Marshall Sprague (March 14, 1909 – September 9, 1994) was an American journalist in New York, Paris, and China and writer of books about western United States history. From Ohio, he moved to

Colorado Springs, Colorado 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 ...

to recuperate following a diagnosis of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

and settled there. He received the Colorado Authors League Top Hand Award for ''Massacre: The Tragedy At White River'' and ''A Gallery of Dudes.''

Early life and career

Born March 14, 1909 in

Newark, Ohio Newark ( ) is a city serving as the county seat of Licking County, Ohio, United States, east of Columbus, at the junction of the forks of the Licking River. The population was 49,934 at the 2020 census, which makes it the 15th largest city in ...

, he graduated from

Lawrenceville School The Lawrenceville School is a coeducational preparatory school for boarding and day students located in the Lawrenceville section of Lawrence Township, in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. Lawrenceville is a member of the Eight Schoo ...

and

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

(1930), both in New Jersey. After Princeton, he first worked at ''Women’s Wear Daily''. He was a journalist in Paris for the New York Herald-Tribune's Paris edition and China for ''North China Star ''. He then contributed to ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', writing book reviews and articles for the Sunday Times. He moved to the North End of Colorado Springs, Colorado following a diagnosis of tuberculosis in 1941. As he recovered, he wrote ''The Business of Getting Well''. He is the author of ''Money Mountain'' (1953) about Cripple Creek and Victor gold mining. In 1957, he received the Colorado Authors League Top Hand Award for ''Massacre: The Tragedy At White River'' of the

Meeker Massacre Meeker Massacre, or Meeker Incident, White River War, Ute War, or the Ute Campaign), took place on September 29, 1879 in Colorado. Members of a band of Ute Indians ( Native Americans) attacked the Indian agency on their reservation, killing th ...

of 1879. He wrote ''Newport In The Rockies: The Life And Good Times Of Colorado Springs'' (1961), which

Cleveland Amory Cleveland Amory (September 2, 1917 – October 14, 1998) was an American author, reporter, television critic, commentator and animal rights activist. He originally was known for writing a series of popular books poking fun at the pretensions an ...

, a social historian, described as "candid, graceful, diligently researched". He also wrote ''A Gallery of Dudes'' (1967) described as a book of "wonderful tales about eminent commoners and titled Europeans awash in the exhilarating landscapes of America's last frontier" by a critic. It received the Top Hand Award in 1967. In 1976, his book ''Colorado, A Bicentennial History'' was published. Another of his books of western history was ''So Vast So Beautiful a Land: Louisiana and the Purchase'' about the

Louisiana Purchase The Louisiana Purchase (french: Vente de la Louisiane, translation=Sale of Louisiana) was the acquisition of the territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803. In return for fifteen million dollars, or app ...

. His memoir, ''Sometimes I'm Happy'', was published the year following his death, with the assistance of family and friends.

Personal life

Married February 1939, his wife was Edna Jane (E.J.) (née Ailes) Sprague, an activist, serving civic commissions and boards and the Colorado Springs City Planning Commission. They had three children, Sharon, Stephen, and Joseph. He was a jazz piano player and bird watcher. Sprague died in Colorado Springs at St. Francis Hospital at the age of 85 on September 9, 1994.

Legacy

In 2014, Alex Johnson in the ''Colorado Springs Gazette'' wrote of Sprague's influence: Marshall Sprague Park in Colorado Springs is named for him. Located at 3492 W. Woodmen in the Peregrine neighborhood, it was dedicated on August 7, 1999.

Early life and career

Personal life

Legacy

Notes

References

Further reading