Albert E. Carlton or Bert Carlton (20 February 1866 – 1931) was an investor in Colorado banks, mines and railroads. Based upon the success of his mines in Cripple Creek, he was known as "King of Cripple Creek".

Early life and career

Albert E. Carlton was born on February 20, 1866, in

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, to H. M. Carlton, a merchant from Massachusetts. He attended

Beloit College Beloit College is a private liberal arts college in Beloit, Wisconsin. Founded in 1846, when Wisconsin was still a territory, it is the state's oldest continuously operated college. It is a member of the Associated Colleges of the Midwest and has ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. He accepted a clerk position in the mercantile trade after graduation. Carlton became ill with

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and came to Colorado in 1889 to improve his health. His health improved dramatically by 1891. Carlton was a dry goods store clerk in Colorado Springs. Latching on to the 1891 gold boom in Cripple Creek, Carlton started a freight hauling business from Colorado Midland at Divide with his brother, Leslie. The Colorado Trading and Transfer Company served the mining communities, and "eventually gained control of much of the freight business" serving the mining towns. Based upon the income from his freight business, Carlton invested in mines, banks and railroads. He invested in the

Colorado Midland Railroad The Colorado Midland Railway ,Railway Equipment and Publication CompanyThe Official Railway Equipment Register June 1917, p. 786 incorporated in 1883, was the first standard gauge railroad built over the Continental Divide in Colorado. It ran fro ...

to carry freight and in businesses in Cripple Creek.

King of Cripple Creek

He was named "King of Cripple Creek" due to the success of his mines there, including Cresson Mine,"one of the most profitable mines in the town." He owned "nearly every mine in Cripple Creek" and became a millionaire by 1930.

Carlton House

Carlton and his wife, Ethel Frizzell-Carlton, built the

Carlton House Carlton House was a mansion in Westminster, best known as the town residence of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV. It faced the south side of Pall Mall, London, Pall Mall, and its gardens abutted St James's Park in the St James' ...

in Pine Valley,

Colorado Springs Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

. Carlton purchased the property in 1928 from William A. Otis to build a home for his wife. Mrs. Carlton had become enamored of the Spanish Colonial Revival architecture during her travels across Southern California. Subsequently, architect Richard Requa was hired to design their home. The house was a "leading social center in the region." He preferred to live at

The Broadmoor The Broadmoor (stylized as THE BRODMOOR) is a hotel and resort in the Broadmoor neighborhood of Colorado Springs, Colorado. The Broadmoor is a member of Historic Hotels of America of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Its visitors hav ...

resort and never lived at the Pine Valley home.

Death

Mr. Carlton died in 1931.

Notes

References