History of Denver, Colorado, USA

1858 - A party of prospectors led by William Green Russell discovered gold in what is now downtown Denver.

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1858 - November 17 – The city of Denver, Colorado, is founded.

wikipedia.org
November 17, 1858

1871 - Express Delivery
At Denver, Col., a few days ago, a man tried to have himself sent by express to Newtown Corners, Mass., by securing himself in a box expressly manufactured by himself for that purpose. The box was five feet long, three feet high, and furnished with provisions and all necessary articles pertaining to a bed chamber. The express company refused to receive the box, which was valued at $300, on account of its insecurity. The box was left standing on an end, with the man in it, at the express office, for two hours, the man standing on his head all that time, as was afterward discovered. As the box was being removed, the man stirred while endeavoring to remain perpendicular, which led to his detection. The box was addressed to himself, and was so artfully arranged that he could have escaped at pleasure before reaching his destination.
St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan
March 4, 1871

1883 - Electric lights installed in Denver

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1887 - PLUNGED THROUGH THE BRIDGE.
Denver, Col., Aug. 25. - An accident occurred on an east-bound Union Pacific express at Sand Creek bridge, 10 miles east of here, last night, resulting in the death of Engineer MASTERTON and the serious wounding of two or three trainmen. The Union Pacific and Burlington bridges across this Sand Creek, almost parallel, and within a few feet of each other. When the engineer of the Union Pacific train, which leaves here about 30 minutes ahead of the Burlington train, was withing a few feet of the bridge he was horrified to see that the flood of the early part of the evening had washed the middle section away. The fireman jumped into the steam and stuck in the sand, whence he was taken out half an hour later in an unconscious condition. He may die. Engineer MASTERTON grabbed the lever and reversed his engine just as it plunged into the water with a baggage car, which fell on top of his body, burying it in the sand. His engine was completely submerged in the sand. Baggageman BREEDLOVE was... Read MORE...

1889 - Walter Ives, aged ten years, fell from the top of a nine-story building at Denver, Col., on the 2d, struck the telephone wires, and then rebounded to a horse's back and was not fatally injured.

St Joseph Herald
Saint Joseph, Michigan
February 9, 1889

1893 - Fire
DENVER, Jan. 6. - One of the largest fires that ever occurred in this city started at 10:45 last night in the oil room of the E. A. Halleck Paint, Oil, and Glass Company, in the Halleck Building, and soon spread to the adjoining houses. The loss is estimated at $290,000, divided as follows: Eaton, Ritchell & Co., hardware, $25,000: Halleck Paing, Oil and Glass Company, $65,000; Denver Stamping Company, $90,000; Western Laundry Company, $10,000; F. A. & Charles Salleck, building, $100,000; National Cracker Company nominal. The insurance is about half of the above figures.
The New York Times
New Hampshire
January 7, 1893

1894 - The Union Depot Completely Destroyed by Fire.
The Union Depot at Denver was burned down the morning of the 18th . The fire started shortly after midnight.

The origin of the fire is supposed to be from a detached live electric wire. Early in the evening two of the wires in the ladies waiting room suddenly broke, letting the arc lights to the floor. As no particular damage was done little was thought of the occurrence. The officials at the depot can ascribe no other cause than this.

The fire was discovered by the night hands, in the western wing, in the second story and above the baggage room. It was hoped for a short time that it could be checked and the damage confined to that portion of the building. The employees attempted to put out the fire and did not call the department promptly.

The offices where the conflagration had its inception are occupied by the Denver & Rio Grande railroad. This part of the building was soon a mass of flames. But apparently no progress was made in the uneven fight.

The material used in... Read MORE...

1895 - Denver
Den’ver, the capital and chief commercial city of Colorado, and county seat of Arapahoe co., is situated on both sides of the South Platte River, at an elevation of about 5196 feet. It is 1025 miles W. of Chicago, 540 miles W. of Omaha, and 106 miles S. of Cheyenne. Lat. 39° 45' N.; Lon. 104° 59'23" W. It has a dry, healthful climate; mean annual temperature, 49°; annual rainfall, about 15 inches, The sun shines on an average 29 days in each month. The site slopes gently back from either bank of the river, and commands a beautiful view of a long mountain-range, with Pike's Peak on the S. and Long's Peak on the N. It is exceptionally well built, nearly all the houses being of brick or stone. It has wide streets that are lined with fine residences and substantial business houses (one of the latter costing $1,500,000). The streets are lighted by electricity. There are 108 churches, an assay mint of the United States, 2 first-class theatres, 3 high schools (one of which cost $321,370),... Read MORE...

