Post by Doris McCraw
aka Angela Raines
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| Image (C) Doris McCraw |
If you look at a map of Colorado, you will find the Gore Range. It is located in the North Central part of the state. It is approximately 50 miles west of Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park. It takes its name from Sir St. George Gore, the 8th Baronet of Gore Manor in County Donegal, Ireland.
So, how does an Irishman get his name on a Colorado Mountain Range? Good question, and the answer is somewhere in his presence in the West.
I first became aware of Gore while researching characters for a murder-mystery script set in Vale for the murder-mystery company I worked for. I needed a 'villain' for the piece and came across Gore and his hunting trip throughout the West.
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| Image from Wikipedia |
While there are various online versions, some information remains consistent:
He traversed the West, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, and the Dakotas from 1854-1857. The cost was estimated at around $500,000. It was on this trip that Gore himself, an avid hunter, claimed to have killed 2,000 buffalo, 1,600 deer and elk, and 105 bears. (It is also said, he left the carcasses to rot.)
Additionally, he traveled in style. He had a large striped green-and-white linen tent, a brass bedstead, a rug, and a portable table for his personal use. He had twenty-seven vehicles, over one hundred horses, eighteen oxen, and three cows, along with pistols, shotguns, and rifles. Gore even had Jim Bridger to be his chief guide.
Such a presence led to numerous incidents and left many unhappy. However, as far as I could tell, Gore faced no repercussions.
The name of the range itself appears to have come from William Byers, founder of the Rocky Mountain News. In 1868, Byers referred to it as Gore's Range, and the name stuck, according to an article in the Colorado Life Magazine.
Some additional links: Wikipedia
Today, October 28, 2025, the ebook "Isabella" is available. It takes place in 1907 in the Rocky Mountain National Park area.
Until Next Time,
Doris
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