The Rocky Mountains may be famous for gold and silver, but the Gold Rush of 1859, brought more than material treasures to Colorado. In 1859, “Aunt” Clara Brown, a newly-freed slave from Kentucky, made the long journey westward to start a new life in Colorado. Reportedly the first black woman to arrive in Colorado during the Gold Rush, Aunt Clara helped pave the way for generations of outstanding Coloradoan women. From Dr. Justina Ford, Denver’s first black female physician, to Chipeta, a proud Ute and courageous Indian negotiator, to Mary Coyle Chase, Colorado’s first Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, women of different backgrounds, ages, and ethnicities continue to contribute to the state’s rich tradition of exceptional women. Experience the life and times of Colorado’s exceptional women at sites such as the Black American West Museum in the former home of Dr. Justina Ford or at Boggsville, the final home of Kit Carson, where Anglo, Mexican and American Indian women worked together on the plains of Colorado.