1895 - February 20 - Congress authorizes a US mint at Denver, Colorodo

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February 20, 1895

1897 - DEADLY LIVE WIRE
Denver, Sept 16. - August Plym, a saloon-keeper, was instantly killed at noon today, when in inadvertently seized a badly insulated live electric wire on the roof of the Windsor livery stable, at 18th and Blake streets. He leaves a wife and two young children. He was assisting his wife to hang a clothes line, and grabbed the wire to keep him from falling.
Aspen Weekly Times
Aspen, Colorado
September 18, 1897

1899 - June 25 – Three Denver, Colorado newspapers publish a story (later proved to be a fabrication) that the Chinese government under the Guangxu Emperor is going to demolish the Great Wall of China.

wikipedia.org
June 25, 1899

1901 - Denver - The Queen City of the Plains by John Cotton Dana
Denver has historic background. Behind its own brief chronicles we note the outline of the story, full of the good work of strong men, of the exploration and civic conquest of the wide country between the Mississippi River and the Pacific coast. To ask of Denver's beginnings is to go back of 1858 and the hopeful Aurarians by the ford at the mouth of Cherry Creek, to government explorations, California gold seekers, Mormon emigrants, trappers and traders, and Spanish pioneers.

The incidents which lead up to Denver's origin took place here and there in a great mid continental area so vast as to make those incidents seem at first sight isolated, unrelated to one another. But there is a simplicity of plan in that great country which, taken with the gold of the west coast and the migrant spirit of the early settlers: of the Mississippi Valley, makes the early ventures across the plains seem natural enough and binds them to one another. Given the country and the factors mentioned, and a... Read MORE...

1901 - DENVER CITY HALL BURNS. Large Number of Valuable Records Supposed to Have Been Consumed.
Denver, Col., Nov. 30. - Fire, tonight destroyed the Denver city hall, including, probably, a large amount of valuable records. The fire is supposed to have been caused by defective electric wiring. The building contained all the city offices except the police department, including the central fire station and city jail. It was built in 1880, at a cost of nearly $500,000. The insurance is $80,000.

Charles Stoll, an employe of the city engineer's office, while trying to save some of the records, was seriously hurt by a falling roof.
Davenport Daily Republican
Davenport, Iowa
December 1, 1901

1902 - CHILDREN IN A FIRE. TWO HUNDRED ORPHANS RESCUED FROM FLAMES IN AN ASYLUM.
Denver, Colo., March 15. - St. Vincent's Orphan asylum, situated in the northern part of the city, was badly damaged by fire this afternoon. There were 200 orphan children in the institution. All were rescued unharmed. The asylum is conducted by the Catholic Sisters of Charity.
The Salt Lake Tribune
Salt Lake City, Utah
March 16, 1902

1902 - WRECK OF BIGGEST BALLOON.
The remarkable ascent of "Big Glory", the largest balloon ever built, sent up from Denver, Col., Monday, resulted in the wreck of the machine and the narrow escape from death of its three occupants. When the balloon left it caught the eastern surface current and sailed toward the rising sun, but when it reached a greater altitude it suddenly veered and hung around the mountains, proving the theory of scientists that the cold air of the mountains acts as a suction for air currents within fifty miles, and preclude an eastern voyage from that vicinity. The balloon was caught in a cyclone and hurled along in every direction, crossing and recrossing Pike's Peek at an altitude of 28,000 feet, and suddenly to the foot hills only to be carried up again. All ballast was thrown over, including instruments and food. When thirty miles north of Florence, the balloon began to leak gas and the men finally landed almost exhausted in a bunch of fir trees. The water carried in the basket was frozen... Read MORE...

1903 - THE BIG ENDEAVOR TENT BLOWN DOWN
Denver, July 14. - Without a moment's warning yesterday afternoon the great Tent Endeavor was blown down at 4:10 o'clock. The most remarkable feature of the disaster is that no one was seriously hurt. At the time the tent collapsed there were fully 6,000 people under it. When they were listening to REV. S. J. HORSEFIELD of Bristol, Eng., who was telling what America might learn from England. The bell was rung as soon as the wind sprang up and the ushers were at their places in a moment to pull up the sides of the tent, but it was too late, and before an attempt was made to pull up the sides the tent had fallen and the thousands were buried under the folds of canvas.

PERCY FOSTER, the leader of the singing, held his place on the platform and shouted to the people to keep their seats and be calm, and he was ably assisted by others on the platform and throughout the assembly.

Fourteen were more or less injured and taken to the hospital tent, but it was found that no one had been... Read MORE...

