Isaac Myers
Occupation: Clothing store owner
Born: Est. N/A
Birthplace: N/A
Died: N/A
Information regarding Isaac Myers’ life prior to arriving in Leadville is unfortunately limited. His exact year of arrival in the city is also unclear. A guest list for a party held by the Isaacs family [1] published in the November 24, 1891 edition of the Herald Democrat recorded an individual by the name of Myers in attendance. [2] Though the list did not provide a first name, it is possibly Isaac. The first concrete evidence of Isaac’s presence in town was his listing in the 1892 Leadville city directory which recorded his residence as a boarding house at 119 West 4th Street. [3] Soon after arrival he founded the Golden Eagle Clothing Store located at 318 Harrison Avenue, [4] once the location of David May’s clothing store. [5] A Herald Democrat snippet published in January 1892 claimed that Isaac purchased a clothing store owned by one Sam Cohen, however no individual by the name of Sam Cohen appears in city directories in the 1890s. [6] Rather, Isaac may have purchased the dry goods store owned by a B. Cohen originally located at 124 East 6th Street and, per the reporting in the Herald, removed the business to Harrison Avenue and renamed it to his liking. [7]
Isaac’s Golden Eagle was not the first clothing store in Leadville to bear the name, however. The 1879 city directory listed a Golden Eagle store located at 23 Harrison Avenue [8] and managed by Jewish brothers Max and Isaac Kamak. [9] In addition, the prominent Guldman family owned a large dry goods store under the Golden Eagle name at Lawrence Street in Denver. [10] The Guldmans attempted to expand their business to Leadville in 1883 but the storefront only lasted one year. [11] Determined to maintain a presence in Leadville, the Guldmans expanded once again in 1885, creating an official branch of the Golden Eagle at 621 Harrison Avenue. [12] The Guldman’s Golden Eagle lasted until 1890 when an advertisement in the Herald Democrat announced the store’s closing out sale. [13] It is unknown if the Kamaks, Guldmans, and Isaac Myers were in business together or if their respective Golden Eagle stores were otherwise related in some way.
Isaac’s business unfortunately did not last long as he held a closing out sale in March 1893. [14] A notice in the March 15, 1893, edition of the Herald Democrat indicated that Isaac left for the East Croast due to health concerns. [15] Curiously, Leadville’s aldermanic board, also known as the city fathers, approved the placement of a sign at 318 Harrison Avenue by an L. Myers in May 1893. [16] Unfortunately, no city directory exists for 1893; however, neither the 1892 nor 1894 city directories list an L. Myers. As such, it is likely that the author who published the alderman’s determinations in the Herald Democrat simply made an error when referring to Isaac, who may have returned to Leadville to finish the closure his store. Isaac’s final mention in local historical records was the notice of a $4,500 bid on his store’s stock by the Stock Growers’ National Bank of Pueblo in a sheriff’s sale in August 1893. [17]
One of the first advertisements for Isaac Myers’ Golden Eagle clothing store.
Courtesy of Colorado Historic Newspaper Collection.
Golden Eagle, (Leadville, CO: Herald Democrat) April 20, 1892, P7.
Isaac Myers’ Golden Eagle was located at the third storefront from the left in the above 1887 illustration. Myers’ store did not exist at the time; instead, David May’s store occupied the location until 1888.
Courtesy Western History Collection, Denver Public Library.
Leadville, Colorado, 1887, reproduction of pencil rendering, 13 x 18 cm, Western History Collection, Denver Public Library, Denver, accessed September 30, 2020: https://digital.denverlibrary.org/digital/collection/p15330coll22/id/13913/rec/9.
1 For more information on the Isaacs family, see: Trevor Mark, Isaacs (Leadville, CO: Temple Israel Foundation), 2018: http://www.jewishleadville.org/isaacs.html.
2 Engagement Party, (Leadville, CO: Herald Democrat) November 24, 1891, P8.
3 J. H. Ballenger and Richards, Ballenger &Richard’s Twentieth Annual City Directory: Containing a Complete List of the Inhabitants, Institutions, Incorporated Companies, Manufacturing Establishments, Business, Business Firms etc. in The City of Leadville for 1892 (Leadville, CO: Ballenger and Richards Publishers, 1892), P200.
