Mary Elitch Long
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Mary Elitch Long (
maiden name When a person (traditionally the wife in many cultures) assumes the family name of their spouse, in some countries that name replaces the person's previous surname, which in the case of the wife is called the maiden name ("birth name" is also used ...
Hauck) (May 10, 1856 – July 16, 1936) was one of the original owners of
Elitch Gardens Elitch Gardens was a family-owned seasonal amusement park, theater, and botanic garden in the West Highland neighborhood in northwest Denver, Colorado, United States, at 38th and Tennyson streets. For more than a century Elitch's was one of the m ...
in
Denver, CO Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the United ...
. She was the first woman to own and manage a zoo—the first zoo between Chicago and the west coast—and one of the first women to own and manage a theater (the first
Summer stock theatre In American theater, summer-stock theater is a theater that presents stage productions only in the summer. The name combines the season with the tradition of staging shows by a resident company, reusing stock scenery and costumes. Summer stock the ...
in the country.) She was an author of two children's books and was inducted into the
Colorado Women's Hall of Fame The Colorado Women's Hall of Fame is a non-profit, volunteer organization that recognizes women who have contributed to the history of the U.S. state of Colorado. As of 2020, 170 women have been inducted. History There was a short-lived recogniti ...
in 1996.


Early Years and Marriage to John Elitch

Mary Elizabeth Hauck, called Lydia by her family, was born in Philadelphia in 1856 and by 1863 her family had settled near Alviso, California, where they were fruit farmers. Alviso, at the southern end of San Francisco Bay, was a boating and shipping port, but today it has been incorporated into the city of San José and no longer functions as a port. At church, a young Mary met
John Elitch John Elitch, Jr. (April 10, 1850 – March 10, 1891) was a restaurateur, businessman, actor, zookeeper, and original owner and namesake of Elitch Gardens and the Elitch Theatre in Denver, CO. Early Years and Marriage John Elitch, Jr., originally ...
and he courted her with daily notes delivered to her by her 10-year-old brother, Edward. John eventually sent a note stating, "I'm going to San Francisco for a job; will you marry me when I come for you?" Mary sent a note back saying "Yes." Mary knew her father would not consent, so in May 1872 the couple eloped and were married in San Jose. Mary was just 16 and John was 22. They settled in San Francisco and John managed the restaurant in the California Theatre, where they met many entertainers and developed a love of the theater. In late 1880 John headed to Denver to open a restaurant and Mary joined him in 1882. "On August 6, 1886, John opened the Elitch Palace Dining Room, located at 1541 Arapahoe Street. The dining room was the largest in Denver, comfortably seating two hundred persons." After five years of searching, in 1887 John and Mary purchased the 16-acre Chilcott farm in the town of
Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally speaking, upland (or uplands) refers to ranges of hills, typically from up to while highland (or highlands) is ...
, just West of downtown Denver. They also purchased nearby Berkeley Lake as a companion resort to the farm. Although the farm was intended to supply their restaurant with fresh produce, in 1888 John and Mary sold the restaurant and decided to follow a dream to transform the land into a cultural resort with a zoo, plants, flowers, musicians, and a theater for his entertainment friends. Three years later, they opened the gates to Elitch's Zoological Gardens on May 1, 1890.


Opening of the Gardens

On May 1, 1890, the Elitches opened their Elitch's Zoological Gardens and Grand Pavilion Theatre to the public. Many famous friends of Elitch's were in attendance on opening day including
P.T. Barnum Phineas Taylor Barnum (; July 5, 1810 – April 7, 1891) was an American showman, businessman, and politician, remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes and founding the Barnum & Bailey Circus (1871–2017) with James Anthony Bailey. He was ...
, actor James O'Neill, Denver Mayor
Wolfe Londoner Wolfe Londoner (July 4, 1842 – November 23, 1912) was an American politician who served as the mayor of Denver, Colorado from 1889 to 1891. Biography He was born on 4 July 1842 to parents Herman Londoner and Rachel Hearst in New York City, Ne ...
, Colorado senators Edward O. Wolcott and
Horace Tabor Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 – 27 November 8 BC), known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). The rhetorician Quintilian regarded his ' ...
. John and Mary had a very successful year, clearing some $35,000 (or $775,000 in present-day dollars), so John organized a traveling show, the Goodyear, Shilling & Elitch minstrel troupe to tour through the winter. The troupe played in many Colorado theatres before moving on to California, where John contracted pneumonia and died on March 10, 1891, leaving Mary a 35-year-old widow.


Lady of the Gardens

After John's passing, Mary assumed management of the park and ran the zoo, the gardens and the theatre. For the 1893 summer season, Elitch Gardens employed the Frank Norcross Company. It was the first full-length season of summer stock. The first stock play presented at
Elitch Theatre The Historic Elitch Theatre is located at the original Elitch Gardens site in northwest Denver, Colorado. Opened in 1890, it was centerpiece of the park that was the first zoo west of Chicago. The theatre was Denver's first professional theatre ...
was Nancy and Company by Augustin Daly. It opened on June 10, 1893.  1896 was the second stock season and J. H. Huntley was signed to direct the resident stock company, headed by leading actress Jennie Kennark. The season opened with the play, Rosedale, by
Lester Wallack John Johnstone Wallack (January 1, 1820, New York City – September 6, 1888, Stamford, Connecticut), was an American actor-manager and son of James William Wallack and Susan Johnstone. He used the stage name John Lester until October 5, 1858, w ...
. In 1900 she married Thomas Long and in 1916 she was forced to sell
Elitch Gardens Elitch Gardens was a family-owned seasonal amusement park, theater, and botanic garden in the West Highland neighborhood in northwest Denver, Colorado, United States, at 38th and Tennyson streets. For more than a century Elitch's was one of the m ...
to John Mulvihill. In the agreement the park would keep the Elitch name, Mary Elitch Long would be allowed to continue living in her bungalow on the property, earning $50 a month allowance, plus two boxes at the
Elitch Theatre The Historic Elitch Theatre is located at the original Elitch Gardens site in northwest Denver, Colorado. Opened in 1890, it was centerpiece of the park that was the first zoo west of Chicago. The theatre was Denver's first professional theatre ...
were always reserved for her and her friends. Thomas Long died in an automobile accident in 1920.


Later Years and Death

Mary lived in the gardens until the last years of her life, when she moved across the street to live with family. She died on July 16, 1936 at 80yrs old."The Lady of the Gardens," Caroline Dier, 1936


References


External links


Historic Elitch Gardens Theatre Foundation

Elitch Gardens

Colorado Women's Hall of Fame
{{DEFAULTSORT:Long, Mary Elitch Businesspeople from San Jose, California 1856 births 1936 deaths