This image is the cover for the book Ladies of the Brown

Ladies of the Brown

“Amusing and little-known anecdotes” about the hotel’s female guests including Hillary Rodham Clinton, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Joan Baez, Helen Keller, and others (The Denver Post).

Since the day it opened in 1892, Denver’s Brown Palace Hotel has been the Mile High City’s foremost destination for high-powered business travelers, celebrities, royalty and politicians. In Ladies of the Brown, hotel historian and archivist Debra B. Faulkner introduces readers to some of the hotel’s most fascinating and famous female visitors, residents and employees. From Denver’s “Unsinkable” Molly Brown and Romania’s Queen Marie to Zsa Zsa Gabor, Mamie Eisenhower and many, many more, these intriguing characters play leading roles in true tales of romance, scandal, humor and heartbreak. This collection of stories is integral to the history of the Brown Palace and Denver, offering a glimpse into the lives of generations of women from all walks of life.

“Crafted by Brown Palace historian and archivist Debra Faulkner, this well written, well-researched and thoroughly entertaining book presents amazing stories one can hardly believe are true.” —Colorado Country Life, “The Year’s Best Books”

“What fun we had learning about this amazing assortment of characters, all real, and this building so well-appointed and enduring.” —Mountain States Collector

Debra B. Faulkner

Debra Faulkner grew up in Loveland, Colorado, and her first memory of the Brown Palace dates to a visit from a wealthy uncle of her mother's, who treated them to dinner in the Palace Arms and bought Debra her first cocktail--a Shirley Temple. Faulkner earned her bachelor's degree in education and master's in history from the University of Colorado. She currently teaches U.S. and Colorado history courses at Metropolitan State College on the Auraria campus. Her passion for women's history led her to serve on the board of the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame for three years and to create the archives for that organization. Faulkner authored the award-winning biography Touching Tomorrow: The Emily Griffith Story (Filter Press, 2005) and Mary Elitch Long: First Lady of Fun (Filter Press, 2008), as well as several books on Colorado history in collaboration with Thomas J. Noel. Since 2008, Faulkner has served as hotel historian and archivist for the Brown Palace Hotel and Spa.

The History Press