4 J. H. Ballenger and Richards, Leadville, CO, 1892, P200.
5 For more information on the May family, see: Trevor Mark, May (Leadville, CO: Temple Israel Foundation), 2018: http://www.jewishleadville.org/may.html.
6 Business Changes, (Leadville, CO: Herald Democrat) January 5, 1892, P8.
7 Herald Democrat, January 5, 1892, P8.
8 W. M. Clark, W. A. Root and H. C. Anderson, Clark, Root & Co’s First Annual City Directory of Leadville, and Business Directory of Carbonateville, Kokomo and Malta for 1879 (Denver, CO: Daily Times Steam Printing House and Book Manufactory, 1879), P62.
9 Bill Korn, Kamak (Leadville, CO: Temple Israel Foundation), 2012: http://www.jewishleadville.org/kamak.html.
10 Trevor Mark, Guldman (Leadville, CO: Temple Israel Foundation), 2018: http://www.jewishleadville.org/guldman.html.
11 Trevor Mark, Temple Israel Foundation, 2018.
12 Trevor Mark, Temple Israel Foundation, 2018.
13 Trevor Mark, Temple Israel Foundation, 2018.
14 Golden Eagle Closing Out Sale Notice, (Leadville, CO: Herald Democrat) March 11, 1893, P5.
15 Personal Mention, (Leadville, CO: Herald Democrat) March 15, 1893, P4.
16 The Aldermanic Board, (Leadville, CO: Herald Democrat. May 17, 1893) May 17, 1893, P8.
17 Personal Mention, (Leadville, CO: Herald Democrat) August 16, 1893, P3.
Bibliography
Ballenger, J. H. and Richards. Ballenger & Richard’s Thirteenth Annual City Directory: Containing a Complete List of the Inhabitants, Institutions, Incorporated Companies, Manufacturing Establishments, Business, Business Firms etc. in The City of Leadville for 1892. Leadville, CO: Ballenger and Richards Publishers, 1892.
Business Changes. Leadville, CO: Herald Democrat. January 5, 1892.
Clark, W. M., W. A. Root and H. C. Anderson. Clark, Root & Co’s First Annual City Directory of Leadville, and Business Directory of Carbonateville, Kokomo and Malta for 1879. Denver, CO: Daily Times Steam Printing House and Book Manufactory, 1879.
Engagement Party. Leadville, CO: Herald Democrat. November 24, 1891.
Golden Eagle Closing Out Sale Notice. Leadville, CO: Herald Democrat. March 11, 1893.
Golden Eagle. Leadville, CO: Herald Democrat. April 20, 1892.
Korn, Bill. Kamak. Leadville, CO: Temple Israel Foundation, 2012. http://www.jewishleadville.org/kamak.html.
Leadville, Colorado. 1887. Reproduction of pencil rendering. 13 x 18 cm. Western History Collection, Denver Public Library, Denver. Accessed September 30, 2020. https://digital.denverlibrary.org/digital/collection/p15330coll22/id/13913/rec/9.
Mark, Trevor. Guldman. Leadville, CO: Temple Israel Foundation, 2018. http://www.jewishleadville.org/guldman.html.
Mark, Trevor. Isaacs. Leadville, CO: Temple Israel Foundation, 2018. http://www.jewishleadville.org/isaacs.html.
Mark, Trevor. May. Leadville, CO: Temple Israel Foundation, 2018. http://www.jewishleadville.org/may.html.
Personal Mention. Leadville, CO: Herald Democrat. March 15, 1893.
Personal Mention. Leadville, CO: Herald Democrat. August 16, 1893.
The Aldermanic Board. Leadville, CO: Herald Democrat. May 17, 1893.
To cite any of the information in this biography, please use the following reference.
AUTHOR: Quinn Whittington
EDITOR: William Korn
SOURCE: Jewish Surnames/Myers
PUBLISHED BY: Temple Israel Foundation. Leadville, CO; USA. 2020
STABLE URL: http://www.jewishleadville.org/myers.html
