Colorado History: Helen Hunt Jackson’s Tragic + Honorable Life

Students who attend public schools in Colorado learn about numerous figures specific to the state's history. Some of these figures, like the Unsinkable Molly Brown, are shown in a favorable light while others, like cannibal Alferd Packer, aren't.

Read More: Colorado History: Isabella Bird’s Rocky Mountain Adventure |

However, one incredibly influential woman forever immortalized in Colorado's history books is accompanied by an especially heroic tale filled with tragedy and hardship that she was able to overcome and in doing so, effectively became a pioneer of sorts.

Keep scrolling to learn about the tragic and honorable life of Colorado icon Helen Hunt Jackson.

The Tragic Early Life of Colorado's Helen Hunt Jackson

Prior to being known as Helen Hunt Jackson, Helen Fiske was born in Massachusetts in 1830. Unfortunately, Helen lost her mother to tuberculosis when she was 13, and her father passed away roughly three years later.

Helen eventually married Army engineer Edward Bissell Hunt in 1850 and the couple welcomed two children, a son and a daughter, into the world.

Get our free mobile app

However, tragedy would strike again as the Hunts' son passed away as an infant, followed by Edward's untimely demise in an Army accident, and Helen's daughter passed away as well at the tender age of nine.

Helen Hunt Moves to Colorado

With no family of her own left, Helen Hunt moved to Colorado and married William Jackson in 1875. To cope with the grief of the loss of her previous husband and children, Helen turned to writing and soon became friends with some of the most famous authors of the time.

However, being a famous writer was only the beginning, as Helen became a prominent activist for the rights of Native Americans. Helen wrote an expose called A Century of Dishonor that tackled U.S. Indian Policy and sent copies of the book to prominent politicians with a red cloth used to symbolize the blood on their hands.

Helen also strongly opposed the Sand Creek Massacre and became an active voice against those who were responsible for it.

Today, Helen Hunt Jackson is forever immortalized by her presence in Colorado history books as well as her namesake Helen Hunt Falls.