A Brief History of Denver

Until the late 19^th century, the area that is now Denver was unsettled. People came and went on their way to somewhere else, mainly the mountains and nothing permanent was built in the area.

Then, in 1858, Green Russell and Sam Bates found gold in Little Dry Creek, now Englewood and the crowds came flocking. The Pike's Peak Gold Rush began. It’s estimated that within a couple of years, there were over 100,000 people staying in the area looking for gold.

The same year as Bates’ and Russell’s find, Montana City was founded on the bank of the South Platte River. As the search for gold moved on, the city failed and became merely a small settlement. In the year following, St. Charles and Auraria were settled, followed by Highland shortly after.

It wasn’t until the arrival of General William Larimer that things changed. He claimed the area across the river from St. Charles and coerced the residents to surrender their claims and move across the river. As the area grew, Larimer renamed it Denver City after James Denver, the Kansas Governor of the time.

Early Denver was still mainly made up of miners and supporting businesses. As fears about the city fading away grew, a large find in the mountains west of the city kept miners in the area and increased demands to support them, which Denver did.

The young city grew slowly until 1863, when a fire wiped out most of the central areas. Where many cities would have picked up and moved on, Denver stayed put. Despite regular floods and being out of the way, the city rebuilt and grew once more.

The city notables knew that the city was only guaranteed to survive if the river could be tamed and if Denver got a railroad. When the railroad hit Cheyenne, a hundred miles to the north, rather than be disappointed, the residents of Denver cobbled together the funds to build their own railway to meet it. The Denver Pacific was born. It was only once the railroad was complete in 1870 that the city could breathe a sigh of relief. The arrival of the railroad was a lifeline for the city and ensure its continued survival.

The discovery of silver in the mountains made Denver’s fortune once more. Buildings were constructed, businesses created and the city had boom times again. Despite the failure of the silver mines, the city had enough economic strength to survive and thrive, which it did.

Since the 20^th century, the city has diversified and built a solid economic and social base from which to grow and prosper. Mining and manufacturing still provided much of the employment and riches of the area, but more specialist trades soon joined them.

The modern city is an active one that enjoys much freedom, an enviable climate and lush wild lands on three sides.