County	City / Town	Directory	Maps	Contact Us	Advertise	Showcase	Calendar	Association	Passport

The city of Denver was, in the earliest years, located in Arapahoe County.  By 1901 the people of the "Mile High City" believed that Denver should govern herself and they left Arapahoe to form the "City and County of Denver."  In 1902 the state recognized Denver as a separate county.  In the ninety-nine years since, Denver has spilled over into the surrounding counties and has fulfilled the dreams of her founders beyond their wildest expectations.  

1857: Mexican Diggings on the South Platte River

June 1858: William Green Russell party from Auraria, Georgia, discovers gold in the South Platte near Cherry Creek.

November 22, 1858: Denver City Town Company founded by William H. Larimer party from Leavenworth, Kansas Territory.

1861: Colorado Territory created.

1870: The Denver Pacific, Kansas Pacific and Colorado Central Railroads reach Denver, ending the town’s isolation and stagnation.

1871: First Denver streetcar line built from Auraria to Five Points.

1876: Colorado becomes the 38th State.

1880s: Colorado’s first great boom, propelled by mining and railroads, takes Denver’s populatiuon to 106,713 in 1890.

1893: Silver Crash sends Denver into depression.

1902: City and County of Denver carved out of Arapahoe County.

1904-1918: Mayor Robert W. Speer transforms Denver into a "City Beautiful."

1920s: Ku Klux Klan comes to power with the elections of klansmen Clarence Morely as governor of Colorado and Ben Stapleton as mayor of Denver.

1929: Denver Municipal (Stapleton) Airport opens.

1930s: Denver Develops its mountain parks system, including Red Rocks Outdoor Amphitheater and Winter Park Ski Area.

1947-1955: Mayor Quigg Newton modernizes Denver, installing Dr. Florence Sabin as head of Health and Hospitals; Hank Barnes sets up one-way streets and "The Barnes Dance" (diagonal pedestrian crossings downtown).

1976: Auraria Higher Education Center opens in Denver’s oldest neighborhood; Denver celebrates Colorado Centennial and U. S. Bicentennial by opening its Platte River Greenway at Confluence Park.

1981: Federico Peña becomes Denver’s first Spanish-surnamed mayor.

1982: Oil bust sends Denver into depression.

1991: Wellington Edward Webb becomes Denver’s first African-American mayor.

1994: Regional Transportation District opens first light-rail line from Auraria to Five Points

1995: Denver International Airport opens; Denver builds a grand, new public library, incorporating the original 1955 landmark building, and restores historic branch libraries.