Richens Lacy Wootton | |
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 Richens Lacy "Uncle Dick" Wootton (pictured right) with Ute Chief Conniach (left). | |
| Born | (1816-05-06)May 6, 1816 Mecklenburg County, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | 1893 Trinidad, Colorado, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Uncle Dick |
| Occupation(s) | Frontiersman, trapper, trader, entrepreneur, scout |
| Known for | Building the Raton Pass Toll Road |
| Spouse(s) | Maria Dolores LeFevre (m. 1848–1855, her death); Mary Ann Manning (m. c.1857–1861, her death); Fanny Brown (m. 1863–c.1864, her death); Maria Paulina Lujan (m. 1871–1893, his death) |
| Children | At least 15 children (including R. L. Wootton Jr.) |
Richens Lacy Wootton (May 6, 1816 – 1893), commonly known as"Uncle Dick" Wootton, was an American frontiersman, mountain man, trader, scout, and entrepreneur active during the westward expansion of the United States. Wootton is best remembered for constructing a toll road overRaton Pass, which helped improve travel on theSanta Fe Trail and contributed to the development ofColorado andNew Mexico.
Wootton was born inMecklenburg County, Virginia to a family of Scottish descent. At age 17, he left home and traveled to Mississippi before heading west toIndependence, Missouri. In 1836, he joined Bent and St. Vrain's wagon train toBent's Fort on theArkansas River, where he began a lifelong career as a frontiersman.
He quickly made a name for himself trading with theSioux and other tribes, trapping beaver, hunting buffalo, and freighting goods across the western frontier. In 1837, Wootton led a 17-man trapping expedition through what is nowColorado,Wyoming, andNew Mexico. A year later, he embarked on a two-year, 5,000-mile trek through the American West, trading furs as far west asFort Vancouver in present-dayWashington.
Wootton also supplied buffalo meat to Bent's Fort and later raised buffalo for sale to zoos and exhibitions in the East. His reputation grew, and he became a well-known figure among both Native Americans and settlers.
Wootton married multiple times throughout his life. His first marriage was to Maria Dolores LeFevre of Taos, New Mexico, in 1848.[1] Maria Dolores, daughter of a French trader and a local Taos woman, died in childbirth in 1855 after bearing four children.
Around 1857, Wootton married Mary Ann Manning and moved to the nascent settlement ofDenver, where he operated a saloon, hotel, and general trading and loan business. After Mary Ann's death in 1861, Wootton returned to southeastern Colorado and took up farming nearPueblo, Colorado.
In 1863, he married Fanny Brown, who died shortly after giving birth to a daughter.
On June 17, 1871, Wootton married sixteen-year-old Maria Paulina Lujan of Mora, New Mexico.[2] The couple had ten children together, six of whom survived to adulthood. Maria Paulina outlived Wootton by more than four decades, passing away in 1935.
Wootton served as a scout for Colonel Doniphan during theMexican–American War and later participated in campaigns following theTaos Revolt. He was involved in various conflicts on the frontier, often alongside prominent figures likeKit Carson, Tom Tobin, andAntoine Leroux, though he maintained that he only engaged in violence when necessary.
In 1858, while traveling east to visit family, Wootton stopped in the area that would becomeDenver, Colorado. There, he became a local favorite after sharing barrels of rare bourbon whiskey with the community. His generosity and storytelling earned him the nickname "Uncle Dick." He remained in Denver for several years, running successful businesses.
In the mid-1860s, Wootton relocated toTrinidad, Colorado, where he obtained approval from both the Colorado and New Mexico territorial legislatures to construct a toll road overRaton Pass, long considered one of the most difficult segments of theSanta Fe Trail.
With the help ofUte laborers under Chief Conniache, Wootton blasted rock, built bridges, and constructed a 27-mile road, which opened in 1866.[3] The toll road significantly improved the safety and speed of travel for military convoys, stagecoaches, merchants, and gold seekers. Native Americans were often allowed to pass without charge.
By the early 1870s, Wootton also operated a stage station and residence at the pass, supporting a steady business that earned approximately $600 per month.
In 1878, theAtchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway sought to build a rail line through Raton Pass. Wootton negotiated a modest deal, accepting a $50 monthly stipend and free transportation and groceries for Maria Paulina for life, in lieu of a lump sum.[4] While some considered the agreement to be a poor bargain, Maria Paulina benefited from the arrangement until her death in 1935—57 years later.
Wootton spent his final years atSimpson's Rest near Trinidad, Colorado, where he continued to welcome travelers, including prominent figures and outlaws. He passed away in 1893 at the age of 77. His son, R. L. Wootton Jr., later served in theColorado legislature.
Richens Lacy Wootton is remembered as one of the last prominentmountain men and as a symbol of the rugged, entrepreneurial spirit of the American West. TheSanta Fe Railway named a locomotive in his honor.[5] He appears as a character in George MacDonald Fraser’s novelFlashman and the Redskins and is mentioned in James A. Michener’sCentennial.
Media related toRichens Lacey Wootton at Wikimedia Commons
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