J.J. Brown

According to J.J.’s obituary, published in the Denver Post on pages one and three on September 27, 1922, J.J. Brown started The Ibex Mining Company with Byrd Page, John Campion and A.V. Hunter. The famous miner owned and operated a number of mining shafts in Leadville, CO, including Ibex number one shaft; The Little Jonny, and J.J. was appointed superintendent of all the Ibex properties in 1893.

J.J. didn’t strike it rich with gold or silver, but ore, the mineral that becomes metal. It made J.J., and his bride Margaret, millionaires. Leadville’s Herald Democrat published with pride that ". . .the Little Jonny is shipping 135 tons of good ore per day." Before ore turned J.J.’s story from rags to riches, miners had hit a dense layer of dolomite sand, making it impossible to build strong and sturdy shafts, the veins of a mine. Bringing a simple solution to a complex problem, J.J. stacked bales of hay to support the wooden timbers that held back the stifling sand.

Molly Brown

The name Molly Brown and the word "unsinkable" go hand in hand, but Margaret Tobin Brown never knew the fame that accompanied the name Hollywood bestowed upon her: The Unsinkable Molly Brown. Born July 18th, 1867 in Hannibal, Missouri to Irish immigrants John Tobin and Johanna Collins, Molly’s upbringing didn’t lack love or happiness, but it certainly lacked wealth.

John Tobin fired coke furnaces and did manual labor for twenty years at the Hannibal Gas Works. Before the birth of his legendary daughter, John Tobin joined a local regiment to fight the Civil War in 1861. Hannibal was caught in the crossfire of racial tension, and laws had been passed in 1847 to restrict teaching "Negroes" or "Mulattos" to write or read. Molly Brown, born after the Civil War, was impacted by social injustice that later gave her a voice in the women’s and worker’s rights movements.

At the tender age of 13, Margaret, then known as Maggie, completed her studies at Mary O’Leary’s School, and she was faced with the issue of finding work. Myth and folklore give credence to Hannibal’s famous author, Mark Twain, for sharing incredulous tales to the impressionable teenager about heading west. That may be a fictional account for Molly’s trek to the west, because the fact was Molly’s half-sister, Mary Ann, married Jack Landrigan, and the newly weds left Hannibal in 1883 to start a blacksmith shop at 529 East Fifth Street in Leadville, Colorado. Molly had dreams to strike it rich, and the Colorado Gold and Silver Rush certainly captured the spirit of young Molly’s heart.

In Steven Biel’s book Down with the Old Canoe: A Cultural History of the Titanic Disaster, he quoted Molly stating, "I longed to be rich enough to give him [her father] a home so he would not have to work," she later said, "I used to think that the zenith of happiness would be to have my father come to his home after a pleasant day and find his slippers warmed and waiting for him. It was a little thing to want, I thought. Of course we could have had his slippers ready for him in those days, you will say, but father was too tired when his work was done to enjoy any comfort. His life was bounded by working and sleeping." The dreams of a dutiful daughter would surpass the very hopes and wishes of Molly Brown.

Molly Brown stepped off the train in Leadville, Colorado in the spring of 1886. Historian’s claim Molly’s first job was in a boardinghouse, and she bettered herself with a position in the carpet and drapery department at the dry goods company of Daniels, Fisher and Smith. The 1964 MGM film version of Molly’s life fictionalizes her life story, but who doesn’t know and love the famous scene of Molly seeking work as a saloon girl. Adorned in an ill-fitting, yet provocative frock, Molly tells the saloon owner she can sing and dance. She wrestles with the piano throughout a long and sleepless night, only to pluck out a show tune that stays in minds and hearts of the Unsinkable audience, "Belly-up-to-the-bar-boys."

J.J. and Molly Marry

Rags to riches stories were happening throughout the mining towns, and Molly’s dreams were not of romance, but finding a rich husband that would sustain her family and provide comfort for her father. James Joseph "J.J." Brown captured the heart and love of nineteen-year-old Molly Brown at a picnic at the Catholic church, and his financial standing was not much better than Molly’s.

Theirs was a whirlwind romance, and one can only guess that through their mutual love of the theater, their dates probably took place at the Tabor Opera House. J.J. was Irish, tall, amiable and ambitious. Molly felt in her heart that she found true love. She abandoned her hopes to marry rich, and settled for love. On September 1, 1886, Molly and J.J. pledged that their love would last a lifetime before a large congregation of family and friends at the Annunciation Church of Leadville, Colorado. One can only surmise that MGM’s 1963 movie version of J.J. singing "I’ll Never Say No to You," was possible, as Molly herself stated her courtship and early years of marriage with J.J. were her happiest. The newlyweds moved into J.J.’s mining cabin on Iron Hill, and the two devoted themselves to one another, and sought to improve their education. Molly studied piano, singing, reading and literature.

On August 30, 1887, Molly presented J.J. with a son, Lawrence Palmer Brown. A daughter was born to the blissfully happy couple on July 1, 1889, and she was christened Catherine Ellen Brown, but nicknamed Helen as J.J. and Molly both had sisters named the same.

Remembering the injustices fought for during the Civil War, Molly became involved in the women’s suffrage movement, while living in Leadville, and took an active role in historic Colorado politics leading to the creation of the Denver Woman’s Party. Simultaneously, J.J.’s reputation in the mining industry was soaring, and he was well known for his ability to run the mining operation of the Ibex Mining Company. Fame and fortune was forthcoming, which would forsake the bonds of family forever.

In 1893 the Little Jonny Mine struck it rich, and the October 29th, 1893 edition of the Leadville Herald Democrat reported "the Little Jonny is shipping 135 tons of gold ore per day." The Ibex Mining Company paid $1 million in dividends, redeemed J.J. with 12,500 shares of Ibex stock, and seated him on the board. Molly’s dream came true, she had a rich husband that would provide comfort for her father. . . not to mention her mother and nieces and nephews.

Margaret "Molly" Tobin Brown now had the fortune, not knowing that fame was forthcoming, and to make her dreams a reality. On April 6, 1894, J.J. moved his family to 1340 Pennsylvania Avenue (now Pennsylvania Street), a stylish and fashionable residential district located blocks from Colorado’s State Capital Building.

All photos of Molly and JJ Brown on this page copyright Colorado Historical Society, used with permission. Additional photos and graphics, copyright Molly Brown Summer House