Olive Wright was one of Colorado’s great agricultural innovators, and an early champion of women’s rights.
In the late 1800s, she helped found the state’s bee-keeping association, encouraged the planting of mulberry trees to support silkworms, and advocated forest conservation to fight flooding and landslides.
Olive Wright especially advocated for women in agriculture. In 1885, she proposed a self-sufficient women’s colony in the San Luis Valley, to be built by rich women seeking space and freedom, and would allow women without means to support themselves through cottage industries from raising bees, silkworms, fruit and domestic animals.
Her vision never materialized, but a decade later she did open a women’s camping resort near Larkspur called Somerset Park. Whether through vacationing, farming, or ranching, Olive Wright believed Colorado offered women the freedom and opportunity.
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.
