Sam Blonger was a famous "sporting man" of the West. He left his boyhood home in Shullsburg, Wisconsin, in 1859, and headed to California, where he worked hauling freight through the Sierra Nevada. A few years later he returned home, married, and then headed west again with his younger brother Lou, who would be his lifelong partner.
Together Sam and Lou turned up in many of the mining boomtowns, from Salt Lake City to Virginia City to Leadville, with Sam usually making a living prospecting, speculating, and gambling. He served as town marshal of Albuquerque for a brief but eventful five months in 1882 before settling down in Denver to run a series of gambling halls and saloons.
Eventually Lou Blonger eclipsed his older brother, becoming the boss of the Denver underworld. As Lou's star rose, Sam slipped into retirement, happy to spend his time racing sulkies and taking frequent vacations in Hawaii and Cuba.
Together Sam and Lou turned up in many of the mining boomtowns, from Salt Lake City to Virginia City to Leadville, with Sam usually making a living prospecting, speculating, and gambling. He served as town marshal of Albuquerque for a brief but eventful five months in 1882 before settling down in Denver to run a series of gambling halls and saloons.
Eventually Lou Blonger eclipsed his older brother, becoming the boss of the Denver underworld. As Lou's star rose, Sam slipped into retirement, happy to spend his time racing sulkies and taking frequent vacations in Hawaii and Cuba.
Sam Blonger was a famous "sporting man" of the West. He left his boyhood home in Shullsburg, Wisconsin, in 1859, and headed to California, where he worked hauling freight through the Sierra Nevada. A few years later he returned home, married, and then headed west again with his younger brother Lou, who would be his lifelong partner.
Together Sam and Lou turned up in many of the mining boomtowns, from Salt Lake City to Virginia City to Leadville, with Sam usually making a living prospecting, speculating, and gambling. He served as town marshal of Albuquerque for a brief but eventful five months in 1882 before settling down in Denver to run a series of gambling halls and saloons.
Eventually Lou Blonger eclipsed his older brother, becoming the boss of the Denver underworld. As Lou's star rose, Sam slipped into retirement, happy to spend his time racing sulkies and taking frequent vacations in Hawaii and Cuba.
Together Sam and Lou turned up in many of the mining boomtowns, from Salt Lake City to Virginia City to Leadville, with Sam usually making a living prospecting, speculating, and gambling. He served as town marshal of Albuquerque for a brief but eventful five months in 1882 before settling down in Denver to run a series of gambling halls and saloons.
Eventually Lou Blonger eclipsed his older brother, becoming the boss of the Denver underworld. As Lou's star rose, Sam slipped into retirement, happy to spend his time racing sulkies and taking frequent vacations in Hawaii and Cuba.
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