Mollie O'Bryan---The Lady Tycoon of Cripple Creek

Volumes have been written about women of the Old West. Wives, mothers, shopkeepers, dance hall girls and even so-called soiled doves have been the subject of numerous literary works. However, one male dominated occupation, that of business executive, has been overlooked, largely because precious few women ever dared enter that field. One such brave and highly successful pioneer in the world of big business was Cripple Creek's own Mollie O'Bryan.

Missouri-born Mary E. O'Bryan made her way into the world July 19, 1873. Sometime during the 1880s, Mollie's parents moved to Lake City to join the mining boom there. Within the next few years, the rugged and exciting San Juan Mountains presented young Mollie with an occupation she quickly mastered -- that of secretary and stenographer.

In 1893, the intrepid 20-year-old Mollie packed up and moved to rapidly growing Cripple Creek. She opened a stenography office and set to work tending to the details of commerce. Mollie did much more than just mindlessly take dictation and write correspondence. She watched, learned and listened as the mining and brokerage businesses swirled around her and learned a great deal from the experience.

Sometime in 1894, Mollie met a man who would have a profound influence on her life. Charles Miller, formerly of New York and Colorado Springs, came to Cripple Creek at the ripe old age of 23. It was his goal to start a successful stock brokerage firm and that is precisely what he did. Because of the work Mollie did for brokerage and mining firms, it was inevitable that the two would meet. They formed a business association and friendship that would last for the next 15 years.

The Miller-Young Brokerage Company. Miller stands at the quote board.

Charles N. Miller

One of Mollie's first reported investments was in the Damon Gold Mining Company. Miller and others watched with amusement as Mollie went into the market nearly every day and bought 1000 share blocks for $5.00 per thousand. Not long after, others began buying Damon stock as well. Mollie sold her shares for 10 cents each, pocketing a cool $95.00 profit on every one of the 1000 share blocks she bought. This triumph established Mollie as a serious player on the exchange and brought some nods of respect from the good old boys network that ran it.

Mollie's stenography services provided her with a steady income and experience in business, but they gave her something much more valuable -- inside information. The scandal! The shock! The shame! Not at all. In the days before the creation of the Securities and Exchange Commission, there were no insider trading laws. Any inside information could be acted upon, whether that information came from a company officer, an overheard conversation, a broker's tip, or even a letter dictated by a client. In those days, being at the center of an information curve was a highly profitable place to be.

Mollie began to pursue investments in larger, more visible, better capitalized companies. In 1895 and 1896, she made spectacular profits on the Acacia and Isabella gold mining companies, among others. The gains on those investments enabled Mollie to begin buying mining claims. She became part of a syndicate that organized the Big Four Gold Mining Company in late 1895.

Mollie's stock trading and real estate profits, combined with the many business contacts she had made, allowed her to become the first female member of a prestigious all boys club -- the Cripple Creek Mining Stock Exchange. Laugh or scoff as they may, no one could deny that young Mollie O'Bryan was now a force on the Cripple Creek financial scene. This 23-year-old whirlwind was proving her worth in the brokerage business. Within a few short years, she would become a power in the mining business as well.

The 1890s had been good times for Mollie. She had acquired the Teutonic claim on Bull Cliff for a mere $3,500. She rejected a $35,000 offer shortly thereafter and set about forming an investment syndicate. The partners included Charles Miller, his brokerage partner A.G. Young, H.E. Hoyt, and Mollie's dentist brother-in-law Zeno Felder. The group founded the Teutonic Gold Mines Company and set about turning the Teutonic claims into good ore producers.

By the dawn of the 20th century, Mollie's syndicate was enjoying spectacular success. The partners controlled seven mining companies, including the Big Four, Teutonic, Transvaal, Trilby, Juanita, Little Johnny and Gold Bond. Very few players in Cripple Creek could boast of that degree of success.

Sometime in 1903, the partners decided to consolidate some of their holdings. The Transvaal, New Century, Big Four and Juanita were merged into the new Amalgamated Gold Mining Company. The onset of the 1903-04 Labor War squashed their plans, however. Amalgamated was the first to go. When the Trilby and Gold Bond failed to meet expectations, they too were sold. Their major Cripple Creek holdings were reduced to only the Teutonic.

Like so many others of that era, Charles Miller finally said goodbye to Cripple Creek and sought his next great fortune in San Francisco. He left around the early 1910s.

Mollie O'Bryan, on the other hand, would live the remainder of her days in Cripple Creek. She continued her stenography and brokerage businesses and made a good living. She died December 30, 1922 and left a legacy as one of the most influential women in Western mining history.

Sources & Recommended Reading
This article drew heavily on the book Cripple Creek Gold by Brian Levine. To obtain a copy of this terrific book click here to contact Brian.