‘Hope’ everlasting

Thomas Walsh was known, at one time, as one of the wealthiest men in America and a generous benefactor of the town of Ouray. Daughter, Evalyn, was known for her extravagant lifestyle, and as the three decade owner of one of the world’s most  precious gemstones, the Hope Diamond.

“In the end, Evalyn felt that it was her wealth, not the supposed Hope Diamond curse, that had led to the tragic events of her life. She regretted the way her life turned out,” said Sue Hillhouse, who portrayed Evalyn in “Vignettes of History 2008: An Evening with Tom Walsh, Evalyn and Friends,” held Friday, Aug. 29 at the Wright Opera House in Ouray.

The production, based on Denver author John Stewart’s new biography of Thomas Walsh, focused on the family’s life in Ouray in the early part of the 20th century. Stewart played the part of the mining tycoon opposite Hillhouse.

Although bearing a striking physical resemblance to the mining heiress, Hillhouse pointed out that’s as far as the similarity of character went.

“I’m pretty much opposite of her,” she said. “But I was struck by how the circumstances of her life impacted everything around her.”

Tragically, Evalyn lost one of her four children, Vinson McLean, an epileptic, at the age of 9, following a traffic accident; her marriage to publishing magnate Ned McLean was rocked by infidelity and substance abuse. The couple divorced in 1929; Ned McLean later died in a mental institution.

“It was ‘hot’ reading back in 1936 when Evalyn published her life’s story in the book, “Father Struck It Rich,’” Hillhouse stated.

The story still captivates modern-day readers and audiences.

The Walsh legacy

Thomas Walsh’s discovery of gold ore in Imogene Basin above Ouray in 1896 made him a multimillionaire overnight. In less than a decade, from near bankruptcy following the Silver Crash of 1893, the Irish immigrant became one of the wealthiest men in the country, living the life of the “rich and famous.”

His fabulously rich Camp Bird Mine was second in production only to the Portland Mine in Cripple Creek. What made his story even more incredible was the fact that he was shipping gold ore before many of the townspeople of Ouray even knew he had a mine.

Unlike many other mining operations, which required substantial backing, the Camp Bird Mine actually financed itself. From the years 1901-11, for example, the mine averaged $1 million or more per year in gold production. Eventually the operation included over 100 mining claims, 12 mill sites and encompassed nearly 1,000 acres.

Walsh sold the Camp Bird in 1902 to a British syndicate for an estimated $5,200,000 and from that date to 1916, the Camp Bird Ltd. produced $21,884,894 in gold.

Walsh was one of the leading benefactors of early-day Ouray and his efforts can still be seen today. Walsh donated funds to add a second story to the city hall building to serve as a library and meeting room and made financial contributions to many of the miners.

Walsh spared no expense when it came to building and providing the finest in living quarters for his miners who worked at the Camp Bird. The three-story boarding house sported luxuries for the time such as flush toilets, hot and cold running water, porcelain bathtubs, marble-topped washbasins and a library.

Ouray’s newest multimillionaire also spared no expense in providing the finer things in life for his family. With his newly found wealth, he purchased the “Star of the East” diamond for his daughter, Evalyn. She later purchased the famous “Hope” diamond after his death in 1910 for $154,000.

Evalyn was described as a woman of contradiction who was known for her extravagant taste and spending, but who also gave generously to charities and friends alike.

In most of her photographs, the young heiress was shown wearing the blue Hope Diamond which had a legacy of bad luck: supposedly Selim Habib’s ship sank after he disposed of it and French monarch Louis XVI wore it and was guillotined.

She reportedly did hock it more than once to pay debts. She also lost the diamond a few times, too, once by putting it around her Great Dane’s neck. When she left the Hope Diamond to her grandchildren in 1947, it was worth $2 million.

Following her death in 1947, famed New York jeweler Harry Winston purchased the diamond from the estate. In 1958, he donated the Hope Diamond to the Simthsonian Institution as a gift to the American people.

Incredibly, the largest blue diamond in the world simply arrived one day at the museum via the U.S. mail.

Today, an average of seven million people a year stop to gaze at the Hope Diamond on display in the Hall of Geology, Gems and Minerals at the Smithsonian.