Spencer Penrose

Unlike them, Spencer graduated from Harvard at the bottom of his class, but his ambitions were to travel west and make his career on the frontier, rather than as a doctor, lawyer or politician like his brothers.

In 1892 his brother, Richard – by then a successful geologist – and Philadelphia friend, Charles L. Tutt wrote to him about a potential gold rush in Cripple Creek, Colorado.

Tutt loaned Penrose the money to purchase a half stake in his Cripple Creek real estate business, which included the Cash on Delivery (C.O.D.)

Mine was one of the most successful in Cripple Creek but, as Penrose and Tutt continued their partnership and operations, they began to realize the value of opening a new business in ore processing.

[7] The two men knew they would need someone with expertise in ore processing, so they brought on tenured miner and miller, Charles Mather MacNeill.

[8] The new partnership among Tutt, Penrose, and MacNeill resulted in increased business at the Colorado-Philadelphia Reduction Company; by 1899 its plant was treating over $3 million worth of Cripple Creek ore annually.

As their interests in Cripple Creek dwindled, Tutt, Penrose, and MacNeill followed a suggestion of metallurgist Daniel C. Jackling, who believed that a massive copper deposit located in Bingham Canyon, Utah could be successfully mined.

Jackling had been a metallurgist for the Bingham Canyon Gold & Silver Mine, and was the chief engineer at the US Reduction Plant Company in Florence, Colorado.

[13] The Penroses renovated the house, adding two stories, corona marble tiles, carved wood panels, and crystal chandeliers.

[14] Together with his longtime partner Charles Tutt, Penrose completed a plan to build a road to the 14,115-foot summit of Pikes Peak, to promote tourism in the area.

Targeting Midwesterners, Penrose placed advertisements in notable publications and invited celebrities to pose for photos and provide testimonials to the opulence of the Broadmoor.

Spencer and Julie Penrose were philanthropists, giving strong financial support to major civic projects in Colorado Springs.

Their legacy projects include the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, Pikes Peak Highway, and the Glockner-Penrose Hospital (now Penrose-St. Francis Health Services).

[20] With a mission "to enhance, encourage, and promote the future and current well-being of the people of Colorado," El Pomar Foundation continues as a grantmaking organization.

[21] El Pomar also operates community stewardship programs, including: Awards for Excellence, Regional Partnerships, and a two-year Fellowship for young leaders.