Marshall Sprague (March 14, 1909 – September 9, 1994) was an American journalist in New York, Paris, and China and writer of books about western United States history. From Ohio, he moved to

Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is the most populous city in El Paso County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, a 15.02% increase since 2010 United States Census, 2 ...

to recuperate following a diagnosis of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

and settled there. He received the Colorado Authors League Top Hand Award for ''Massacre: The Tragedy At White River'' and ''A Gallery of Dudes.''

Early life and career

Born March 14, 1909 in

Newark, Ohio Newark ( ) is a city in Licking County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located east of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus at the junction of the forks of the Licking River (Ohio), Licking River. The population was 49,934 at the 2020 United ...

, he graduated from

Lawrenceville School The Lawrenceville School is a Private school, private, coeducational College-preparatory school, preparatory school for boarding and day students located in the Local government in New Jersey, unincorporated community of Lawrenceville, New Jers ...

and

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

(1930), both in New Jersey. After Princeton, he first worked at ''Women’s Wear Daily''. He was a journalist in Paris for the New York Herald-Tribune's Paris edition and China for ''North China Star ''. He then contributed to ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', writing book reviews and articles for the Sunday Times. He moved to the North End of Colorado Springs, Colorado following a diagnosis of tuberculosis in 1941. As he recovered, he wrote ''The Business of Getting Well''. He is the author of ''Money Mountain'' (1953) about Cripple Creek and Victor gold mining. In 1957, he received the Colorado Authors League Top Hand Award for ''Massacre: The Tragedy At White River'' of the

Meeker Massacre Meeker Massacre, or Meeker Incident, White River War, Ute War, or the Ute Campaign), took place on September 29, 1879 in Colorado. Members of a band of Ute people, Ute Indians (Native Americans of the United States, Native Americans) attacked t ...

of 1879. He wrote ''Newport In The Rockies: The Life And Good Times Of Colorado Springs'' (1961), which

Cleveland Amory Cleveland Amory (September 2, 1917 – October 14, 1998) was an American author, reporter, television critic, commentator and animal rights activist. He wrote a series of popular books poking fun at the pretensions and customs of society, start ...

, a social historian, described as "candid, graceful, diligently researched". He also wrote ''A Gallery of Dudes'' (1967) described as a book of "wonderful tales about eminent commoners and titled Europeans awash in the exhilarating landscapes of America's last frontier" by a critic. It received the Top Hand Award in 1967. In 1976, his book ''Colorado, A Bicentennial History'' was published. Another of his books of western history was ''So Vast So Beautiful a Land: Louisiana and the Purchase'' about the

Louisiana Purchase The Louisiana Purchase () was the acquisition of the Louisiana (New France), territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803. This consisted of most of the land in the Mississippi River#Watershed, Mississipp ...

. His memoir, ''Sometimes I'm Happy'', was published the year following his death, with the assistance of family and friends.

Personal life

Married February 1939, his wife was Edna Jane (E.J.) (née Ailes) Sprague, an activist, serving civic commissions and boards and the Colorado Springs City Planning Commission. They had three children, Sharon, Stephen, and Joseph. He was a jazz piano player and bird watcher. Sprague died in Colorado Springs at St. Francis Hospital at the age of 85 on September 9, 1994.

Legacy

In 2014, Alex Johnson in the ''Colorado Springs Gazette'' wrote of Sprague's influence: Marshall Sprague Park in Colorado Springs is named for him. Located at 3492 W. Woodmen in the Peregrine neighborhood, it was dedicated on August 7, 1999.

Early life and career

Personal life

Legacy

Notes

References

Further reading