hence its name...
at Hampton was led by former Union General Samuel C. Armstrong
Samuel C. Armstrong
Samuel Chapman Armstrong was an American educator and a commissioned officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War...
, himself son of missionaries and head of the local Freedmen's Bureau, and former General Palmer gave substantial sums to help. "Palmer Hall" on the Hampton University campus was named in honor and gratitude of the good general's financial support.
Building the western railroads, Colorado
After the War, Palmer resumed the railroad career he had started previous to the conflict. In 1867, a very optimistic, eager 30-year-old Palmer, and his 21-year-old chief assistant Edward H. JohnsonEdward H. Johnson
Edward Hibberd Johnson was an inventor and business associate of American inventor Thomas Alva Edison. He was involved in many of Edison's projects, and was a partner in an early organization which evolved into the General Electric Company, one of the largest Fortune 500 companies in the United...
, headed west from their hometown of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Palmer was the construction manager for the Kansas Pacific Railroad, mapping routes through New Mexico and Arizona to the Pacific coast.
The Kansas Pacific Railroad was an enterprise of the Pennsylvania Railroad, whose president John Edgar Thomson had employed Palmer as his personal secretary before the War. Under General Palmer's direction the Kansas Pacific was extended from Kansas City, Missouri, reaching Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, in August, 1870. The railroad was constructed eastward from Denver as well as westward from Kansas City. The two lines were connected at Strasburg, Colorado, thus giving Colorado its own miniversion of the connecting of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railroads at Promontory, Utah, to form the First Transcontinental Railroad
First Transcontinental Railroad
The First Transcontinental Railroad was a railroad line built in the United States of America between 1863 and 1869 by the Central Pacific Railroad of California and the Union Pacific Railroad that connected its statutory Eastern terminus at Council Bluffs, Iowa/Omaha, Nebraska The First...
. Upon completion of that line, Palmer founded his own railroad, the north-south Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, whose first section was a Denver to Pikes Peak
Pikes Peak
Pikes Peak is a mountain in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, west of Colorado Springs, Colorado, in El Paso County in the United States of America....
area line.
Palmer met Mary Lincoln (Queen) Mellen while she and her father, William Proctor Mellen, were on a train going to see the West. They were married November 8, 1870 in Flushing, New York where the Mellen family lived at the time. On their honeymoon in the British Isles
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, Palmer saw narrow gauge railroading in operation and realized the advantages for use on his own line, with substantial initial savings in manpower and materials. Furthermore, the narrow 3-foot gauge lent itself to mountain construction with the ability to take sharper curves and steeper grades. Thus, Palmer's Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad was built in narrow gauge. Two sections remain of his narrow gauge empire: the 45 miles (72.4 km) Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad
Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad
The Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad is a narrow gauge heritage railroad that operates of track between Durango and Silverton, in the US state of Colorado...
, and the 63 miles (101.4 km) Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad
Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad
The Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad is a narrow gauge heritage railroad running between Chama, New Mexico and Antonito, Colorado. It runs over the Cumbres Pass, the highest point on a US passenger railway....
. The former is a National Historic Landmark District; the latter, a historic district
Historic district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries, historic districts receive legal protection from development....
listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Palmer envisioned "an integrated industrial complex based on steel manufacturing" in which all necessary resources were controlled by one company. In 1879, as Palmer's railroads were expanding, he noted the demand for steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
for rails was high in Colorado. This prompted him to construct Colorado Coal and Iron Company
Colorado Coal and Iron Company
Colorado Coal and Iron Company was formed in 1880 when three Denver and Rio Grande subsidiaries controlled by William J. Palmer merged. These were the Colorado Coal and Steel Works Company, the Central Colorado Improvement Company, and the Southern Colorado Coal and Town Company...
's steel mill south of Pueblo
Pueblo, Colorado
Pueblo is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. The population was 106,595 in 2010 census, making it the 246th most populous city in the United States....
. His dream became a reality for his successors when, in 1892, CC&I merged with the Colorado Fuel Company to form Colorado Fuel and Iron
Colorado Fuel and Iron
The Colorado Fuel and Iron Company was a large steel concern. By 1903, it was largely owned and controlled by John D. Rockefeller and Jay Gould's financial heirs. While it came to control many plants throughout the country, its main plant was a steel mill on the south side of Pueblo, Colorado...
. This company became Colorado's largest employer and dominated industry around the state for decades.
Palmer was delighted with the new area. In 1871, he acquired 10,000 acres (40 km²) of land east of the former (unofficial) Colorado territorial capital, Colorado City
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado...
. He called his new community Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and most populous city of El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Colorado Springs is located in South-Central Colorado, in the southern portion of the state. It is situated on Fountain Creek and is located south of the Colorado...
. Saloons and gambling houses were not welcome in Colorado Springs, and if one wanted alcohol, they had to travel to the more unruly Colorado City, or nearby Manitou Springs, to get it. Production or sale of alcohol was illegal in Colorado Springs until 1933, when Prohibition was lifted nationally.
Glen Eyrie
Palmer built his dream home, which he called Glen Eyrie (Eagle's Nest) near Colorado Springs in the northwest foothills north of the Garden of the GodsGarden of the Gods
Garden of the Gods is a public park located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA.-Genesis of the park:Entrance to the park is free according to the wish of Charles Elliott Perkins, whose children donated the land to the city of Colorado Springs in 1909....
rock formations (now owned by the Navigators
The Navigators (organization)
The Navigators is a worldwide Christian para-church organization headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Its main purpose is the discipling of Christians with a particular emphasis on enabling them to share their faith with others....
