Helen Hunt Jackson
She burned most of her letters and often published anonymously, but Helen Hunt Jackson of Colorado Springs was once one of America's most famous authors. Born back east in 1830, she was childhood friends with Emily Dickinson. After a series of deeply personal tragedies, Helen Hunt wrote poetry to work through grief — and found an audience. When she moved to Colorado, she married again, with the condition for Mr. Jackson that nothing interfere with her writing. Then a personal introduction to the plight of indigenous people gave her a cause. She denounced the mistreatment of Native Americans and wrote two books to awaken a larger audience, one a best-selling novel that has never been out-of-print. After her death in 1885, Jackson’s activism began to have an impact righting some wrongs, and her legacy took root. As her old friend Emily Dickinson wrote: “Helen of Troy will die, but Helen of Colorado, never.”
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. See more postcards.
