The Soapy Smith Building

[mishalak]

There is a building in Denver officially labeled the Wellington E. Webb Municipal Building. It stands a neo-international style office of glass and steel just to the north of the grand City and County Building. But really it is the Jefferson "Soapy" Smith Municipal Building and affectionately known as Soapy's by city residents having to go there on some offical business or other.

You see prior to the 20th century Denver was not quite so shamefaced about its civic corruption as it was in the days of the little missed Mayor Webb. No, back in those days positions like Police Commissioner were best of friends with gentlemen like Soapy Smith. Soapy gained his moniker from his rigged game where he sold bars of soap to dirty travelers for five dollars when the going rate was five cents. He simply put a variety of bills under the wrappers. Though he was quite careful to sell the bars with the twenties and hundreds to his fellow swindlers and the ones without to the marks.

He opened quite a successful saloon despite the warning sign above the door saying, "Caveat Emptor". Perhaps the miners didn't know enough Latin. Still, you could be dealt a hand of cards by Bat Masterson in Soapy's Tivoli. Business was good for Soapy, so much so that he branched out into running the boomtown of Creede, though eventually they ran him out of town.

Things eventually went down hill for Soapy Smith in Denver as well. Eventually we got a populous governor who was quite serious about reform and at the time the governor had the power to replace Denver officials as he pleased. Though the city government wasn't going to sit still for this. The commissioners barricaded themselves in the old city all at the end of Larimer Street and wouldn't leave. But Governor Davis "Bloody Bridles" Waite (even governors had cool nicknames back then) wasn't going to let mere courts decide this and called out the State Militia.

In his civic pride Soapy Smith took up the role of colonel for Denver and raised a small army to defend City Hall. They took up positions on the rooftops overlooking the state militia with Soapy himself in the cupola of the proud civic building. No shots were actually fired in the City Hall War of 1894, probably to the disappointment of the thousands of citizens who turned out to watch the standoff and after only a few days the Governor was convinced to back down on using force. Eventually the courts ruled and the commissioners were removed and soon after a cleaned up police force persuaded dear Soapy to leave town for his own health. (He later was killed in Alaska.)

Still we fondly remember the bold no nonsense corruption of those days unlike the shamefaced pilfering by the self agrandizing Mayor Webb for his various "world class" buildings to his own glory. (With generous contracts to his associates, of course.) That's why as soon as he was out of office historical minded city employees renamed the building for the late great Soapy and just as soon as Denver has some spare cash they'll get around to removing the old signs.

Comments

[scottscidmore.livejournal.com]

This is great. While Seattle's less than angelic past has been recorded in such as Sons of the Profits, we didn't have someone quite as colorful as Soapy. I suspect that the fact of having the descendants of most of the Founding Fathers around helped purge some of the more embarrassing records.

Thanks!