Charles L. Tutt Sr. facts for kids

Charles Leaming Tutt Sr. (born February 14, 1864 – died January 21, 1909) was a very successful businessman. He became quite wealthy by the time he was 40 years old. His family became famous in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Early Life and Moving West

Charles Tutt was born in Philadelphia on February 14, 1864. His father was a respected doctor, but he sadly passed away when Charles was only two years old. Charles's family came from England. One of his ancestors was even a Lord Mayor of London. Another ancestor worked with General George Washington during the American Revolutionary War.

Charles went to the Protestant Episcopal Academy. There, he met Spencer Penrose, who was nicknamed "Speck." They became good friends. Both of their fathers had worked at the Children's Hospital.

Spencer Penrose came from a wealthy family and went to Harvard University. However, Charles's family faced tough times after his father died. Charles had to leave school early to help support his family. He started working as a clerk for the Pennsylvania Railroad.

Later, Charles moved west. He first went to North Platte, Nebraska, where he lost some money in a business deal. In 1884, he moved to Black Forest, El Paso County, Colorado, and bought a cattle ranch. In 1885, Charles sold two cows to get enough money to travel back to Philadelphia. He married his fiancée, Josephine Thayer, on December 29, 1885. Her father was a judge who worked for President Abraham Lincoln.

Josephine came back to Colorado with Charles. After living on the Black Forest ranch for a year, Josephine convinced Charles to sell it. They moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado to start a real estate and insurance business. Charles and Josephine had four children, but sadly, three of them passed away young. Their son, Charles L. Tutt Jr. (born January 9, 1889 – died November 1, 1961), was the only one who lived to be an adult.

Building a Business in Colorado Springs

The Tutt family lived in a lovely two-story house at 611 North Weber Street in Colorado Springs. Charles's business office was a small one-room space at 14 East Pikes Peak Avenue. In 1889, he opened another office in Pueblo, Colorado.

Charles then visited Cripple Creek, Colorado, a famous mining area. He walked up a place called "Poverty Gulch" and claimed a gold mine. A prospector who owned half of the mine sold his share to Charles for $50. Charles now owned the "Cash on Delivery" (C.O.D.) mine, but he didn't have money to start digging.

So, Charles teamed up with C. Findley and Albert E. Carlton. These men were important figures in the Cripple Creek mining district. Together, they started the C.O.D. Gold Mining Company on February 26, 1892. Later that year, a geologist named R. A. F. Penrose Jr., who was Spencer Penrose's brother, visited Colorado Springs. He met Charles and asked him to write to Spencer. He wanted Charles to encourage Spencer to move to Colorado Springs because of the great business chances there.

Mining for Gold and Copper

Spencer Penrose had already mined for gold in Mexico. In 1892, he received Charles Tutt's letter, which spoke highly of Colorado Springs. Even though they hadn't seen each other for at least 10 years, Spencer decided to take a chance on gold mining. He arrived in Colorado Springs by train on December 10, 1892.

Just two days later, Charles offered Spencer half of his real estate business for $500. He also offered Spencer a small share (1/16) of the "C.O.D." mine. In return, Spencer needed to raise $10,000 to pay miners and buy equipment.

Soon, a rich gold vein was found in the C.O.D. mine! In 1894, Charles sold the mine for a huge sum: $250,000. Charles and Spencer then decided to go into another business together. They realized that processing ore (milling) was an even better way to make money than just digging it out of the ground.

With an engineer named Charles M. MacNeill, they started the Colorado-Philadelphia Reduction Company. This business was very successful. The company used a special mill in Old Colorado City to process the ore.

Charles Tutt and Spencer Penrose then looked into mining for copper. They learned about a huge copper deposit in Bingham Valley, Utah. In 1903, they, along with Daniel C. Jackling and others, created the Utah Copper Company. Their open-pit copper mine became the richest in the country. The money from this mine made both Charles and Spencer millionaires!

Legacy in Colorado Springs

Charles Tutt played a big part in planning and developing Colorado Springs. To further their partnership, he and Spencer arranged to build a road to the top of Pikes Peak. This helped bring more tourists to the area. They also organized an annual car race to the top of the mountain.

Charles Tutt passed away young, at age 45, on January 21, 1909, in New York City. His son, Charles L. Tutt Jr., and his grandsons continued his important work. They contributed a lot to the city of Colorado Springs and to Colorado College.

In 1918, Spencer Penrose opened his famous The Broadmoor hotel and resort near Colorado Springs. After Spencer's death in 1939, Charles Tutt's son, Charles L. Tutt Jr., became the hotel's president and helped it grow even more.