Clara Brown
Clara Brown grew up enslaved. Throughout her early life, her four children were stolen from her and sold like cattle. In 1856, she was granted her freedom and began her lifelong search for her children. This search brought her West, and after trading her skills as a cook, she was granted passage with a group of travelers to Colorado. Once in Colorado, she established herself as a successful business woman and property owner, settling in Central City. Her wealth fueled her ability to continue searching for her children, and although her efforts were often fruitless in terms of finding them, she provided support and guidance throughout her travels for newly freed Black people trying to find safety and a livelihood. As Clara Brown neared the end of her life, she was finally reunited with one of her children, her daughter Eliza. Eliza was the only child she was ever able to find and the pair only received three years together before Clara passed away.
Clara Brown assisting freed Black individuals to move out West should not be simplified. She did this in a time when Black people had few rights and were only recently permitted the access to a society that had denied them personhood for centuries. The West was viewed as a place for refuge and she guided many people to a new life away from their enslavers.
Not so Free "Free" States
The Civil War is often associated with the eastern half of the country, leaving the western half ignored for its influence not only in the Civil War, but in exploiting the labor of People of Color and continuing the cruel legacy of slavery.
The West played a significant role in the Civil War as Westward Expansion raised the question, should new states be free states or slave states? As Kansas was trying to decide this within their induction into statehood, pro-slavery whites from Missouri stormed the courthouse to advocate for enslaving human beings for profit. This resulted in an all-out battle in Kansas between those for and against slavery, foreshadowing future events in the nation (Ives and Burns, The West). Despite the sentiments in Kansas and other western states, after the Civil War places out West looked to be a sanctuary for many freed Black people.
Kansas was a primary destination for many of these individuals who would be called "Exodusters" in response to the massive population of Black people leaving the South.
Even when Western states called themselves "free," that was rarely the reality. Jim Crow Laws weaved their way into every part of society, enforcing segregation and racial policies throughout the West.
Colorado did not fully abolish slavery until 2018.
Clara Brown's Influence and Achievements
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One of the first Black women to settle in Denver
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Started Central City's first laundry
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Central City's Opera House installed a chair in honor of Clara Brown in the 1930's
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Inducted into Colorado's Women's Hall of Fame in 1989
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Inducted into Colorado's Business Hall of Fame in 2022