In
1858 gold was discovered at Cherry Creek, near Pike's Peak, Colorado.
This created a gold rush and a mining camp was established at Denver.
It quickly developed into a boom town and provided supplies to all
the miners in the area.
Colorado
became a state in 1876 and Denver was established as its capital city.
Over the next few years Horace
Tabor invested
heavily in Denver. By the end of the century Denver had a population
of 133,000 people.
(1)
Ellis
County Star (11th May, 1873)
We learn from recent dispatches that Mr. J. B. Hickok, (Wild Bill),
well known to the older citizens of Hays City, was shot in the head
and instantly killed, by a man named Bill Sutherland, while playing
cards in a saloon in Deadwood Gulch, Wyoming. From the report it seems
that Bill had killed a brother of Sutherland's in this city, several
years ago, and in revenge the latter shot Bill, taking him unawares.
This is the long-looked
for ending of the career of one who deserved a better fate. For nearly
his whole life time Bill was on the frontier, a portion of the time
acting as scout, and then as an officer of the law in some frontier
town. He was elected Sheriff of this county in 1868, and did good
service in keeping order. While here he killed several men; but all
their acquaintances agreed that he was justified in so doing. He never
provoked a quarrel, and was a generous, gentlemanly fellow. In person
he was over six feet tall, broad-shouldered, and a specimen of perfect
manhood throughout.
He was a dead shot, wonderfully
quick in drawing and shooting, the latter faculty filling his enemies
with a very wholesome respect, when in his presence.
Living as he did in constant
fear of his life, he always kept his revolvers with him, and had the
fellow that shot him given him a fair fight, and not taken the cowardly
advantage that he did. Wild Bill would not have been killed.
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