Leadville Johnny
by James Bretz
John Francis Campion, also known as "Leadville Johnny," was the Leadville silver boom's richest of the rich. Starting his career in mining in California in 1868, Campion soon moved to Eureka, Nevada, where he sold and developed mining properties during that state's boom days, and then quickly left for Leadville, Colorado, during its amazing boom days of 1879. Campion did very well in Leadville and by 1891 helped form the Ibex Mining Company. Soon Campion was close friends with most of the men who had made large fortunes, such as J.J. Brown, husband of Molly Brown, who is often wrongly identified as Leadville Johnny. J.J. Brown was given the title by movie makers in order to make the movie and play "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" more interesting. Although J.J. and Molly's lives were interesting, the life of John Campion was much more lavish and awe-inspiring.
- ISBN
- 978-1-937851-09-5
- Pages
- 246
- Place
- Leadville
- Listed at
- $21.53
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About this book
Leadville Johnny is a biography of John Francis Campion, known as "Leadville Johnny." The description calls him the richest of the rich in the Leadville silver boom.
It traces his path from the start. His mining career began in California in 1868, and he soon moved to Eureka, Nevada, where he sold and developed mining properties during that state's boom days before moving on again. He reached Leadville in its boom year of 1879, did very well there, and by 1891 helped form the Ibex Mining Company. The description adds that J.J. Brown, husband of Molly Brown, is often wrongly identified as Leadville Johnny, a title movie makers gave him for "The Unsinkable Molly Brown."
James Bretz is the credited author. We hold no other details about the book beyond the record, which gives it 246 pages.
Who it is for
Leadville Johnny is for readers who want a single mining fortune followed from the beginning, and for anyone who knows Leadville and wants a closer look at one of its most successful men. Collectors of Colorado mining biography will want a book devoted to Campion on the shelf.
The place and the period
John F. Campion has an entry of his own on Wikipedia, which says he was born in December 1849 on Prince Edward Island, Canada, and died in Denver on July 17, 1916. It notes that some sources give 1848 for his birth. He joined the Union Navy as a teenager, and then mined in California and Nevada before moving to Leadville around 1878.
In 1890 he bought the Little Jonny mine. After the shafts were stabilized, the mine paid large dividends beginning in 1894. He also founded the Ibex Mining Company in 1891. After 1900 he made a second fortune in sugar beets, co-founding Great Western Sugar with Charles Boettcher.
He married Nella May Daly in 1895 and they had four children. He was inducted into the National Mining Hall of Fame in 2003, and Campion, Colorado, is named for him.
Source: Wikipedia, John F. Campion
Ways to use this book
Putting Campion in context
Read the Colorado Encyclopedia entry on Leadville first, then keep the biography beside it. Knowing when the silver boom began and how the district later declined makes any one fortune easier to place in time.
Planning a Leadville trip
The Mining History Association page names the mining museum in town. Check the museum's own current schedule before you go, and ask local visitors' offices which old mine sites you can see from public roads.
Go deeper
Campion's story runs through Leadville, so the best companions to this biography are sources on the town and its mining district, where the silver boom he profited from took place.
Colorado Encyclopedia: Leadville
A scholarly overview of how Leadville grew from a gold camp into a silver boom town, with a section on the mining district's later decline.
Mining History Association: Leadville
A short history of the district's silver rush. It also describes the National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum, which it says shows gold from the Little Jonny Mine.
Western Mining History: Leadville
A town profile with settlement dates, peak population and a narrative of the district, plus a photo gallery.
History Colorado Research Center
Its online collection and appointment form are the way to ask about photographs, papers and artifacts from Colorado mining towns.
Good to know
Who was Leadville Johnny?
Where did his career begin?
Is this fiction?
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