Timeline of Denver

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Denver, Colorado, United States.

This is an incomplete list that may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.

19th century

• 1858
  • Denver City founded in Kansas Territory.^[1]
  • Prospect Hill Cemetery established.
• 1859
  • Rocky Mountain News begins publication.^[2]
  • John C. Moore becomes mayor.^[3]
• 1861 - Denver City becomes part of Colorado Territory.
• 1863
  • Telegraph begins operating.^[1]
  • Fire.^[4]
• 1867
  • Capital of Colorado Territory relocated to Denver City from Golden City.^[1]
  • Colorado Tribune newspaper begins publication.^[2]
• 1870
  • Cheyenne-Denver and Kansas-Denver trains begin operating.^[1]
  • Denver City Water Company formed.^[5]
• 1871 - Denver Horse Railroad begins operating.
• 1872 - Police department established.^[4]
• 1873 - Palace Theater opens.^[6]
• 1875 - East High School opens.
• 1876
  • Denver becomes part of new State of Colorado.
  • Riverside Cemetery established.^[7]
• 1878 - Central Presbyterian Church built.^[3]
• 1879 - State Historical and Natural History Society of Colorado headquartered in Denver.^[8]
• 1881
  • Union Station^[9] and Tabor Grand Opera House^[6] open.
  • City Park^[10] and Fortnightly Club^[11] established.
• 1882 - Colorado Scientific Society headquartered in Denver.^[8]
• 1884 - Denver Press Club^[11] and Denver Athletic Club founded.
• 1886
  • Denver Union Stockyards established.^[1]
  • Denver Tramway^[12] and Mercantile Library begin operating.
• 1887
  • College of the Sacred Heart relocates to Denver.
  • Central Business College established.^[13]
• 1889 - Woodworth's Shorthand College established.^[13]
• 1890
  • Elitch Gardens amusement venue opens.
  • Masonic Temple built.^[14]
• 1891
  • Colorado Camera Club formed.^[11]
  • Central Presbyterian Church built.
• 1892
  • Evening Post newspaper begins publication.^[2]
  • Brown Palace Hotel built.^[15]
• 1893
  • Denver Depression begins.
  • Denver Artists Club founded.^[16]
• 1894 - Colorado State Capitol building opens.^[4]
• 1895
  • Festival of Mountain and Plain begins.
  • Denver Instrument Company in business.
  • Students' School of Art established.^[13]
• 1896 - Denver Zoo founded.
• 1897 - Denver Musicians Association founded.
• 1898 - Denver Public Library established.^[17]
• 1899 - Washington Park developed.

20th century

1900s-1940s

• 1902 - Denver government home rule established.^[1]
• 1903 - Denver Juvenile Court established.^[1]
• 1904
  • Robert W. Speer becomes mayor.
  • Barnes Commercial School established.^[13]
  • Denver and Interurban Rail Road (Boulder-Denver) chartered.
• 1906
  • National Western Stock Show begins.^[18]
  • Red Rocks Amphitheatre opens near city.
  • Municipal code adopted.^[4]
  • U.S. Denver Mint begins operating.^[1]
• 1907 - Mammoth Roller Skating Rink, and Denver and South Platte Railway^[19] open.
• 1908
  • July: 1908 Democratic National Convention.
  • Municipal Auditorium opens.^[6]
  • Colorado Museum of Natural History built.^[20]
  • Denver Motor Club organized.^[21]
• 1910 - Daniels & Fisher Tower built.
• 1911
  • Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception built.
  • Mountain States Telephone & Telegraph Company in business.
• 1912 - Civic League of Denver^[11] and University of Colorado's Extension Center established.
• 1915
  • Cheesman Park opens.
  • Denver Tourist Bureau active.
• 1916
  • Griffith Opportunity School^[6] and Garden Club of Denver^[11] founded.
  • Post Office built.^[6]
• 1918
  • Denver Water (public utility) and Federal Reserve Bank branch^[1] established.
  • Denver Art Museum opens.
• 1919 - Civic Center park and Ogden Theatre open.
• 1920
  • August: Tramway strike.^[22]
  • Fitzsimmons Army Hospital built.^[23]
• 1922 - December 18: Denver Mint Robbery.^[6]
• 1923
  • Benjamin F. Stapleton becomes mayor.
  • Stover Candies in business.
  • Colorado Municipal League headquartered in Denver.
• 1925 - Denver Foundation established.
• 1927 - Santa Fe Theatre opens.^[24]
• 1929 - Denver Municipal Airport begins operating.
• 1930
  • Paramount Theatre opens.
  • U.S. Customhouse built.^[6]
• 1932 - City and County Building constructed.^[6]
• 1934 - Denver Symphony Orchestra established.
• 1938 - U.S. Lowry Air Force Base established.
• 1941 - Denver Ordnance Plant begins operating.
• 1948 - Bears Stadium opens.