.) Palmer's dear friend and partner Dr. William Bell built his home, Briarhurst
Briarhurst
Briarhurst, also known as William A. Bell House, is a finely grained pink Victorian sandstone manor house in Manitou Springs, Colorado. Built in 1886 in Tudor Revival style as the home of Dr. William Bell, Briarhurst Manor was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. Fountain...
, at the opposite end of Garden of the Gods. Palmer built a large carriage house, where the family lived for a time while Palmer and Queen built a 22-room frame house. This house was remodeled in 1881 to include a tower and additional rooms.
Queen Palmer, at age twenty, opened the first public school in Colorado Springs in November, 1871. The Palmers had three daughters, Elsie, Dorothy, and Marjory.
In 1880, Mrs. Palmer suffered a mild heart attack and was advised to move to a lower altitude. She and the girls moved to the East Coast and then to England where General Palmer visited them as often as he could. Queen died on December 28, 1894, at the age of 44. In sorrow, General Palmer went to England to return Mrs. Palmer's remains and the girls to Colorado Springs.
Palmer set upon making his railroad extend from Denver to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, but failed in his bid. His north-south narrow gauge railroad was subjected to conflicting right of way issues from the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The company was first chartered in February 1859...
, and the U.S. Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
ruled against his interests in 1880. In 1901, Palmer sold the Rio Grande Western Railroad, which extended from Grand Junction, Colorado, to Salt Lake City, Utah, and retired.
Retirement
In his later years, he enjoyed being the benefactor to the Colorado Springs community, and was well liked by the people. In 1906, Palmer, who preferred the horse to the newly invented automobileAutomobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
, suffered a fall from a horse while on a ride with his daughters and a friend and was paralyzed.
His last hurrah before his death was the invitation and hosting of the Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
veterans of his beloved 15th Pennsylvania Volunteer Regiment troopers for their annual reunion in 1907 at his cherished home in Glen Eyrie. It was held there because General Palmer was unable to travel as usual after his accident, because he used a wheelchair. Most of the surviving troopers, over 200, attended that memorable reunion.
William Jackson Palmer died at his home on March 13, 1909 at the age of 72. He was buried at Evergreen Cemetery in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Legacy
Palmer was the land-grantor of several institutions in Colorado Springs, including the (International Typographical Union's) Union Printer's Home, the Colorado School for the Deaf and BlindColorado School for the Deaf and Blind
The Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind is a K-12 residential school, located on Knob Hill, one mile east of downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado, near the famous laboratory of Nikola Tesla. The school was founded in 1874 as The Colorado Institute for the Education of Mutes by Jonathan R...
, several churches in central Colorado Springs, and Cragmor Sanitarium, a tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
sanitarium which later was re-founded in 1965 as the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
The University of Colorado Colorado Springs is a campus of the University of Colorado system, the state university system of Colorado....
(UCCS). He also provided land and funding for the creation of Colorado College
Colorado College
The Colorado College is a private liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell...
and was one of its founding trustees. Palmer Hall, the main social science building on the Colorado College campus, is named for the General.
Queen Palmer Elementary School in Colorado Springs is named in honor of Palmer's wife, Mary (Queen) Mellen Palmer; General William J. Palmer High School
General William J. Palmer High School
This article is on the high school located in Colorado Springs. For the high school located in Monument, Colorado, please see Lewis-Palmer High School....
in downtown Colorado Springs and Lewis-Palmer High School
Lewis-Palmer High School
Lewis-Palmer High School is a high school in Monument, Colorado. It is one of only two high schools in Lewis-Palmer School District 38, the other being Palmer Ridge High School....
in nearby Monument are named for the general himself.
"Palmer Divide
Palmer Divide
The Palmer Divide is a ridge in central Colorado that separates the Arkansas River basin from the Missouri River basin. It extends from the Front Range of the Rockies in central Colorado, eastward toward the town of Limon....
," a geographic feature north of Colorado Springs, and the community of Palmer Lake, Colorado
Palmer Lake, Colorado
Palmer Lake is a Statutory Town in El Paso County, Colorado, United States. The population was 2,179 at the 2000 census. Palmer Lake was founded by General William Jackson Palmer in 1871. The town was soon incorporated in 1889....
are named after him, as is Palmer Park in Colorado Springs.
The Palmer family's beloved home, Glen Eyrie
Glen Eyrie
Glen Eyrie is a 67-room English Tudor-style castle built by General William Jackson Palmer, the founder of Colorado Springs. This house was his dream home and is near Colorado Springs in the northwest foothills north of the Garden of the Gods rock formations...
, is now owned by The Navigators
The Navigators (organization)
The Navigators is a worldwide Christian para-church organization headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Its main purpose is the discipling of Christians with a particular emphasis on enabling them to share their faith with others....
, and tours of the main house are available.
Medal of Honor citation
- Colonel, 15th Pennsylvania Cavalry. Place and date: At Red Hill, Ala., January 14, 1865. Entered service at. Philadelphia, Pa. Born. September 16, 1836, Leipsic, Kent County, Del. Date of issue. February 24, 1894.
Citation:
- With less than 200 men, attacked and defeated a superior force of the enemy, capturing their fieldpiece and about 100 prisoners without losing a man.
See also
- List of American Civil War Medal of Honor recipients: M–P
- List of American Civil War generals (Union)