Turnbull was born in
Hamilton, New York on December 9, 1881. Turnbull passed the board of school examiners exam in Buffalo, New York in 1908, thereby qualifying her to teach
English in the area. After a stint teaching Buffalo, New York 1909, Turnbull returned to
Colorado Springs, Colorado in 1910 to teach English at Colorado Springs High School. By 1932, Turnbull had become the head of the English department at the school. It is noteworthy that Turnbull began her writing career while teaching at the high school. In 1939 they moved to a
log cabin on French Street in
Breckenridge, Colorado, where they remained for the rest of their lives, eventually coming to be known as "the ladies of French Street". During World War II, Turnbull worked as a clerk typist for the War Price and Rationing Board in Breckenridge. She resigned in 1944 to devote all of her time to writing. Though she published a novel as well as volumes of verse, Turnbull's most prominent publications were in verse.
Goldboat (
Houghton, Mifflin, 1940) is a verse narrative of a manager who came to Colorado to build a dredge for mining gold from a lake bottom.
The Tenmile Range (Prairie Press of Iowa City, 1957) is a collection of poems including her award-winning series "At That Point Mr. Probus". Both works focused on the lives of
mountain folk, the harsh reality of living among the mountains they loved, and the sickness that the
hunt for gold could become among prospectors. Turnbull died on Friday November 21, 1970 at the age of 88 while residing in the Juliet Temple Home
nursing home in
Denver, Colorado; she was cremated the day after her death. Her long time companion, Helen Rich, died the following year. == Works ==