1950s-1990s

• 1950 - Cherry Cricket restaurant in business.^[25]
• 1951
  • Denver Coliseum opens.
  • Botanical Gardens Foundation incorporated.^[26]
  • Joshel House (residence) built.
• 1952 - American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado headquartered in city.
• 1955 - Denver Regional Council of Governments formed.
• 1956 - KRMA-TV begins broadcasting.
• 1960 - Denver Broncos football team active.^[1]
• 1965 - Metropolitan State University of Denver established.
• 1966 - Tropical Conservatory opens in the Botanic Gardens.
• 1967 - Community College of Denver established.
• 1968
  • William H. McNichols, Jr. becomes mayor.
  • Earthquake.
• 1969 - Chicano Youth Liberation Conference held.
• 1970
  • Negative income tax program begins.^[27]
  • Historic Denver nonprofit founded.^[28]
• 1971
  • People's Fair begins.
  • Black American West Museum founded.^[29]
• 1973
  • University of Colorado's School of Public Affairs^[30] and Children's Museum of Denver established.
  • Patricia Schroeder becomes U.S. representative for Colorado's 1st congressional district.
• 1974 - University of Colorado Denver established.
• 1975 - Steele Gallery founded.^[31]
• 1976 - PrideFest (Denver) begins.
• 1977 - Denver Young Artists Orchestra founded.
• 1978
  • Colorado Food Clearing House established.^[32]
  • Denver Film Festival, and South Platte Greenway development^[10] begins.
  • Boettcher Concert Hall built.
• 1979 - Denver Firefighters Museum established.^[29]
• 1980
  • Lucile's Creole Cafe in business.^[25]
  • Population: 492,365.^[33]
• 1981
  • Quiznos restaurant in business.
  • Opera Colorado; and Museum of Miniatures^[29] founded.
• 1982 - 16th Street Mall (pedestrian way) opens.
• 1983 - Federico Peña becomes mayor.
• 1984
  • Colorado Coalition for the Homeless headquartered in Denver.^[34]
  • Republic Plaza built.
• 1985 - Denver Urban Gardens nonprofit and Avenue Theater established.
• 1988 - Wynkoop Brewing Company in business.
• 1989 - Byers-Evans House Museum established.^[29]
• 1990 - Colorado Convention Center opens.
• 1991
  • Wellington Webb becomes mayor.
  • Museo de las Americas founded.^[29]
  • National Renewable Energy Laboratory established near city.
• 1993
  • August: Catholic Pope John Paul II visits city.
  • Chipotle Mexican Grill in business.
  • 5280 magazine begins publication.
  • Molly Brown House restoration begins.^[35]
• 1994 - Rocky Mountain Media Watch founded.
• 1995
  • Denver International Airport begins operating.
  • Coors Field opens.
  • Zuma restaurant in business.
  • First Fridays of the Golden Triangle Museum District begin.^[36]
• 1997
  • June: 23rd G8 summit held.
  • Denver Underground Film Festival begins.
  • Diana DeGette becomes U.S. representative for Colorado's 1st congressional district.
• 1998
  • January 25: Denver Broncos win Super Bowl football contest.
  • December 20: Airplane crash.
  • Dikeou Collection (art gallery) established.
• 1999 - Pepsi Center arena and Colorado's Ocean Journey aquarium open.

