State Historical Society of Colorado Markers

State Historical Society of Colorado Historic Markers

I have long been interested in the old bronze historic plaques found around the state. I had no idea how many there were until I started "bagging" Colorado mountain passes for the Colorado BMW Club's Pass Bagger 50 award and found ten of the bronze plaques at various summits on mountain roads. Some research on the internet and at the Colorado History Musuem turned up a little over 100 bronze plaques located all around the state. Most of them, now historic in their own right, are still there. Others have disappeared. The Colorado Historical Society's historic marker program page is probably the latest, most authoritative reference for the current status of the plaques and markers. Many of the bronze plaques were funded by the Mrs. J. N. Hall Foundation, the William A. Braiden Fund, and the Robert S. Ellison Fund. Government agencies, local organizations, and others also provided financial support for the markers. Show below are the bronze plaques I have found so far, along with other information and references. - Randy Bishop, Highlands Ranch, Colorado.


Plaques at Colorado Mountain Passes
Berthoud, Cochetopa, Cumbres, Fremont, Gore, Hoosier, Kenosha, Old La Veta, Old Monarch, Old Rabbit Ears, Raton, Red Mountain, Tennessee, and Ute Passes



Northwest Colorado - The Old West
Garfield, Grand, Jackson, Moffat, Rio Blanco, and Routt Counties



North Central Colorado - The Rich Earth
Arapahoe, Boulder, Clear Creek, Douglas, Gilpin, Jefferson, Larimer, and Weld Counties



Northeast Colorado - High Plains Country
Cheyenne, Kiowa, Kit Carson, Logan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington, and Yuma Counties



Denver Area - Mile-High city
Denver County



Southwest Colorado - Trail of the Padres
Archuleta, Delta, Gunnison, La Plata, Montezuma, Montrose, and Ouray Counties



South Central Colorado - Wide Valleys and Soaring Peaks
Chaffee, Conejos, Costilla, Lake, Mineral, Park, Rio Grande, Saguache, and Summit Counties



Southeast Colorado - Arkansas Trade Routes
Bent, El Paso, Fremont, Heurfano, Las Animas, Prowers, and Pueblo Counties

Mrs. J. N. Hall Foundation Historical Plaques

GOLD! - by Bill Pierson, Contributing Editor
Excerpted from Colorado Medicine, June 2003, Volume 100, Number 4.

Dr. Josiah N. Hall, one of the well known physician members of the Colorado Medical Society, had a great love for the history of his adopted state. Dr. Hall (Archives Colorado Medicine, Vol. 94, No. 12; p. 460) came west from Harvard Medical School in 1883, looking first at Denver, but then deciding on the little plains town of Sterling, population 250. Dr. Hall practiced until 1936 and died in December, 1939. Dr. Hall was an active member of the Colorado Historical Society and he traveled the state in all directions on his frequent hunting trips. Dr. Hall was a prodigious writer, and his last book was about the early day practice of medicine in Colorado. Dr. Hall chose to do something for his wife, Carrie, and he created the “Mrs. J. N. Hall Foundation,” which provided funds for a series of historical marker plaques placed at notable locations around the state.

William A. Braiden Fund Historical Plaques

Apparently William A. Braiden was a rancher and banker from the San Luis Valley, a leader of the American National Cattleman's Association, and an alternate delegate to 1940 Republican National Convention from Colorado.

Other References

If you know of other Colorado Historical Society markers, especially the old bronze ones with "Mrs. J. N. Hall Foundation", please e-mail bishoprl AT earthlink.net, with subject line "Hall Foundation". Thanks.

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© 2008 Randy Bishop
Last modified: July 2, 2008