In 1858, when the area was part of the Kansas Territory, prospectors built three rows of cabins on the east bank of the South Platte River near its confluence with Little Dry Creek. Platte River Drive), the site was almost comically short-lived. Now known as Grant-Pioneer Park (at 2300 S.
The first pioneer settlement in Denver was not, as most people think, at the confluence of the South Platte River and Cherry Creek. Here are five of the most surprising things I read (although there are many more): The design feels a bit clunky at times, more befitting a mid-2000s condo newsletter than this expertly researched tome, and the largely black-and-white photos look like they’ve been through one too many photocopiers.īut this is a book, not a TV series, so words matter most. I moved to Denver 20 years ago from Ohio and have written constantly about the city since then, including its history. The tales are driven by photographs (some new, some old) and the format confers “Secret Denver” a handy, bite-sized appeal - something you can pick up and put down at leisure. A lot of them are practically hidden in plain sight, paved over or marked by tiny plaques that are now surrounded by stories-high developments. The “chapters” (all two pages) are practical-minded: Readers can find tips for visiting these haunted, historic buildings, eating at these restaurants, and camping at these former missile silos, with phone numbers, websites and addresses in handy breakout boxes. Peterson, a veteran travel writer with a dozen-plus books to his credit, and Lewis, another veteran Denver author and freelancer, take a journalistic approach to their research, but a magazine-style approach to the writing. Some tales sound well-worn to locals (Frozen Dead Guy Days, ghost stories, weapons arsenals-turned-wildlife refuges) but revelatory to outsiders.
So there’s plenty that falls under “Denver history” that didn’t technically take place within city and county limits. As noted, Denver has always been the biggest metro area for 600 miles in any direction. “Secret Denver’s” authors realize this, expanding their focus well beyond the capital city and interpreting “Denver history” somewhat liberally.
But it’s also generally made Colorado a place where national trends tend to disintegrate once they slam into the state’s borders. I’m partial to the latter theory, given that Denver’s geographic isolation has driven many of its cultural and economic wins, as well as our boom-and-bust cycle. “Or maybe it’s the fact that Denver is the most isolated major city in the United States.” “The thin air seems to catalyze the pace of peculiar happenings,” the authors write in the introduction of the 200-page, image-driven paperback. Given the newly restrictive mandates announced last week, it will be relevant for many months to come. Tuesday, September 20th 2022 Home Page Close Menu
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