Winfield scott stratton biography for kids

W.S. Stratton was indeed the “Midas of the Rockies.”  For 19 years he was a failed prospector, but in 1891, his luck changed and he became legend. As owner of the Independence and Little Portland Mines, he was in control of the greatest gold producers in the history of Cripple Creek.

Together, the two mines produced over $88 million of ore!​

Arriving in Colorado Springs in 1868, he was following rumors of fortune to be had in the Pike’s Peak country. He continued to follow every rumor of gold in Colorado for the next 17 years with no success.

Online biography for kids

Finally, he took a course in mineralogy and, armed with new knowledge, headed for Cripple Creek where, on July 4, 1891, he staked his claims on Battle Mountain. He hit the mother lode in his “dream mine,” the Independence, a rich vein of gold that never ran out!

He then invested in what would become Cripple Creek’s greatest producer of all, the Little Portland Mine. ​

To “Crazy Bob” Womack, discoverer but not heir to Cripple Creek riches, Str