DID YOU KNOW

Klan ran much of state in 1920s

During the mid-1920s, the Ku Klux Klan was in control of much of Colorado’s government, with members including Gov. Clarence J. Morley, U.S. Sen. Rice Means and Denver Mayor Benjamin F. Stapleton. The Kolorado Klan mainly targeted Jews, Catholics and foreigners.

In 1926, a newspaper was established in Fremont County called the Kolorado Klan Kourier.

Benjamin Lindsey, known as a pioneer of the juvenile court system and a child-welfare advocate, served from 1900 to 1927 as a Denver judge but was almost disbarred by the political machine when he spoke out against the KKK.

According to “The Colorado Almanac,” one of every 10 Coloradans was a member of the KKK during that time, but by the late 1920s, the group began to lose its power.

Sources: “The Colorado Almanac,” by Thomas J. Noel; Colorado State Archives; Denver Post archives; Cañon City Public Library