Medallic Art Company (Maco) Medals

Issued in 1971, Sculptor Edward R. Grove depicts Boston-born historian Francis Parkman. Parkman entered Harvard at age 16 and while there determined his life's work would be a history of the Anglo-French conflict in North America. After finishing a Harvard Law degree, Parkman defied his family's wishes and went on to write The Oregon Trail: Sketches of Prairie and Rocky-Mountain Life, the result of a seven month expedition. His histories of early America were incredibly popular and influential. Theodore Roosevelt's four volume history of the frontier, The Winning of the West, was dedicated to Parkman.

About the design of the medal's reverse, Grove wrote:

Parkman's legacy has withered somewhat over time; his Wiki page gets into details beyond the purview of the CCF. Since 1957, the Society of American Historians has awarded The Francis Parkman Prize for the best book in American history each year.

@cptbilly: I appreciate the ongoing show of your growing collection. Thanks for sharing!

38mm MACO Colorado Springs Centennial 1872-1972. [MACO 1971-114]. Artist: Donald Dow. Dow was a member of the American Medallic Sculpture Association. He created the 1969 Grand Canyon 50th Anniversary Medal as described here: http://goccf.com/t/434399 Varieties included Bronze, Silver, and Gilt Bronze. On the Obverse, there are four depictions: the USAF Academy Chapel; Shove Memorial Chapel; Garden of the Gods Park; and General W. J. Palmer, who founded the Denver and Rio Grande RR and purchased land along the route to create Colorado Springs:

Reverse: Colorado Springs Plus 100 featuring a covered wagon emblazoned with "Pike's Peak or Bust" on the canopy.

This 1968 MACo issue was a promotional piece for the 50th Anniversary of the Broadmoor Hotel & Resort, the Colorado Springs landmark founded by Spencer Penrose. The MACO archive [MACo Number 1968-047-001] credits the engraving to Patrick Whitaker; the same source indicates the piece was issued in 2 inch, 1.5 inch, and 3/4 inch versions. Whittaker would create the medal for the Broadmoor Golf Club-- a Donald Ross layout--50th Anniversary celebration in 1971.

Penrose is credited with building the road to the summit of Pike's Peak in 1916 and establishing the annual race to the top. Penrose's summary biography is fascinating: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spencer_Penrose
Penrose's fortune stemmed, in part, from his mining and real estate interests in the town of Cripple Creek, CO, near the base of Pike's Peak. The Cripple Creek Colorado Medal shown below was commissioned by the Two Mile High Club of Cripple Creek, possibly as a fundraiser for their on-going support of Cripple Creek's donkeys, "fantastic animals representing Cripple Creek's mining history." Struck in 1-5/8-inch bronze, it pays tribute to the man credited with discovering the rich ore which created the last great Colorado gold rush: Robert Miller Womack.

Per the Cripple Creek Wiki page, ". . . $500 million worth of gold ore was dug from Cripple Creek and more than 30 millionaires were produced since its mining heyday, Womack was not among them. Having sold his claim for $500 and a case of whiskey, he died penniless on 10 August 1909.
More Cripple Creek Mining history is here: https://www.mininghistoryassociatio...pleCreek.htm

Thanks, Hondo. . .thanks for the encouragement.




Returning the favor, @commems. I enjoy doing the modest write-ups. . .one never knows where the digging will lead.

Awesome medal, Hondo B. I wonder if any CCF members went to that event ?

National Parks Centennial Series. Frank Hagel - sculptor; Joseph DiLorenzo - lettering. MACo # 1972-008-001
Distributed by Roche Jaune, Inc., of Kalispel, MT.

Excellent medals, Captain and Commems!