1910 - JOHNSTONE DROPS 800 FT. TO MEET HORRIBLE DEATH. HOLDER OF WORLD'S ALTITUDE RECORD KILLED WHEN WING TIP ON MACHINE BREAKS. HIS BODY VIOLATED.
CURIOUS THRONG OF RELIC HUNTERS CARRY OFF GLOVES AND SPLINTERS PIERCING AVIATOR.

Denver, Colo., Nov. 18. - RALPH JOHNSTONE holder of the world's altitude record was instantly killed late yesterday afternoon when he dropped from a height of 800 feet to the Overland Park aviation field, on account of the breaking of a wing tip on his biplane. An instant after his fall the field was stormed by a crowd of the curious and the body of the young aviator violated by relic hunters.

JOHNSTON'S gloves and a splinter that pierced his body were carried away by morbidly curious persons.

The daring aviator was instantly killed, fighting until the very instant when his body struck the ground to right his machine. His back, neck and both legs were broken and the bones of his thighs forced through his leather garments. The useless planes of his machine fell over the body of the aviator like a shroud.

Fresh from his triumphs at Belmont Park, where he had broken the world's record for... Read MORE...

1916
Denver, the capital and chief commercial city of Colorado, and county-seat of Denver co., is situated on both sides of the South Platte River at an elevation of 5270 feet. It is an important railway-centre, being situated on the Union Pacific, the Denver and Rio Grande and several other railroads, 639 miles W. by N. of Kansas City. Lat. of Chamberlin Observatory, 39° 40' 36" N. ; Lon. 104° 56' 55" W. It has a dry, healthful climate ; mean annual temperature, 49° ; annual rainfall, about 15 inches. The site of the city, which is frequently designated the "Queen City of the Plains," slopes gently buck from either bank of the river and commands a beautiful view of the Rocky Mountain range, with Pike's Peak on the S. and Long's Peak on the N. The city is handsomely and regularly laid out and contains numerous substantial buildings and private residences, including an imposing state capitol, erected at a cost of $2,500,000, county court-house, customs- and post- offices, mining exchange,... Read MORE...

1919 - SEVEN HURT IN COLLISION. HEAVY FIRE TRUCKS SMASH TOGETHER RACING TO FIRE. WRECK UNAVOIDABLE. WORST ACCIDENT OF ITS KIND IN DENVER IN MANY YEARS.
Denver, Colo. 11. - One young woman was probably fatally injured, six firemen were hurt, one seriously, and scores of bystanders had their lives endangered when two automobile fire trucks, traveling at a high rate of speed, met in a collision at the intersection of Seventeenth and Blake Streets in this city.

Six firemen were taken to the county hospital and MISS NEVA HOLMES, a student at the University of Colorado, lies at the point of death at the same place, suffering from injuries sustained when she was borne down by the three-ton city hall pumper truck and carried twenty feet over a sidewalk and through the double doors of a store building.
A fire alarm at the Fairbanks-Morse building, 1733 Wazee Street, was being responded to by engine company No. 6 at the city hall and by engine company No. 4, located at Twentieth and Curtis Streets.
The firemen, realizing that the utmost in speed was demanded when such a large building was in danger, raced their machines through the... Read MORE...

1922 - March 10 - KLZ-AM in Denver CO begins radio transmissions

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1928 - Airplane Crash
H. E. Larue, pilot, Loren Craven and Dietrich were fatally injured when the machine went into a tail spin, and fell in flames near Lowry Field, Denver.

Tail Spin Fatal

The flaming airplane carried three men to their deaths at Denver when H. E. Larue, Denver pilot, was unable to bring the ship out of a tail spin.

Larue head of the Aidcraft Transport company here, took off with Loren Craven, Littleton, Colo., and Emil Dietrich, Brighton, Colo., as passengers.

Observers said that about fifteen minutes after the take-off; the plane went into a tail spin while banking in a strong wind at a height of about 200 feet and crashed in a cornfield. As it neared the ground it burst into flames.
Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune
Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin
April 30, 1928

1933 - DAM BREAK CAUSES HEAVY LOSS IN DENVER. WALL OF WATER CAUSES DAMAGE OF $1,000,000. MOUNTAIN CLOUDBURST CAUSES DISASTER IN COLORADO; TWO DEAD AND OTHERS MISSING.
ANOTHER STORM CLAIMS A LIFE.
TORRENT RIPS AWAY SIX BRIDGES WHEN IT REACHES METROPOLIS; BUSINESS HARD HIT.

