Barney Lancelot Ford
By
John C Abercrombie
A man so poor he was born a slave with only a first name, yet he became very rich and pioneer of the state of Colorado.
This is the story of Barney Ford and his rise to the status of millionaire, honoree of the Colorado Black Hall of Fame, the Colorado Business Hall of Fame and honored by the State of Colorado by having a stained-glass portrait in the House Chamber of the Colorado State Capitol. He was a champion for Civil Rights and it was considered one of his greatest accomplishments.
Ford was born January 22, 1822, in Virginia to a slave by the name of Phoebe and her owner. At the time of his birth, he was given the name Barney, no last name, no middle. He was known simply as Barney.
He was very fortunate to have an older slave teach him to read and write. Fortunate because it was rare for any slave to be taught to read and/or write. Slaves were not taught to read or write because they could not learn, but as a way of controlling them and their ability to make their own way and become self-sufficient.
Ford was hired out by his owner to work on a Mississippi riverboat. The hiring out of a slave was common practice. The slave would be sent to work for someone, the pay would then be paid to the owner, not the slave performing the work.
Slaves were a source of income for their owners, whether they worked on the plantation or were hired out.
While working on the riverboat, Ford threw something overboard causing a commotion as if someone had fallen overboard. When the boat docked in Quincy, Illinois, Ford simply walked off in the confusion. Everybody assumed he had fallen overboard and drowned.
While people often believe the Underground Railroad only worked in the South, it operated in any area where slaves could benefit from running to freedom. There have always been people in this country who did not agree with the concept of slavery and were willing to help these unfortunate enslaved humans escape the brutality and inhumane treatment of slavery. The Underground Railroad helped Ford make his way to Chicago.
While living in Chicago, Ford met Julia Lyoni. They fell in love and were married in 1849. Being born without a middle or last name, Ford was on the lookout for one. While in Chicago, he saw a locomotive named “Lancelot Ford”. He was impressed and liked it so much he took it as his middle and last name and was known from that day forward as Barney Lancelot Ford.
Ford always had the education, desire and willingness to become an entrepreneur. In 1851, he decided to go to California to prospect for gold, however, it was dangerous for a slave to travel in the United States because of the many Fugitive Slave laws which required even those who disagreed with slavery to help capture escaped slaves and return them to their masters.
Those who did not provide assistance in capturing slaves were subject to criminal charges. Those who helped the slave elude capture faced even more serious charges.
To avoid this possibility, Ford took a ship, traveling around Cape Horn. When he reached the Country of Nicaragua, he stopped there and opened the United States Hotel and Restaurant.
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American Isthmus. It is bordered by Honduras to the northwest, the Caribbean Sea to the east, Costa Rica to the south and the Pacific Ocean on the southwest.
The business was successful, but the hotel was destroyed during the civil war in Nicaragua. Rather than continue to California, Ford returned to Chicago.
With the entrepreneurial spirit strong within him, he started a livery stable. A strong supporter of civil rights, that business also served as an Underground Railroad station.
By 1860, the gold fever had once again struck, and Ford headed out to look for gold, however this time he would go to Colorado. It had been only a year since the discovery of gold in Colorado. In Colorado, Ford and 4 companions headed up French Gulch, panning the stream as they went.
Excitement reigned supreme when they found gold in their pans! They sought to stake a claim. The quantity of gold that they found increased by the day.
While searching for gold they had been harassed by a man named Dode. When Ford went to town to exchange some of the gold dust for coins, he again encountered Dode. Afraid that he would be robbed, he waited until dark before going back to the cabin that the miners shared.
There are many legal difficulties faced by Blacks in this country and Colorado was no different. Under Colorado law, Blacks were not allowed to own homesteads or mining property.
To put this in prospective, when Europeans come to this country it was occupied by 15,000,000 indigenous people. These people were forced off their land and the land was free to the Europeans to claim, use or even sell to others.
Indigenous people of the Americas are the PRE-Columbians and their descents. Although some are traditionally hunter-gathers, many practiced aquaculture and agriculture. Another article will go into greater detail on these peoples.
The Europeans not only took the land from the indigenous people, they dehumanized and took advantage of slaves, mostly from Africa, to clear and cultivate that land. In the process, becoming wealthy.
Because Colorado law prevented Blacks from benefiting as Whites, Ford sought the services of a Denver lawyer to file his claim. In exchange the lawyer would take 20% of the claim.
Barney Ford and his partners worked the claim, taking the gold and storing it in their cabin. The work was hard, but the great effort resulted in the accumulation of a large quantity of gold.
Later, as they worked their claim, the Summit County Sheriff served an eviction notice on Ford and his partners. The notice was sworn out by the Denver attorney who had made the deal to file the claim.
In so many instances, even when ethics are paramount, many people disregard ethics when it comes to dealings with Blacks and this was no exception!
