[2]: 87 [3] In his biography by Ferril, Brown is said to have paid for night school in Pennsylvania to attain an education.

[7][8] Brown's engineering efforts proved instrumental in the production of a substantial gold and copper seam at the mine.

[5] Brown, who was the superintendent of all the Ibex properties, devised a method of using baled hay and timbers to stop cave-ins.

When the Little Jonny mine opened, vast quantities of high-grade copper and gold were found.

[13] It was reported to be among the most substantial gold strikes in the country at the time[14] and helped trigger economic recovery in Leadville and throughout the state.

[5][8] After serving Smith and Moffat for 14 years, in 1894, Brown decided to operate his own mining enterprises in Leadville and other locations.

He moved to Denver that year and continued to advise Moffat and others, which led to the first major mining boom in the Creede area.

[1] Brown, whose Little Jonny Mine continued to produce gold, sought to save Leadville by creating an Ice Palace to draw tourism.

Three railroads brought visitors to Leadville, where there was a wide range of entertainment, winter sports, and contests.

[6] Brown along with other successful miners sought to diversify their holdings to include agricultural products.

[4]: 15  Along with Eben Smith and others, Brown was an investor and director of the Colorado Sugar Manufacturing Company, which was established in 1899.

[15] They first settled in Leadville, Colorado but moved closer to the mines on Iron Hill in the rugged Stumpftown (now a ghost town).

[2]: 91, 94  As Brown became more successful, the family enjoyed the life of the upper middle class and sent their children to school in Paris.

[7] The agreement gave Margaret a cash settlement and possession of the Victorian mansion on Pennsylvania Street in Denver's wealthy Capital Hill neighborhood, and also the summer mansion Avoca Lodge in Southwest Denver, near Bear Creek.

[5][18] J.J. Brown left vast, yet complicated, real estate, mining, and stock holdings.