George W. Clayton

[1] Clayton owned a dairy farm that became Park Hill Golf Club.

[4] Several years later, the Clayton's tore down the structure and built a larger brick building in its place which was eventually rented to McNamara Dry Goods Company, predecessor of The Denver Dry Goods Company.

[5] The leasing of the building was part of Clayton's broader attempts to branch into real estate.

[3][7] His obituary, published in The Denver Post, described him as "a man who never appeared in print if he could avoid it but did anonymous acts of kindness.

"[3][6] Much of Clayton's estate, valued at more than $2,000,000 (equivalent to $73,248,000 in 2023), was left to found a tuition-free school for orphaned boys.

[11] A trial was held on December 12, 1900, at which the challengers argued that the city of Denver was legally incapable of accepting money from a person's estate.

Among others, he claimed that Clayton was not motivated by generosity, but by "a desire simply to perpetuate his name.

[22][23] The school closed in 1957, however, the Clayton Trust continued to issue grants for various education projects through at least 1986.

[28] Control of the trust was the subject of investigative reports and allegations of mismanagement by the city including improper land dealings.