Old West Power Couples

This post written and copyright by Doris McCraw

First I hope everyone had a pleasant and fruitful Thanksgiving. Some may be out shopping so I hope this post will give you a chance to smile and perhaps engage your mind and allow you to take a break.

We have heard of the ‘power couple‘, those folks in entertainment and politics. The modern definition, according to the free dictionary is: a couple both of whom have high-powered careers or are politically influential.  I contend that there were such couples in the Old West or the West of the 1800’s. One such couple was William S. and Helen H. Jackson of Colorado Springs. Their lives fit the definition very close.

William Sharpless Jackson was a Quaker from Pennsylvania who came to Colorado Springs in 1872 to work with William Jackson Palmer and the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad. Helen Hunt Jackson arrived in the same town in 1873. She was born in Massachusetts and came to the area after the death of her first husband and two children.

 

Helen Hunt Jackson (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

William Sharpless Jackson

Now the question, why are they a ‘power couple’?  Unlike most couples of the era, these two were independent forces by themselves. Most other couples of this era were man and wife. Helen and William were husband and wife, more equal than the norm.  William not only was the treasurer for the Denver & Rio Grande, he also started a bank during the 1873 panic that did much to stabilize the Pikes Peak Region. He remained the head of a bank for over thirty-seven years, in addition to keeping the DR&G afloat during some rough times.

Helen (Hunt) Jackson was already an established poet and author when she meet William. Although William told Helen he was a businessman and that was what he knew, she kept her career intact during their marriage, until her death. It was an agreement they both stipulated to upon their marriage. Helen’s work was highly regarded world-wide and when she took on the Indian Rights issue her profile grew even more.

Both were highly focused people who had a major impact on the areas, people and policies of their time. It is a rich and fascinating history.

How many ‘power couples’ do you know of have run across prior to 1900. I would love to hear about them. What story would you write? What would be their love story? Perhaps you would like to create your own couple? The opportunities from history are endless. Keep writing, after the turkey has settled of course.

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