Denver Woman's Press Club
| Denver Woman's Press Club | |
|---|---|
| Location | 1325 Logan Street, Capitol Hill, Denver, Colorado |
| Built | 1910 |
| Architect | Varian and Varian |
| Architectural style | English cottage |
The Denver Woman's Press Club (DWPC) was founded in March 1898 in Denver, Colorado by Minnie J. Reynolds.[1][2] The Denver Woman's Press Club has served as a place where Colorado professional women writers, such as journalists and novelists, can gather, learn, and network.
History
The club was created in response to a request from the General Federation of Women's Clubs. Minnie J. Reynolds, a writer for the Rocky Mountain News, was contacted by the General Federation of Woman's Clubs about holding their biennial conference in Denver in July 1898.[3][4][5] Although a woman's press club did not truly exist in Denver yet, Minnie said there was such a club and that they could host the event. Minnie was known to use her position to advocate for women's rights[2] and she hurried and gathered some peers together to create a press club.[5] The founders rode their bicycles to a home in the Capitol Hill neighborhood[1][5] where they created guidelines for the organization. Some criteria for admittance included were as noted:
"No woman shall be admitted to the club who is . . .
- A bore
- Who holds out on news reporters
- Who has not a proper respect for the power of the press
- Who does not read your paper
- Who cannot do something to drive dull care away.
Copy readers and proof readers are forever barred from membership of this club."[4][5][6]
The club served as a place for women to gather and promote empowering ideals, such as suffrage.[7] The organization is known for running contests for writers and aspiring writers.[3][8][9][10][11]
In addition to professional writers, the organization also allows 'affiliate' members to join. Some well-known affiliate members have included Margaret Tobin Brown,[12] Mary Elitch Long, and Elizabeth Sumner Byers.[13][14]
In 1924, the organization moved into its current headquarters at 1325 Logan Street in Denver.[15] This building, also known as the Burr House,[16] is a Denver landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places.[16][17]
In January 2024, the DWPC updated its bylaws to include men as members.[18] The first male member is Ryan Warner.
Notable members
- Margaret Tobin Brown, suffragist and Titanic survivor
- Elizabeth Sumner Byers, social reformer[19]
- Alice Polk Hill, founder and poet laureate[3]
- Mary Elitch Long, business woman[20]
- Leonel Campbell Ross O'Bryan, aka Polly Pry, newspaper reporter[7]
- Minnie J. Reynolds, founder, newspaper reporter, and activist[3]
- Helen Ring Robinson, first female state senator (CO)[21]
- Lucile Morris Upton, newspaper reporter [4]
- Lenora Mattingly Weber, writer [6]
- Helen Marsh Wixen, founder and first CO state superintendent of public instruction[3]
External links
- Denver Woman's Press Club
- Denver Architecture Foundation
- Colorado Women's Hall of Fame
- Denver Public Library, Denver Woman's Press Club Collections
References
- ^ a b "Denver Woman's Press Club". The Rocky Mountain News. March 17, 1898. p. 3. Retrieved November 4, 2025.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b "Minnie J. Reynolds". Colorado Woman's Hall of Fame. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e "Denver Woman's Press Club". History Colorado: Colorado Encyclopedia. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
- ^ a b c Kelly, Susan Croce (2023). Newspaperwoman of the Ozarks: The Life and Times of Lucile Morris Upton. Fayetteville, AK: University of Arkansas Press. pp. 37–38. ISBN 9781610758017.
- ^ a b c d Burt, Elizabeth V. (2000). Woman's Press Organizations, 1881-1999. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. pp. 52–58. ISBN 0-313-30661-3.
- ^ a b Abbott, Carl (2013). Colorado: A History of the Centennial State (5th ed.). Boulder, CO: University Press of Colorado. pp. 193–194. ISBN 978-1-60732-227-6.
- ^ a b McCune, Bonnie (July 18, 2019). "Colorado's Kickoff to Woman Suffrage". History Colorado. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Story Prizes Awarded". The Rocky Mountain News. March 16, 1913. p. 2. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Woman's Press Club Gives Cash as Story Prizes". The Rocky Mountain News. September 4, 1921. p. 12.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Woman's Press Club Announces Winners in Poetry and Play Contest". The Rocky Mountain News. February 21, 1923. p. 9. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Collins, Kirsten Dahl (January 31, 2022). "Denver Woman's Press Club digs for buried writing talent". Colorado Community Media. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Iverson, Kristen. Molly Brown: Unraveling the Myth. p. 117.
- ^ Bell, J.v.L. (2019). Elizabeth Byers, Denver Pioneer. Palmer Lake, Colorado: Filter Press, LLC. pp. 44–45. ISBN 978-0-86541-256-9.
- ^ "Widow of News Founder Enjoys 80th Birthday as Friends Praise". The Rocky Mountain News. September 6, 1914. p. 20. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Grinstead, Leigh A. (1997). Molly Brown's Capitol Hill Neighborhood. Denver, CO: Historic Denver, Inc. pp. 12–13. ISBN 0-914248-13-8.
- ^ a b "Denver Woman's Press Club". Denver Architecture Foundation. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Burr Studio & Residence". History Colorado. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ ColoradoBiz Staff (July 11, 2025). "Denver Woman's Press Club adds Ryan Warner as first male". Colorado Biz. Retrieved November 19, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Elizabeth Byers". History Colorado: Colorado Encyclopedia. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Strong Women Shaped and Continue to Lead in Colorado". Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved November 13, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Helen Ring Robinson". Colorado Woman's Hall of Fame. Retrieved November 9, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)