Barney L. Ford
http://www.denvergov.org/AboutDenver/history_char_ford.asp
Inter-Ocean Hotel in Denver. The Inter-Ocean Hotel opened on October 29, 1873, at the corner of 16th
(Sixteenth) and Blake Streets in downtown Denver, Colorado, built by Barney L. Ford, a prominent African American
businessman. Two horse- drawn wagons are stopped on Blake Street in front of the hotel. Large signs hang on the
building adjacent to the hotel: “Brooms and Brushes” and “Wooden and Willow Ware.” Other signs advertise Lana
Oil Soap, Inter-Ocean Cafe & Restaurant, the Palatine Insurance Company, the Schirmer Insurance & Investment
Company, and the general offices for the P. H. Zang Brewing Company. Farther down the block is L.F. Willoughby’s
printing supply store; bicycles are propped against the side of the building. The building was razed in the early
1970s. 1900? Denver Public Library, Western History Collection. Call Number: C-175.
Background Information for Teachers
Barney L. Ford
When: 1822-1902
Where: Born in Virginia, grew up in South Carolina, fled to Chicago, moved to Central
America, and finally to Denver
Why Important: Barney Ford escaped slavery from South Carolina using the Underground
Railroad. He became a successful businessman and civil rights activist in Colorado.
His Story:
Born on January 22, 1822 at Stafford Courthouse, Virginia, Barney grew up a slave. He did not
have a last name; he was simply called “Barney.” He worked in South Carolina on fields and
farms. His mother, Phoebe, hoped he would one day escape slavery – and he did, traveling at
age seventeen on the Underground Railroad to Chicago. Barney then helped other escaped slaves
begin new lives up North. He married Julia Lyon; it was she who helped him pick a last name of
“Ford” from the steam engine Lancelot Ford.
While in Chicago, Ford taught himself to read and write; he particularly enjoyed books on literature,
politics, and economics. Then in 1851, he and Julia then left for the gold fields in California. Their
ship stopped at Greytown, Nicaragua and the Fords liked it enough to stay. They opened “The
United States Hotel” and restaurant near the Panama Canal for passengers traveling the coasts.
Threat of war in Nicaragua and dreams of bigger business opportunities led the Fords to the
American West. In 1860, the Fords moved to Colorado, where Barney planned on mining gold;
however, racial discrimination prevented him from claiming his own mine. A lawyer told Barney
to put the claim in the lawyer’s name, but then the lawyer cheated Barney and stole his
mine. Frustrated, the Fords moved to Denver and opened a barbershop downtown. People were
impressed by Barney’s intelligence. Sadly, in 1863, Barney’s barbershop burned down along with
many buildings in Denver.
Even though his barbershop burned down, Ford was determined to succeed, and he did with the
opening of the People’s Restaurant and the Inter-Ocean Hotel and Ford Hotel. Although the two
hotels were later demolished, his People’s Restaurant still stands at 1514 Blake Street. Further, he
served on the Board of the Dime Savings Bank, was a member of the Colorado Association of
Pioneers, and was the first African-American to be named in the 1898 Social Register of Denver.
Ford also succeeded in fighting for African-American rights in Colorado. Many wished for statehood
in 1865, but if Colorado became a state rather than a territory, African-Americans would not
have the rights they deserved, for example, they would be denied the right to vote. Ford and
Henry Wagoner convinced congressmen in Washington D.C. to reject Colorado statehood. This
gave African-American men rights in Colorado. He started adult education programs for freed
Coloradans and was the first African American to serve on a Colorado grand jury.
Ford died in 1902; well-known to many as a pioneer, successful businessman, and civil rights activist.