21st century

• 2000 - Privacy Foundation headquartered in Denver (approximate date).^[37]
• 2001
  • First Look Film Festival begins.
  • Mizuna restaurant in business.^[25]
• 2003 - John Hickenlooper becomes mayor.
• 2004 - Rioja restaurant in business.
• 2005
  • May 8: 2005 Denver police officer shooting.
  • Opera House opens.
  • Marijuana legalization measure approved.
• 2006
  • Colorado T-REX Project (TRansportation EXpansion) completed.
  • Telemundo Denver begins broadcasting.
• 2008
  • August 6–10: 66th World Science Fiction Convention held.
  • August 25–28: 2008 Democratic National Convention held..
  • Education News Colorado begins publication.^[38]
  • Denhac nonprofit founded.^[39]
• 2009 - I-News investigative news nonprofit founded.^[38]
• 2010
  • B-cycle bikeshare launched.
  • DaVita HealthCare Partners Inc. relocates to Denver.^[40]
  • Population: 600,158.^[41]
• 2011
  • January 12: Bill Vidal becomes mayor.
  • May 3: Denver mayoral election, 2011 held.
  • July 18: Michael Hancock becomes mayor.
  • StoryCorps interviews conducted.^[11]
  • Linger restaurant in business.^[25]
  • Clyfford Still museum opens.^[34]
• 2012
  • History Colorado Center opens.
  • Denver Comic Con begins.

See also

• History of Denver
• List of mayors of Denver
• Timeline of Colorado history
• Timeline of Boulder, Colorado history
• Timeline of Colorado Springs, Colorado

References

Further reading

Published in the 19th century

• C. Exera Brown (1869). "Denver City". Brown's Gazetteer of the Chicago and Northwestern Railway. Chicago: Bassett Brothers' Steam Printing House. 
• "Denver", Rocky Mountain Directory and Colorado Gazetteer, for 1871, Denver: Samuel S. Wallihan & Company, 1870 
• A. von Steinwehr (1875). "Denver". Centennial Gazetteer of the United States. Philadelphia: McCurdy. 
• George A. Crofutt (1880). "Denver". Crofutt's New Overland Tourist, and Pacific Coast Guide. Overland Publishing Company. 
• Denver City Directory, Denver, Colo.: Ballenger & Richards, 1882 
  • 1890
  • 1897
• John Franklin Graff (1882). "City of Denver". Graybeard's Colorado. J.B. Lippincott & Company. 
• "Denver". Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Wyoming and Arizona Gazetteer and Business Directory. Chicago: Polk & Co. and A.C. Danser. 1884. 
• Denver Illustrated. Pictorial Bureau of the Press. 1887. 
• Denver, by pen and picture, Denver: F.S. Thayer, 1898 
• Portrait and Biographical Record of Denver and Vicinity, Colorado. Chicago: Chapman Publishing Company. 1898. 

Published in the 20th century

• History of Denver, by Jerome C. Smiley, 1901
• Stanley Wood (1904), "Denver", Over the range to the Golden Gate, Chicago: R. R. Donnelley, OCLC 2303711 
• "Facts about Denver", The City Hall (League of American Municipalities), 1911 
• "Denver", Ames Guide, Los Angeles: Ames Bros. Company, 1912 
• "City of Denver". Denver City and County. 1912–1914. OCLC 8393377. 
• Bureau of Municipal Research (1914), City and County of Denver, New York, N.Y., Prepared for the Colorado Taxpayers Protective League 
• Mae Lacy Baggs (1918), "Queen City of the Plains", Colorado, the Queen Jewel of the Rockies, See America First, Boston: Page Company 
• Marius Robinson Campbell (1922). "Denver". The Denver & Rio Grande Western Route. Guidebook of the Western United States E (U.S. Government Printing Office). 
• Gunther Paul Barth (1975). Instant Cities: Urbanization and the Rise of San Francisco and Denver. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-501899-8. 
• Ory Mazar Nergal, ed. (1980), "Denver", Encyclopedia of American Cities, New York: E.P. Dutton, OL 4120668M 
• George Thomas Kurian (1994), "Denver", World Encyclopedia of Cities, 1: North America, ABC-CLIO 

(fulltext via Open Library)

• "Colorado: Denver & Boulder", Rocky Mountains, Lonely Planet, 1999, OL 22952362M 

Published in the 21st century

• David J. