The Town of Independence, Colorado

If the early settlers in the Cripple Creek Mining District had wanted to live in the thick of the action, they could not have picked a better location than Independence. Bordered on three sides by Bull Cliff, Bull Hill and Battle Mountain, the town's unique location offered residents an unparalleled front row seat in the theater of history.

Independence drew controversy from the date of its official platting Nov. 12, 1894. The town was originally named Hull's City, after mining lawyer W.S. Montgomery claimed 56 acres in the name of his Hull City Placer Company. When many of Winfield Scott Stratton's Independence Mine employees began to settle there, mainly out of convenience, a classic struggle developed between the needs of economic mining and affordable housing. Stratton, ever the champion of the working man, was determined to take the side of the residents. The battle was on.

Looking north through Independence. At upper right is the town of Altman, a hotbed of activity during the bloody 1903-04 Labor War.

Although Montgomery found himself clashing head to head with Stratton, the richest man in the District, he did not back down. An epic legal battle was fought in various courts and within the U.S. Department of the Interior. Even after the staggering expense of $150,000 in legal fees and eight consecutive court victories, Montgomery found himself stalemated. The town would not be moved.

History is quite vague about the eventual settlement. The town site would become the property of Stratton's Independence Town & Mining Company with W.S. Montgomery its president. As this took place sometime before the turn of the 20th century, we know it was done with Stratton's blessing. This settlement allowed the residents to stay in their homes while the operations of the Hull City Mine continued unabated.

The second battle Independence witnessed was the terrible 1903-04 Labor War. Labor forces seized control of Altman, just up the hill from Independence. They declared their secession from the United States, turned Altman into a "kingdom" and used it as their headquarters for the remainder of the war. When the more radical and violent laborites lashed out at all things perceived to be non-union, the somewhat conservative town of Independence became a nearby and convenient target.

A view of Independence looking roughly east. The Hull City Mine is in the foreground. In the distance is the Vindicator complex.

Random violence marred the landscape during that time, but two events clearly stood out - the deadly bombings at the Vindicator Mine in November 1903 and the Independence Depot in June 1904. The killing of the Vindicator superintendent and a shift boss in a rigged explosion was bad enough to set the citizenry on edge, but the heinous bombing and murder of 13 non-union miners, as well as the horrible wounding of 14 others, brought about a forced settlement of the labor war. Both incidents, it was later learned, were planned and executed by labor terrorist Harry Orchard.

The Town of Independence reached a peak population of 1,500 people around 1900, but began a slow decline after that time. The last residents would not depart until the mid-1950s, making Independence one of the longest living of the "little towns" in the Cripple Creek District. Those who were lucky enough to live there saw the birth, decline and final days of a great chapter in American history.