At the corner of Main and 6th Street, before the Record Block (521 Main Street) or First National Bank (531 Main Street) even existed, was a lumber yard. This lumber yard, owned by Henry Mack, was opened in 1875 when Henry, and his wife Julia, moved to Cañon City.
Julia Mack was born in Medina, Ohio on August 21, 1852. At the age of five she and her family moved to Grinnell, Iowa. She attended Iowa College, now Grinnell, and graduated in 1872. Iowa College began accepting women in the decade following the American Civil War. According to one report, even by 1900 only 5,237 women received their Bachelor’s degree that year in the United States.[1] This made Julia attending college 28 years earlier an atypical occasion. Julia married Henry Mack in 1872 and the pair moved to Denver in 1874.
After arriving in Cañon City, Julia got involved in many organizations around the city. She was one of the founding members of Friends in Council and served as an officer for Associated Charities. A book social was held at her home, which formed into the Ladies Library Association. Henry died in 1882 and Julia was left to raise three children and a nephew. For many years she lived at 528 Macon before moving to a house she had built at 909 Macon Avenue. In 1913, it was noted she had a very well-kept lawn. Julia Mack passed away on August 6, 1942 at the age of 89 years and is buried at Greenwood Cemetery.
Happy Birthday Julia Mack!
Julia Mack, year unknown. Object ID: 1986.047.001.001; Copyright Royal Gorge Regional Museum & History Center
Mack’s Lumber Yard. N. W. corner Main and Sixth Street, ca. 1875. Object ID: 1986.043.056; Copyright Royal Gorge Regional Museum & History Center
The information presented in this article is compiled using research conducted by the Royal Gorge Regional Museum and History Center.
[1] Nash, Margaret A., and Lisa S. Romero. “‘Citizenship for the College Girl’: Challenges and Opportunities in Higher Education for Women in the United States in the 1930s.” Teachers College Record 114 (February 2012): 5.