Capitola

For a few hours in April 1902, child welfare was on the minds of Colorado lawmakers. Specifically, one child's welfare, because someone had left a baby inside the state capitol.

Hundreds passed through the Capitol every day of the week – but that Sunday a woman stood out from the crowd: dressed in black, indifferent to the imposing structure, uninterested in the observation deck. Instead, while people filed by, she sat in the rotunda to feed a weeks-old baby girl. When no one was watching, she bundled her up, tucked her into a nook and slipped out the west doors.

The baby began crying and was found a while later. She had violet eyes and was wrapped in a blue shawl and pink cloak. Nothing else was known. And so they called her “Capitola.” Within days a local doctor had found the child a new home, but that’s all he would say – and the family named her something other than Capitola.

About Colorado Postcards

Colorado Postcards are snapshots of our colorful state in sound. They give brief insights into our people and places, our flora and fauna, and our past and present, from every corner of Colorado.