Women of Woodland Park’s past leave legacy of leadership and compassion
Woodland Park was once a hub of the wild, wild west, incorporated just prior to the start of World War 1. Founding members of the community included many notable women. Their contributions stretched far and wide, spanning generations. Many of today’s Woodland Park residents are unaware of the work of the founding women of our community. March is Women’s History Month, and the city would like to take this time to highlight a few honorable women of our community, past and present.
The year was 1917. Woodland Park was only recently incorporated. Gold mining still had a stronghold in the area and production would not slow for some years to come. Teller County was a haven for gambling and saloons.
The wedding photo of George Wayland and Agnes Pursley.
In nearby Victor, a young woman by the name of Agnes Pursley was beginning to make a name for herself. Pursley was a fresh-faced 22-year-old woman when she arrived in Teller County in 1909. She opened a millinery store, selling hats and other fashionable trends. Just three years after her arrival to Victor, Agnes met and married George Wayland in 1912.
Following the resignation of R.P. Windsor, she was appointed by the Board of County Commissioners to serve as the first female undersheriff. Pursley made press headlines after her first arrest of a Woodland Park man in 1918. Pursley was well-respected in her position and went on to serve as a deputy sheriff for El Paso County.
Pursley and her family eventually moved to Los Angeles, where she passed away in November of 1959. Woodland Park has come a long way from the days she served as the law of the land. The Woodland Park Police Department now employs 3 female police officers and nearly a dozen female support staff.
The World War II era brought many changes to Woodland Park. Dude ranches were a booming business for horse-handlers, boarding and offering authentic cowboy experiences to city folk visiting the mountains. In 1945, Alverta Burns and her husband Bud purchased a large plot of land in Woodland Park, where they intended to establish a working farm.
By 1949, their focus shifted to opening the Triple B Ranch. It was here that Alverta Burns fell into one of her most notable roles, caring for the health and well-being of her friends and neighbors in a community lacking modern healthcare and physician services. Burns studied nursing at Chicago Wesley-Memorial Hospital for sixteen years before moving to Colorado.
Burns was selfless in her efforts to serve her community. She treated patients of all ages and ailments, charging nothing for her time and services. She was featured in an edition of the Saturday Evening Post in 1956, where she was affectionately named the “Angel of the Hills,” a reference to her compassionate heart. Stories, passed down through generations, tell tales of “Al,” swiftly clearing dining tables with seated guests to instead serve as a patient examination table during emergencies.
Burns was a busy mother, with three children of her own. Another testament to her character and heart, Alverta and Bud also grew their family through adoption, opening their home to nine children in need of a loving family. Alverta passed away in 1964, leaving a legacy of compassion carried on by her family through the Triple B Ranch, still in business today.
The Woodland park Home Demonstration Club. Iva Kelley is on the left and Clara Vos is on the right.
Popular during the early 1900s, Woodland Park had one of its own flourishing home demonstration club (HDC). HDC’s were a program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Cooperative Extension Service. Their goal was to teach women in rural America more efficient, practical and sustainable methods for caring for their homes, properties, animals and families.
Clara Vos.
Two women served as pioneers for the region, growing the local club to a prestigious position in the greater Woodland Park area. In 1938, Ms. Clara Vos joined the “Sunshine Club,” as it was coined before gaining steam. She operated a successful antique store, Vos Antiques, on Midland Avenue for many years.
Vos had a direct hand in many notable contributions to Woodland Park, the first of which was organizing a dental clinic sponsored by the club, to provide basic dental care to area children. As the club grew, other women joined forces to aid in the betterment of the community. In September of 1938, Iva Kelley joined the other women, advocating for change.
Together, Vos and Kelley pioneered the Lake Project, arguably one of the most notable and distinguished contributions the HDC made in their decades of service to Woodland Park. The Lake Project was a two-year project involving strategic fundraising and detailed planning to purchase the plot of land we now know as Memorial Park. Additional contributions to this project included building tennis courts and shuffleboard courts, reconstructing the pond itself, and planting 129 trees to enhance the open space for the community to enjoy and use for generations.
Modern day Woodland Park bears little resemblance to its past, where women held few positions in leadership. In contrast, you will find dedicated women across all city departments. Today, the city employs more than 50 women, many of whom hold leadership positions.
Suzanne Leclercq.
One of these women is our Deputy City Manager/City Clerk, Suzanne Leclercq, who began working for the City of Woodland Park in 2004. Amongst her peers and coworkers, Leclercq is often described as the “glue” that keeps it all together. She supports every employee of the city in one way or another, providing guidance and positivity. Leclercq extends her listening ear to the public, always willing to drop what she is doing to help, regardless of how busy she is.
After starting her career at the police department, she has held the positions of deputy city clerk, city clerk, interim city manager, and deputy city manager. She was instrumental in establishing a nationally recognized teen court program in Woodland Park, has managed seven City of Woodland Park municipal elections, and serves on the Colorado Intergovernmental Risk Sharing Agency board.
A common thread held by Woodland Park’s women leaders is their compassion and selflessness. Leclercq is no exception, weaving compassion and sincerity into her role each and every day.
This Women’s History Month, we extend our sincere gratitude to all of the women of Woodland Park. Contributions large and small weave into the fabric of our society, leaving lasting impressions and trailblazing a path, far and wide, for generations to come. Women serving in leadership roles or support roles, contribute equally to the successes of all. You are an inspiration for your families, your community and the future women who lead in Woodland Park.
Special thanks to the Ute Pass Historical Society and Steve Plutt for their time and extensive efforts to keep Woodland Park’s history alive, including contributions to this article. We appreciate you!
Iva Kelley.