Elitch Gardens is an amusement park in Denver that opened in 1890 as a zoological garden and amusement park with a renowned summer stock theater. John Elitch and his wife, Mary, founded Elitch Gardens on land that was formerly Chilcott Farm in northwest…

Mary Hauck Elitch Long (1856–1936) was the first woman in the world to own and operate a zoo, located at Elitch Gardens in Denver. She and her husband, John Elitch, Jr., opened the attraction in 1890, and after his death in 1891, Mary continued on as a…