Gone are the times of prospectors, petticoats, and horse drawn carriages. Nevermore will settlers, steam engines, and native peoples freely roam these lands. But the proof of their existence is all we need to feel nostalgic for the Pikes Peak Gold Rush and the good old days in the Mile High City. Our thriving metropolis sure has grown in leaps and bounds since it’s founding in 1858, and you’ll be blown away by these vintage photos from Denver (and beyond) that show it in a much different, less neon, light.
Denver was founded as a mining settlement at the confluence of Cherry Creek and the South Platte River in 1858. It served as the eastern gateway to the Rockies and expanded rapidly to become the Territorial Capital in 1867 and the official state capital in 1881.
The Ute and other Indian tribes inhabited the surrounding areas before white settlers arrived. Pictured is the Ute leader, Ouray, some time between 1865 and 1880.
Denver’s famed Welcome Arch (aka Mizpah Arch) was erected in front of Union Station and dedicated on July 4, 1906. However, after being deemed a traffic hazard, it was removed on December 7, 1931.
The Burlington Pioneer Zephyr "Dawn to Dusk Club" made its intial 1934 record breaking trip from Denver to Chicago. Here the group was gathered at Chicago's Union Station to mark the first trip of the Denver Zephyr for regular service between the two cities. (The photo was published on June 1, 1936, by the Chicago Tribune).
The Denver and Rio Grande's glass-topped observation car the "Silver Vista" was built as a tourist attraction in 1947, but sadly, it was destroyed by a fire in 1953.
Photographer Bruce McAllister captured this shot of East Colfax in 1972, with the Colorado State Capitol and the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in the background.
