Denver: Historic Walking Tours

(The Daniels and Fisher Tower, built in 1910 and once the tallest building West of the Mississippi. The top floors were recently put up for sale and therefore tours of the upper levels may only last for a limited time).

The city of Denver is currently undergoing a surge in population growth, making way for a new wave of businesses and infrastructure adjustments. As these changes continue, let us not tear down all of the old for the new.

On the contrary, Denver's foundations (like all cities) are layered with pieces of the past.

As you walk along the sidewalks, drive along the streets, or sit among the city parks....you are treading where Amerindians, gold seekers, homesteaders, and early entrepreneurs have already walked.

And let's not forget about the architecture.

Many of early Denver's buildings line the streets of downtown, as well as, surrounding neighborhoods. It is apparent the quality of design and thoughtfulness that went into early 20th century construction (especially in contrast to many of the new, fast and cheap designs going up right now).

Denver is the cool place that it is because of the way it has preserved its historic elements. However, whether it be forests or urban jungles, preservation usually takes place because of bold, passionate individuals. (Lower downtown Denver is no exception. See: Dana Crawford).

So, whether you are a Colorado native (and there seem to be fewer and fewer) or perhaps you recently moved here ....and all the rest of us in between....come explore Denver's past.

There are several historic walking tours offered seasonally or year-round.... And at least one that is even dog-friendly! Take a look and then book a tour today!

 

Historic Walking Tours!

 

 

View of the 16th Street Mall and downtown

 

1)  History Colorado offers historic walking tours. A new and exciting program they are offering is their History Hounds program. Tours consist of dog-friendly historic walking tours of Cheesman Park, City Park, and Mt. Falcon Open Space Park. Join expert guides, Shawn Snow or State Archaeologist Holly Norton for a guided tour! Sign up today!

2) Historic Denver initially began as a way to protect the Molly Brown House. Now, they are guiding the way, helping to preserve Denver's architectural treasures and historic past. They have several historic walking tours.

3)  The Crawford Hotel offers tours of Union Station.

4) Walk and sip, anyone? Check out a Denver microbrew tour.

5) Another option is Historic LoDO Walking Tours.

6) And, of course, there are several house museum tours (I have mentioned most of these before): Denver's oldest house, known as the  4 Mile House, the 17 Mile House, Molly Brown House Museum, and the Byer's-Evans house to name a few (there are many more).

7) Here are some ideas if you would rather make up your own walking tour.







So, put your walking shoes on and get out and explore! 

View from behind the clocktower of the Daniels-Fisher Tower

Colorado Historical Sites

Denver was founded amidst the backdrop of the Old West. If you are fascinated with Native American culture, pioneer and mountainman stories, 1800's architecture, gold mining folklore or many other facets of what we have come to call the American West then gallop on over to many of the Denver/front range historical sites and museums. Here is only a sample:

 Historic Houses or Lodges:

  The Four Mile House or The Seventeen Mile House
Discover a couple of special "mile" houses that dotted the dusty trails like that of the Cherokee Trail or Smoky Hill Trail in what is now Denver and Aurora. I have written previously about Denver's oldest house; the Four Mile House. But Seventeen Mile is also now open to the public. Each of these houses served as pit stops for those traveling west toward Denver City in the mid 1800's.

Astor House Museum
The Astor House, built in 1867, was used as a boarding house for miner's and later legislators.

Molly Brown House
 Visit the home of the "unsinkable" Margaret "Molly" Brown

Byer's-Evans House Museum
 Built in 1883, housed prominent Denver family.

Healy House Museum and Dexter Cabin
 A Victorian home and cabin in the historic mining town of Leadville, CO.

 The Stanley Hotel
Built in 1909, Freelan Stanley was one of the main financial contributors to the development of Estes Park. His hotel is now famous for ghost activity and a couple of movie productions.

Hiwan Homestead Museum
 A beautiful log lodge built in 1893.

Trujillo Homestead
One of the first permanent Latino settlements in Colorado, built in the mid 1800's.

Historic Forts:

Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site
Bent's fort was at the epicenter of trade along the Sante Fe Trail. Charles Bent acted as a middleman between many Native American tribes and mountainmen/trappers during the early to mid 1800's. Many councils took place at Bent's fort.

Fort Vasquez Museum
A former fur trading post north of Denver.

Ft. Garland Museum and Pike's Stockade
An 1858 fort supervised by Kit Carson.

Regional/Local History Museums:

History Colorado Center

Denver Art Museum
(They have an amazing section on early Native American life, as well as, an intriguing  American West art exhibit).
Lakewood Heritage Center

Littleton History Museum

El Pueblo History Museum

Ute Indian Museum

 Historic Sites:

Sand Creek Massacre Site
A horrific site where hundreds of Native Americans were caught off guard and slaughtered. (No other way to say it). 
Amache Internment Camp
During WW2, many Japanese-Americans were relocated to internment camps to be sure they would not retaliate against the American government during the war. 

 Historic Mining Sites:

 Mollie Kathleen Mine
Argo Mine
Country Boy Mine

 National Parks
 (Remnants of early Native American and/or Ancestral Puebloan life can be seen at many of Colorado's National Parks...here are my favorite in the history category)

Mesa Verde National Park
Rocky Mountain National Park
Dinosaur National Monument

Historic Towns:
(Most of Colorado's towns are themselves historic sites  but here are some examples)
Black Hawk and Central City
Leadville
Georgetown
Glenwood Springs
Manitou Springs
Idaho Springs
Breckenridge
Cripple Creek
South Park
Silverton

There are many other historic sites, museums and stories to find! Get out and explore! :)

Four Mile Historic Park; Home to the Oldest House in Denver

Back in the old days people heading west into Denver would find several "mile" houses along the various stagecoach trails (e.g. Smoky Hill Trail, Cherokee Trail, etc.). Each house represented the number of miles to the city center. For instance the Four Mile House was four miles from downtown and the Nine Mile House was nine miles out...and so on. Only two of these mile houses are still standing in Colorado today; the Four Mile House and the Seventeen Mile House.

The Four Mile House came into existence in 1858, when two brothers with the last name Brantner built a log house that became a popular stagecoach stop on the way into Denver. Eventually the brothers sold the house to a business savvy widow named Mary Cawker, who became the first to run the place as a sort of hotel for those traveling west. She and her teenage kids would hang out in the parlor while the men would drink and play cards in the tavern. After the Cherry Creek flooded in 1864, Cawker sold the property to an up and coming couple, Levi and Millie Booth. The Booth's added a brick addition onto the log house along with finely furnished Victorian era furniture (which is currently on display at the Four Mile House). The Four Mile House is exactly four miles away from downtown Denver, from the intersection of Colfax and Broadway. Folks would head into town to gather supplies and then head further west in search of gold!

Nowadays, the Four Mile House is a part of the Four Mile Historic Park and is open to the public for house tours, cultural history education, and Colorado heritage education. The park makes for a nice family outing, school field trip, photography session, scenic special event host, and overall fun learning experience.

So, get in touch with your pioneer spirit and come take a tour of the oldest house in Denver!



Four Mile Historic Park Hours

April-Sept. (Wed-Fri 12-4, Sat and Sun 10-4)

Oct-Mar (Wed-Sun 12-4)

Every First Friday of the month is FREE!

Call ahead to find out if wagon rides are available for the day you want to visit.

Websites:
Home Page: http://www.fourmilepark.org/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/FMHP

(Sources: Information contained in this blog entry is taken from information dispersed from FMHP. Photos taken are property of this blog writer.)