Big Minnie
Big Minnie was first noted in the Leadville records in 1880. Minnie McNamara, also known as Big Minnie, was another influential woman in Leadville. In many articles, she appeared to have fought men, stole money, and got into fights with other women. This shows the tenacity of Big Minnie’s personality, and how she was not afraid to step on anyone’s toes. However, it made her a target of violence herself. In one instance, Big Minnie was robbed while unconscious. Big Minnie had substantial economic influence for a woman of this time. She was known to make many enemies, however, her wealth was able to help her hire detectives and cover the risks of anything she was involved in.
To have this kind of wealth was uncommon for unmarried women, showing what power she had in Leadville. However, that power only extended so far. Already alienated from Leadville’s middle class, Big Minnie’s romantic partner, John Williams, was African American, which may have contributed to people’s disdain for her. To this day, no one is sure if Big Minnie was murdered and her case remains unsolved today, though John Williams is speculated to be the perpetrator. One night during a fire at her apartment, Big Minnie was said to have ripped a 200lbs steel pole from the building in her night clothes and used it to aid her escape, something very unbecoming for a woman of that time. Big Minnie can be remembered as a powerful example of one of many Irish women who refused to adopt middle-class gender norms and was a force to be reckoned with within the Leadville community.
Michael Davitt
Michael Davitt was a Catholic from a working class family. He was a convicted gunrunner associated with the Fenian Rising of 1867 against British rule in Ireland. In 1879, Davitt founded the Irish National Land League, whose mission was to abolish the landlord system in Ireland. They demanded “Three Fs”: Fair Rent, Fixity of Tenure and Free Sale. His vision was to unite Irish nationalists into one coalition known as the “New Departure,” and to that end they raised funds all over America. They led mass demonstrations for which there were many arrests, Davitt being among them at least once. He visited Cloud City to drum up financial support at least twice between 1880 and 1895. His first visit inspired the creation of a local Land League. When Davitt returned to Leadville in the fall of 1886, he praised Leadville for being “the first American city to respond to every call of the Land League for funds.” Indeed, in 1881 the Irish World, a publication out of Boston which may have boasted up to 100,000 subscribers, listed Leadville as having been surpassed in donations only by Philadelphia and Chicago. In the context of the poverty and mortality rates faced by the Leadville Irish, this reflects a passion for justice that can only be inspired by such hardships. The National League continued to be mentioned in national publications well into the 1890s.
Rosa Sullivan
Rosa Sullivan was born in Ireland in 1852 and married Canadian Ralph Wesley Sullivan before 1880 who owned Centennial State Laundry in Leadville. There, Rosa worked hard as a laundress and when she was not doing work there, she worked as a waitress and dishwasher at an unknown restaurant. Mrs. Sullivan had an abusive relationship with her husband, as it has been documented that they would have frequent verbal fights and a neighbor claimed she was frequently beaten. It has been reported that much of the money she saved would be taken by her husband to spend on alcohol. On May 4th of 1892, Rosa was found dead in her nightgown after being brutally beaten by her husband. Though few details of her life are documented, Rosa’s story is an important one that highlights the domestic abuse many women endured during this time. She will be remembered for the hard labor she was in trying to provide for herself and her household. Ralph Wesley Sullivan only served 8 years for the murder he committed.