“Aunt” Clara Brown (c. 1803—1885) was a Black pioneer, businesswoman, and community leader in Auraria. Born into slavery, Brown was manumitted after her enslaver’s death in 1856. She later moved to Colorado, where she became an entrepreneur and was known for her support of other early Black Coloradans.

Early Life

Clara Brown was born into slavery in Fredericksburg, Virginia, around 1803. Her birthdate is unknown. She married an enslaved man and was the mother of four children. However, in 1835, she was sold and separated from her family, after which she lost contact with almost all of them for decades. She was freed when her enslaver died in 1856, almost a decade before slavery was ended in the United States. 

At the height of the Colorado gold rush in 1859, Brown travelled west with a wagon train. Like many other people of color, she hoped that the western territories would offer better opportunities and less discrimination. She is considered to be one of the first Black women to cross the Great Plains.

She arrived in Auraria, Colorado, where she found work at the city bakery. She quickly earned a reputation for compassion, and gained the nickname “Aunt Clara” within the mining community. Later that year, she moved to Gilpin County.

Career

Clara Brown established the first laundry in Gilpin County. She primarily served miners, and charged 50 cents to clean an article of clothing. 

While living in Colorado, she worked to support other former slaves, both those who had been freed and who had escaped slavery. After the Civil War, she was a supporter of the Exodusters Movement, in which groups of Black migrants traveled to the west seeking better opportunities. These migrants were known as Exodusters. Brown supported sixteen men and women who came to Gilpin County as part of this movement, providing resources and helping them become established in the community. 

Over the years, Brown returned to Kentucky to search for her family. She eventually reunited with her daughter, but was unable to locate the remainder of her family. 

Clara Brown died in 1885.

Legacy

After Brown’s death, many people from the community paid their respects because of the kindness she had shown them during her life. Her efforts and contributions were recognized in 1930 when she was honored with a chair at the Central City Opera House. In 1977, a stained-glass portrait was created of Aunt Clara Brown and displayed inside the Colorado State Capitol. She also inspired Gabriel’s Daughter, an opera that references events that happened throughout her life.