This Colorado mountain witnessed the first feminist “statement” made at 14,115 feet

Julia Holmes’ Historic 1858 Pikes Peak Ascent

In 1858, Julia Archibald Holmes did what no woman had done before. She climbed Pikes Peak.

Born to an abolitionist father and suffragist mother, Holmes grew up fighting for what’s right. After helping with the Underground Railroad in Kansas, she joined the Colorado Gold Rush with her husband.

Yet Holmes wasn’t your typical gold seeker. She wore scandalous “bloomer” pants, walked the entire 500-mile journey, and took guard duty like the men.

On August 5, she reached the 14,115-foot summit during a snowstorm, then wrote letters and read poetry.

Today, Pikes Peak still stands tall, with a new Summit Visitor Center that tells her groundbreaking story.

Her Family Fought Slavery from Their Underground Railroad Home

Julia Archibald Holmes was born on February 15, 1838, in Nova Scotia.

Her parents were fighters for justice – her dad James worked to end slavery while her mom Julia pushed for women’s right to vote.

The family moved to Massachusetts in 1848 before settling in Lawrence, Kansas in 1854 to help fight against slavery. Their Kansas home secretly served as an Underground Railroad station where escaped slaves found safety.

Julia grew up watching her parents stand up for what was right.

John Brown Played Matchmaker for the Radical Newlyweds

Julia married James H. Holmes in 1857 after famous fighter against slavery John Brown introduced them.

Their marriage joined two people who both wanted to end slavery and win rights for women. James worked as Brown’s lieutenant in anti-slavery activities.

When word of Colorado gold spread, Julia and James caught “Pikes Peak fever” like thousands of others and headed west together.

Gold Fever Pulled the Newlyweds Toward Colorado Territory

In spring 1858, Julia and James joined the Lawrence Party heading to Colorado’s gold fields. Their small group included about four dozen people with Julia as one of only two women, plus one child.

J.H. Tierney led the group after original plans fell through. They left Lawrence, Kansas in late May or early June 1858, traveling into mostly unmapped land.

They joined thousands of hopeful gold-seekers moving west, most with no idea of the challenges ahead.

Her Pants Shocked Everyone on the Trail

Julia upset fellow travelers by wearing the “Bloomer Costume” – practical pants under a mid-calf dress. Women in the 1850s usually wore heavy floor-length dresses that made walking hard.

Men in the group called her look “queer” and pushed her to dress “normally.” Her clothing choice was a walking protest against limits placed on women.

Julia refused, writing that she “could not enjoy a moment’s happiness with a long skirt to confine me to the wagon.”

She Walked 500 Miles and Took Night Watch With the Men

Julia walked nearly the entire 500-mile journey to Colorado while other women rode in wagons. She also took turns with the men standing guard at night, something women never did.

Male travelers complained about her breaking gender rules, but Julia didn’t back down. She turned her journey into a statement about women’s abilities.

She wrote detailed letters to her mother and sent stories to women’s rights papers back east about her boundary-breaking journey.

Gold Seekers Passed Mountains & Native American Tribes

The Lawrence Party traveled through Kansas Territory, Indian Territory, and along the Santa Fe Trail, stopping at Bent’s Fort on June 28, 1858.

They passed through lands where Cheyenne and Arapaho people lived. Once, a lost member of their group was rescued by Cheyenne men who helped him find his way back.

The group followed the Fountain River northwest toward Pikes Peak, moving through areas where relationships between native tribes and white settlers were creating tension.

Boredom at Base Camp Sparked Her Mountain Ambition

The party reached Garden of the Gods near today’s Colorado Springs on July 8, 1858, camping at the foot of Pikes Peak. For six weeks, they looked for gold without success.

Julia grew tired of what she called the “disgusting inactivity and monotony of camp life. ” Their hopes for quick riches faded as they failed to find any major gold deposits.

Looking up at the massive peak above their camp, Julia and James decided to try something no woman had done before.

Everyone Said a Woman Couldn’t Climb the Mountain

After weeks of failed gold hunting, Julia and her husband decided to climb Pikes Peak with two other men from their party: J.D. Miller and George Peck. Almost everyone told Julia she couldn’t make it to the top.

Even Zebulon Pike, who the mountain was named after, had called the peak “unclimbable” after his own failed try years earlier.

Julia ignored these warnings, set on proving that women could do anything men could do.

She Packed Light and Faced Snowstorms in August

The climbing group started up the mountain on August 1, 1858.

Julia carried a 17-pound pack with basic supplies, wearing her practical bloomers, moccasins, and a hat.

The climb turned brutal as they faced several summer snowstorms while tackling the 14,000+ foot mountain. They scrambled over loose rocks and dealt with harsh weather that changed hourly.

Despite physical challenges that would stop many experienced climbers, Julia kept going day after day, refusing to turn back.

Poetry and Letters Marked Her Victory at 14,115 Feet

On August 5, 1858, Julia reached the summit of Pikes Peak, becoming the first recorded woman to stand atop the 14,115-foot mountain. A snowstorm hit while they celebrated at the peak, but Julia wasn’t bothered.

She found a flat rock to use as a desk and wrote letters documenting her achievement, including a triumphant message to her mother.

In the swirling snow, she read Ralph Waldo Emerson’s poetry aloud from “Friendship.”

Julia wrote that she “would not have missed this glorious sight for anything at all,” knowing she had accomplished something remarkable.

The "Bloomer Girl" Became a National Sensation

Julia’s mountain conquest made her famous across America after she published accounts in eastern newspapers and the feminist journal Sybil.

People everywhere talked about “the Bloomer Girl on Pikes Peak” and her incredible achievement. The New York Herald Tribune hired her as a correspondent based on her compelling writing about the journey.

Her climb stood alone in the record books for 23 years before another woman summited a Colorado fourteener.

In an era when women couldn’t vote and were expected to stay home, Julia Holmes showed America that women belonged on mountaintops too.

Visiting Pike’s Peak, Colorado

You can drive up Pikes Peak to learn about Julia Archibald Holmes, the first woman to climb it in 1858 wearing controversial “bloomer” dress for women’s equality.

Enter at Cascade on Highway 24, 15 minutes west of Colorado Springs. Admission costs $18 per adult or $65 per carload.

You need timed-entry reservations from May through September for $2. The 19-mile round trip takes 2-3 hours, or hike Barr Trail in 8-14 hours.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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