The same night the eviction notice was served, horsemen approached the cabin, most likely with evil intent. Ford and his companions took the gold they had accumulated and fled.
To those unfamiliar with the weather and conditions in the hills of Colorado, the nights in September are cold. They fled without their gear but fortunately survived the harsh conditions.
The horsemen were led by none other than Dode, the same gentleman who had harassed Ford earlier. Makes one wonder how so many people were in on stealing not only the claim, but intent on taking their property and no doubt willing to sacrifice their safety and lives for the sake of Ford and his partner’s earnings.
The horsemen tore the cabin apart, including the floor searching for the gold dust. Ford and his men fled over the Hill near the cabin and it became officially known as “N***er Hill”. That name appeared on official maps for more than 100 years. In 1964, the name was officially renamed “Ford Hill, a much better sounding name and offering well deserved recognition and respect to a great man.
Entrepreneurs and other successful people offer a life lesson in determination and the example that it is not over until it is over. Ford opened several businesses in Denver.
Ford, who had previously worked as a barber, opened a barbershop that was destroyed in the Great fire of April 1863. This fire destroyed much of Denver’s business district.
Defeat was not in Ford’s dictionary and the fire became a rallying point for renewed business success. He secured a $9,000 loan, acquired additional land on Blake Street on which he built a larger two-story brick building.
The new building opened with a barbershop in the basement, a restaurant called the People’s Restaurant on the main floor and a bar on the second floor. The restaurant proved to be tremendously successful offering luxury items such as oysters, lemons and Havana Cigars.
The entire venture was a success, allowing Ford to pay off the entire loan in 90 days. The next year Ford’s income was $4,673. While it may not sound like a great deal of money today, in those days his was the 14th highest income in Denver.
Despite setbacks, Ford continued to move forward and in 1873, Ford built the Inter-Ocean Hotel. A great business man, Ford also opened a second hotel under the same name in Cheyenne, Wyoming. In addition, he opened a barbershop, restaurant and other hotels.
The building that housed his People’s Restaurant still stands at 1514 Blake Street in Denver and is known as the Barney L. Ford Building.
A man dedicated to his ideals, during the 1870’s Ford had become one of the wealthiest men in Colorado. He and his brother in law Henry O. Wagoner founded a school for Blacks. Dedicated to the ideals of giving Blacks an opportunity to fulfill their destiny based on ability and willingness to work, not race.
Wagoner was an abolitionist and civil rights activist in Chicago, Illinois and Denver, Colorado. In the 1830’s Wagoner was a free man in Maryland. He worked on a farm and worked to free slaves as part of the Underground Railroad.
Owing to the fact that anyone working for the freedom of slaves faced many challenges, many of them legal and the possibility of personal prosecution. He left Maryland in 1838, under suspicion for his activities, settling in Chicago. Although Wagoner only had 1 year of formal education, he eventuality became a typesetter and journalist, working for anti-slavery newspapers.
Wagoner became friends with Frederick Douglass and they remained close friends throughout their lives. During the civil war, Wagoner helped recruit Black soldiers for both Illinois and Massachusetts regiments. After the war, he moved to Denver where he continued to secure the right to vote and the opportunity for Blacks to get a quality education. *more will be written about Wagoner at a later date.
In 1882, the Fords moved to Breckenridge, Colorado and built a home on a city block that he owned. That home has been restored and is now the Barney Ford House Museum. It sits at the corner of Main and Washington.
When Barney, his wife and daughter returned to Breckenridge, they opened a restaurant called Ford’s Chop House. They prospered from the business but many locals still believed that Ford had left his gold dust behind from before (remember the claim that the lawyer cheated him out of?) Many believed that the source of his prosperity was hidden treasure up French Creek and not the restaurant.
People would often follow him hoping that he would lead them to this “treasure”, so for his own amusement, he would often walk up French Creek and sneak through the woods back to his home in Breckenridge.
As Barney and his wife grew old, they returned to the milder climate of Denver. He entered the real estate business.
Transactions, construction of apartment houses and other business decisions allowed him to become a millionaire, which was rare for anyone, let alone, a Black man.
When Colorado sought admission as a state in 1865, Ford fought against it because the state constitution barred Blacks from voting and as we have seen before from filing mining claims. Thus, Ford traveled to Washington, D.C. and lobbied against statehood.
Ford was a tireless fighter for the 15th amendment which prohibited the federal and state governments from denying citizens the right to vote based on “race, color or previous condition of servitude.”
The 15th amendment was ratified, February 3, 1870.After passage of the 15th amendment, Ford supported statehood for Colorado.
When Colorado became a state in 1876, Ford worked tirelessly to ensure that the laws of Colorado did not contain laws directed against minorities. For his efforts he became one of the few people, Black or White to be inducted into the Colorado Association of Pioneers.
