While attending a Denver Open Doors event, I found a bronze plaque commemorating General William J. Palmer in Union Station. In 1929, five of these plaques were installed in various key locations: Mexico City, Salt Lake City, Hampton Institute in Virginia, Colorado College in Colorado Springs, and Union Station in Denver. I looked high; I looked low. I never could find the Palmer plaque in the historic old Denver train station.
The bronze memorial must have been removed from the wall at some point, and put into storage. For this open house event, it was placed on an easel for all to see. They must have thought I was a little daft for getting so excited about it, but then, they graciously cleared a path so I could photograph it.
Something about this particular plaque did not look right to me. Students at Colorado College know the reason why. On test day, any student walking through Palmer Hall can acquire instant good luck by rubbing the dog’s nose on their Palmer memorial. As a result of many years of superstitious and cautious students passing by, the bronze dog in Palmer Hall has a brilliantly shiny nose.
To learn more about Palmer, see my book, General William Palmer: Railroad Pioneer, a “Now You Know Bio” from Filter Press, 2009.
Joyce B. Lohse, 5/2/10
www.lohseworks.com