John Lewis Dyer, a circuit-riding Methodist minister from Minnesota, came west to see Pikes Peak. Finding the miners in need of preaching, he stayed to preach. Others sought gold; he sought souls.

His exploits were incredible. When his horse foundered, he walked - from Omaha to Denver. When he needed money, he carried the mail over 13,188 foot Mosquito Pass defying death with every delivery.

Father Dyer, as he came to be called, brought the Word and the Promise into the wilderness. Preaching in clearings, homes, hotels and saloons, he railed against favorite activities - drinking, gambling, dancing and cards. Marrying, burying, baptizing, exhorting, he served his people and his God.

John Dyer, an ordinary man who lived an extraordinary life, went on to become a legend. He was selected one of the Sixteen Founders of Colorado to be honored in stained glass windows in the State Capitol Dome. In Breckenridge, Colorado, the Father Dyer United Methodist Church has had a continuous ministry since 1880 when Father Dyer gave the land, helped lay the foundation, erect the superstructure, and nail roof shingles.

from Look For Me In Heaven - The Life of John Lewis Dyer
by Mark Feister, 1980

"I started alone for Buckskin Joe, by the Weston Pass. At timber height I was met by a severe snowstorm. The prospect was frightful. I prayed and dedicated myself to God. I never saw death and eternity so near as then. I resolved to keep moving, and when I could go no more, would hang up my carpet-sack, and write on a smooth pine-tree my own epitaph - LOOK FOR ME IN HEAVEN"

from Snow-Shoe Itinerant
by John Lewis Dyer, 1890