As a tribute to Barney Lancelot Ford, Colorado honored him with a stained-glass window in the House of Representatives chamber in the State Capital.
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John C Abercrombie
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Colorado Experience:
Mr. Barney Ford Born into slavery, Barney Ford escaped at 26 and endured racism, fires, and mining claim jumping to become one of only 46 African Americans in the Colorado Territory. Undeterred, he became one of the richest men in the state as a miner, barber, restaurateur, and hotel owner—a true entrepreneur—all while fighting endlessly for Black rights.
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Business and Money
Barney Ford was able to make use of his money, leading to success. Learn how to take advantage of your hard work using our affiliate link below
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Businessman (Great Lives in Colorado History) (Great Lives in Colorado History / Personajes importantes de la historia de Colorado) (English and Spanish Edition)
Born into slavery in 1822, Barney Ford’s life is an inspiring testament to optimism, perseverance, and courage. At 26, he escaped slavery by travelling north on the Underground Railroad. He and his wife Julia operated a hotel and restaurant in Nicaragua until threat of war forced a return to the United States. He filed a gold claim in Breckenridge, Colorado, only to have it denied because he was African American.
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Remembering Barney Ford, a civil rights pioneer
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The Genius of Barney Ford: Escaped Slave, Entrepreneur, Activist on Breckenridge, Colorado I’m always impressed with marathon runners. Anyone who enters, runs and completes this grueling race, regardless of their time, has my admiration. In the marathon of life, Barney Ford entered, raced, completed and won! What makes Barney Ford so admirable is that in his
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Computers Tablets and Components
ABH – Computers Tablets and Components
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Colorado Tourism Hall of Fame:
Barney Ford Learn more about the key historical Breckenridge figure, Barney Ford, and the impact he made on our community and Colorado. This video is shared via permission from VisitDenver. It is not available for reproduction.
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Baby and Nursery
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African Americans of Denver
The city of Denver was born during the great “Pikes Peak or Bust” gold rush of 1859 when flakes of placer gold were found where the South Platte River meets Cherry Creek. With the discovery of more gold, Denver became a boomtown, and African American pioneers began to arrive in search of prosperity and a better future. Initially, Denver’s African Americans lived scattered throughout the city and in the Cherry Creek area. By the late 1890s, most had relocated to the Five Points Neighborhood. Many worked in Denver during the week and farmed their homesteads in Dearfield on the weekends. They often spent their holidays at Winks Lodge and summers at Camp Nizhone.
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Grocery and Gourmet Food
ABH – Grocery and Gourmet Food
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Colorado Business Hall of Fame Laureate Spotlight:
Barney Ford Junior Achievement-Rocky Mountain and the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce are proud to present COLORADO BUSINESS HALL OF FAME: STORIES OF GRIT, GRACE, AND GRAND VISION, a one-hour special documentary on January 28, 2021, 7 p.m., on Rocky Mountain PBS. Visit www.coloradobusinesshalloffame.org for more info. Thank you to IMA Financial Group for sponsoring this Laureate Spotlight.
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Software
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Five Points Neighborhood of Denver (CO)
By the 1870s, the word was out about Colorado. East coast and Midwest prospectors, European immigrants, and African Americans newly freed from slavery, rushed to Denver to find work and their fortune in silver and gold. Captured here in almost 200 vintage images is the story of the African Americans who escaped the oppression and racism of the post-Civil War South and created a city within a city: the Five Points neighborhood of Denver. Named in 1881 for a bustling five-way intersection, the Five Points area became the commercial and social sector for African American churches, businesses, clubs, and homes, and the heart of Denver’s black community. Showcased here are the photographs of once thriving Five Points businesses in the Welton Street business district, such as Otha Rice’s Tap Room and Oven and the Rossonian Hotel, as well as the familiar faces of the Cosmopolitan Club, Madame CJ Walker, and Dr. Justina Ford, Denver’s first African-American female doctor.
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Office and School Supplies
ABH – Office and School Supplies
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Catch Carri tours Barney Ford Museum
Breckenridge is the oldest Colorado town west of the Continental Divide. I laced up my boots with this in mind and knew a trip down Main St. would turn up some history as rich as the gold that was panned here in the 1800’s. Victorian-style buildings line the main street with what are now bustling businesses. But one house sits up off Main St. and has an especially sweet tale to tell. It was the home of Barney Ford, an escaped slave who became the first African American business owner in late Victorian Breckenridge. Barney worked hard for civil rights, served as director of the Underground Railroad, and used his hard working hands to open up many businesses.
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Cookware
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The story of Barney Lancelot Ford shows what is possible if a person is given a chance. We see the value of an education and wonder why there were laws on the books making it a crime to teach a Black person to read or write.