F.O. Stanley: an Enterprising Yankee Goes West

Yankee ingenuity had made the twin Stanley brothers famous by 1903: their innovations in photography, their steam-powered automobiles, and even a knack for violin-making were legendary. But that year, tuberculosis sent a dying F.O. Stanley to the West, seeking salvation. Not only would he recover, he and wife Flora fell in love with the Rockies, reveling in their new summer home, inspired to be part of its future. Six years later, Stanley opened one of the most famous hotels in the West, while befriending Enos Mills in a shared quest for a new national park, and using Stanley Steam Mountain Wagons to reintroduce the near-extinct elk. This New Englander’s visionary spirit would pave the way for future generations to share in the joy of discovery of the Rocky Mountains.