Frederick Gilmer Bonfils

Frederick Gilmer "Bon"

In 1878, Bonfils entered the United States Military Academy, but dropped out in 1881 after being held back due to insufficient mathematics skills. For some time afterward, he found work at the Chemical Bank.

In 1886, Bonfils moved to Kansas City, Missouri, where he worked in the real estate business. During the Land Rush of 1889, he purchased rural land in Texas, near the border with Oklahoma, and advertised it for sale as "Oklahoma City, Texas", with "Texas" in small print to deceive buyers. He earned $15,000 by the time police ceased his operation. He then engaged in lotteries in Kansas City, Kansas, using various fake names to collect prizes. He was arrested twice for gambling, after which he left Kansas City. They used yellow journalism to reach audiences; it made The Denver Post—which struggled financially before they bought it—the most profitable and most read newspaper in Denver. They justified their style of sensationalistic journalism with the quote "a dogfight on a Denver street is more important than a war in Europe". In their articles, they supported progressive views such as labor reform and anti-corruption. thumb

In 1902, Bonfils and Tammen bought the Sells Brothers Circus from Willie Sells and his brothers. Tammen rebranded the show to the Sells Floto Circus, after Otto Floto, the sportswriter of The Denver Post, who was involved in publicity work for the circus.

On October 29, 1909, Bonfils and Tammen bought the Kansas City Post, and owned it until selling it to Walter S. Dickey on May 18, 1922, for $250,000. Dickey also owned the competing The Kansas City Journal. Bonfils owned real estate and a lottery in Kansas City; the lottery was prized at $800,000 at one point. They moved to Cañon City, Colorado, where Bonfils worked as a drill instructor for a military school.

Physically, author Dick Kreck described Bonfils as "regarded as one of Denver's best-looking men". He had light blue eyes, curly dark hair, and was "athletically built". As for his personality, Kreck described him as a miser and in relentless pursuit of wealth. He was reportedly pugnacious, one time fighting an employee after being refused entry into the Missouri State Fair.

The Bonfils Auditorium, in his birthplace of Troy, is named for him. The Bonfils Building, in Kansas City, is also named for him.