![Enosmillsportrait](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f4/Enosmillsportrait.jpg)
Enos Abijah Mills (April 22, 1870 – September 21, 1922) was an American naturalist, author and homesteader. He was the main figure behind the creation of
Rocky Mountain National Park.
Enos Mills was inducted into the Colorado Business Hall of Fame by Junior Achievement–Rocky Mountain and the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce in 2016.
Early and personal life
Mills was born in
Pleasanton, Kansas
Pleasanton is a city in Linn County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,208.
History
In 1864, General Alfred Pleasonton defeated the Confederates in the Battle of Mine Creek near present-day Pleasant ...
, near the later site of the
Mine Creek Battlefield of the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
. His parents were Enos Mills Sr., and Ann Lamb Mills. He had ten brothers and sisters, who are listed in order of birth: Augustus, Elkhanah, Mary, Naomi Victoria, Ruth, Sarah, Ellen, Sabina Isabelle (Belle), Horace,
Enoch Joe. He married Esther Burnell on August 12, 1918. Their only child, Enda Mills, was born on April 27, 1919.
Colorado and Montana
He moved to
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
in 1884 at the age of 14.
He suffered from an unidentifiable illness which he later discovered to be an allergy to wheat.
At age 15, he made his first ascent of
Longs Peak
Longs Peak (Arapaho: ) is a high and prominent mountain in the northern Front Range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The fourteener is located in the Rocky Mountain National Park Wilderness, southwest by south ( bearing 209°) of th ...
. Over the course of his life, he made the trip 40 times by himself and nearly 300 additional times as a guide.
He built his homestead near Longs Peak and the town of
Estes Park, Colorado
Estes Park is a statutory town in Larimer County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 5,904 at the 2020 United States Census. Estes Park is a part of the Fort Collins, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Front Range Urban Cor ...
at the age of 15, completing it at 16.
Enos filed his homestead application on 3 February 1893 and received his patent on 16 November 1898 for 160 acres. His tract is located in Larimer County, Colorado on the west half of the southwest quarter of section 26 (80 acres) and the west half of the northwest quarter of section 35 (80 acres) of township 4 north and range 73 west of the 6th PM.
In the winter of 1887 he moved to
Butte, Montana.
There he lived and worked intermittently until 1902, spending some of his summers traveling the West Coast of the United States, Alaska, and Europe. In 1889, he had a chance encounter with famed naturalist
John Muir
John Muir ( ; April 21, 1838December 24, 1914), also known as "John of the Mountains" and "Father of the National Parks", was an influential Scottish-American naturalist, author, environmental philosopher, botanist, zoologist, glaciologist ...
on a San Francisco beach, and from that point on Mills dedicated his life to conservation activism, lecturing, and writing.
In 1902, Mills returned to Colorado and purchased the Longs Peak House near
Estes Park
Estes Park is a statutory town in Larimer County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 5,904 at the 2020 United States Census. Estes Park is a part of the Fort Collins, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Front Range Urban Cor ...
from his cousin,
Elkanah Lamb.
Mills hired and trained nature guides there, who guided many people up Longs Peak and the surrounding area. His methods of nature interpretation are still taught to students in the field of interpretation.
From 1902 to 1906, Mills was a Colorado State Snow Observer, a position in which he measured the snow depths to predict spring and summer runoff. Following this position, he served as government lecturer on forestry from 1907 to 1909.
Naturalist and author
Mills authored several articles and books on nature and Estes Park area, beginning in the first decade of the 20th century.
His speeches generally focused on the lives of trees, forestry issues, preservation of natural lands, and the lives of wild animals. Often in his speeches and written articles he encouraged people of all ages to get outside and into nature.
Mills continued to lecture and write books until his death.
Rocky Mountain National Park
Mills led the fight to preserve the area around Longs Peak as a national park, and used his speeches, his writing, and photography to lobby for the park.
He wanted a park of about 1,000 square miles that would cover the area from Wyoming to
Pikes Peak
Pikes Peak is the highest summit of the southern Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, in North America. The ultra-prominent fourteener is located in Pike National Forest, west of downtown Colorado Springs, Colorado. The town of Manitou S ...
.
Mills was aided by the Sierra Club, Daughters of the American Revolution,
American Civic Association
The American Planning and Civic Association (APCA) was an American organization for improving living conditions in the United States, with an emphasis on improving the physical and structural growth of communities. Its purpose was briefly state ...
, the
General Federation of Women's Clubs
The General Federation of Women's Clubs (GFWC), founded in 1890 during the Progressive Movement, is a federation of over 3,000 women's clubs in the United States which promote civic improvements through volunteer service. Many of its activities ...
and especially,
Freelan Oscar Stanley
Freelan Oscar Stanley (June 1, 1849 – October 2, 1940) was an American inventor, entrepreneur, hotelier, and architect. He made his fortune in the manufacture of photographic plates but is best remembered as the co-founder, with his brother Fra ...
, founder of the
Stanley Hotel.
President
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...
signed into law the bill that made the
Rocky Mountain National Park the tenth national park on January 26, 1915.
It was 352.5 square miles.
He was called the "Father of Rocky Mountain National Park"
by the
Denver ''Post''.
Death
Mills died at age 52 in 1922.
He died from blood poisoning from an infected tooth.
His wife, Esther Burnell Mills, was co-author with Hildegarde Hawthorne of the book ''Enos Mills of the Rockies'', which was published in 1935.
Mills Lake, within the Rocky Mountain National Park, was named in his honor.
Publications
![The adventures of a nature guide (1920) (17938372305)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/The_adventures_of_a_nature_guide_%281920%29_%2817938372305%29.jpg)
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References
Further reading
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External links
* Short radio episod
"Universal Kinship"from ''The Adventures of a Nature Guide, 1920,'' by Enos A. Mills,
California Legacy Project
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
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Enos Mills Cabin Website
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1922 deaths
1870 births
American naturalists
People from Butte, Montana
People from Estes Park, Colorado
People from Pleasanton, Kansas