Mark S. Foster - Henry M. Porter: Rocky Mountain empire builder

These lines by the English poet Charles Kingsley were inscribed on the drop curtain of the Tabor Grand Opera House in Denver. Henry Miller Porter must certainly have read them on one occasion or another when he was in that opera house. Most likely, he did not sense that they would characterize his career as much as they would that of his contemporary, the better-known owner of the opera house, Horace Tabor. Both men came to Colorado and Denver at about the same time; one became famous, and the other has been forgotten. Without question, though, both made significant contributions to their state and their community.

Regrettably, few Coloradans today recognize Porter's name or his contributions. Even in his own day, Porter was hardly a household name, yet he, like Tabor, William Byers, and John Evans, helped lay the foundation for Denver and for Colorado's nineteenth-century growth and development. They were the pioneers who came and stayed, casting their futures and their fortunes with this young territory.

There was nothing in Porter's background that distinguished him from other individuals. Coming from a rural, farming environment, he was the only member of his family to venture far beyond their home in Kirksville, Missouri. From a farm lad, he advanced to a line builder in the telegraph business. That job took him steadily westward toward Colorado, until the Civil War intervened and he acquired the unpleasant job of repairing lines that were being torn down almost weekly by Confederate saboteurs. Like Mark Twain, he had only a brief encounter with the war, but it was enough.

In 1862 he went into the freighting business, moved to Colorado, and opened a store in Denver the following year with a partner. For the rest of his long life (he died in 1937), Porter was an important force in Colorado's development. As author Mark Foster clearly

demonstrates in the following pages, "He consistently engaged in enterprises critical to Denver's economic growth and prosperity."

The key to Porter's success was his versatility. He was an entrepreneur in the true sense of the word. During his long career, he diversified into ranching, freighting, real estate, banking, mining, and general business. He made a profit at almost all of his endeavors. A good manager of men and able to adjust to a variety of situations, Porter personally watched and directed his investments most of the time. Sometimes it took years, but he and his partners ultimately succeeded. He was a very patient and cautious businessman.