Louise Sneed Hill

Louise Sneed was born in Townsville, North Carolina, at about the start of the American Civil War. She was educated in New York City Her father died December 10, 1891, near Townsville. After both of her parents had died, she went to live with an older sister in Memphis, Tennessee. where she met Crawford Hill, the son of Senator Nathaniel P. Hill. ==Marriage and children==

Crawford and Louise were married in Memphis in 1895. Sensing that her daughter-in-law was making a power play, Alice Hale Hill said that she was "sick over Crawford's marriage". The Hills moved into an apartment at La Veta Place in downtown Denver, on the present site of the City and County building. They had two sons there, Nathaniel and Crawford, Jr. ==Denver society==

Hill began her quest to remedy what she saw as a "social wasteland" and to become a member of Denver society, following and surpassing the footsteps of her mother-in-law. Seeking publicity, she courted journalists and sent gifts to those who wrote about her parties. , Tenth and Sherman Streets, Denver, Colorado She created the first published record of members of society in 1908 with the ''Who's Who in Denver Society. To be included on the list, one must have money and know how to entertain. It has evolved to the Blue Book'' of wealthy people from Denver. She provided information, such as the proper hours for calling, rules for the calling card, the high tea, the wedding journey, and how to get into society. Hill traveled to New York City, to Newport, Rhode Island, and to Paris. While in England, she was presented at the court of King Edward VII. During this audience, she wore a satin gown embroidered with diamonds and had a red velvet cape trimmed in 14-karat gold. She became the first person in Denver to entertain a president when William Howard Taft visited. He was met by a red carpet, an orchestra, and Hill's sons wearing white satin suits. She was politically active, involved in Republican Party women's clubs. Her sons married and moved to Newport, where she visited them. She continued to travel to Paris, London, and New York City. ==Bulkeley Wells==

. Photo from History of Colorado, edited by Wilbur Fiske Stone (1918). She met Bulkeley Wells (also seen as "Buckeley"), a polo-playing socialite, around 1914. He was a general in the Colorado National Guard and had mining interests in the state. They became involved in a complicated affair. Crawford and Bulkeley also had a close relationship. The three together were a “tight trio.” Crawford Hill died in 1922, and Hill rather assumed that Wells would stay by her side, but he eloped with a woman from Nevada. He lost his mining empire and gas and oil speculations. He gambled and lost the last of his money. He was on the verge of bankruptcy when he committed suicide in 1931. ==Later years==

She lived in the mansion until World War II when the upkeep of her home became difficult and she suffered from a stroke. She is buried at Fairmount Cemetery next to Crawford in the Hill family plot. After her death, Local historian Caroline Bancroft said "There is no Society in Denver anymore". ==Notes==