Denver, Aug. 3. - (AP) - Crumbling under the terrific pressure a mountain cloudburst added to the three-square miles of water behind its walls, 43-year old Castlewood Dam sent a billion-gallon deluge roaring and battering through Denver Thursday, leaving two dead and an estimated $1,000,000 property damage in its 35-mile path of destruction.

Pounding down on Franktown, tiny village on a hillside four miles below the dam, the surging tide swept on six miles to Parker, at times on a mile-wide front, and picked up tons of debris as it swirled into suburban Denver and sent Cherry Creek on a rampage through the heart of the city.

When the rock-filled irrigation reservoir dam cracked, the loosed flood waters quickly converged the fertile farm lands into a mud splattered slough.

Warned of the oncoming flood, Denver police and firemen with sirens going full blast sped through ... Read MORE...

1934 - SECOND MAN KILLED IN FALL DENVER HOTEL.
(Associated Press)
Denver, June 4. - Marking the second fatal accident of its kind at the same place in two days a man, about 30, who had registered as
"R. J. GADDY, Atlanta, Ga.," leaped or fell to his death from the window of the second floor of a Curtis Street hotel tonight. He was still breathing when witnesses to his plunge reached him but he died within a few minutes.

Yesterday, HERMAN H. CLINE, Hollywood singer, was killed after falling from a fourth floor window. In his plunge, CLINE'S body struck and shattered a window in the room then occupied by GADDY, Mrs. P. Paul Wilson, hotel proprietor said. GADDY was then assigned to a room on the floor below. He fell to the bottom of the same court in which CLINE died.

Police said they found no notes or other clues that might supply the motive for GADDY'S act. They found an unmailed letter in his room addressed to Ben L. Chaslein, in care of Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing company, at Atlanta. They also discovered in his ... Read MORE...

1935 - Denver, lays claim to the invention of the cheeseburger. The trademark for the name Cheeseburger was awarded in 1935 to Louis Ballast.

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1936 - February 8, The temperature at Denver CO plunged to a record 30 degrees below zero.

The Weather Channel

1939 - ONE MAN KILLED, 28 INJURED IN DENVER TRAIN COLLISION. D. & R. G. ENGINES PLOUGH INTO SANTA FE PASSENGER CAR THIS MORNING.
Conductor Meets Death and Others Go To Hospitals For Treatment.

Denver, Aug. 12 (AP) - A Denver and Rio Grande Western train, pulled by two locomotives, crashed into a Santa Fe passenger train at a crossover in South Denver today, killing one person, injuring twenty-eight so seriously they required hospital treatment and hurting several others less seriously.

Conductor Dead.
All the injured were passengers on the Santa Fe train, which was rammed at the second coach back of the baggage car.

R. S. MOCK of Pueblo, conductor on the Santa Fe train, was killed instantly. He was standing near a washroom, at the point of impact. ROY S. SCOTT of Denver was injured so seriously hospital attaches said he may die.

The Denver and Rio Grande Western train, first section of the Scenic Limited for Salt Lake City, was fifteen minutes behind schedule. The Santa Fe, made up at La Junta, Colo., of passengers bound for Denver from both coasts, was fifty-five minutes behind schedule.

F. F.... Read MORE...

1946 - November 2 - A 31 inch snow at Denver CO caused roofs to collapse.

WeatherForYou.com
November 2, 1946

1948 - May 30 - Twenty carloads of glass were needed in Denver, CO, to replace that destroyed by a severe hailstorm.

The Weather Channel

1952 - July 18 - KWGN TV channel 2 in Denver, CO (IND) begins broadcasting

1961 - September 3 - Denver, CO, received 4.2 inches of snow, their earliest snow of record.

WeatherForYou.com

Here's a list of places to go and things to do in Denver:
1. Red Rocks Amphitheatre:
This world-famous outdoor venue is a must-visit. It's known for its natural acoustics and breathtaking scenery. Even if you're not catching a concert, the park surrounding it is great for hiking and picnicking.

2. Denver Botanic Gardens:
Explore a diverse range of plants from around the world in this beautiful urban oasis. They often host special exhibitions and events, so check their calendar.

3. Downtown Denver:
Stroll through downtown Denver to admire the city's historic architecture, shop in unique boutiques, and savor the many dining options.

4. Union Station:
This iconic transportation hub has been transformed into a bustling social center. You can enjoy food, drinks, and people-watching in its stunning Great Hall.

5. Larimer Square:
A historic block in the heart of Denver, this area is known for its charming shops, lively restaurants, and vibrant nightlife.

6. Denver Art Museum:
Explore an impressive collection of art, including... Read MORE...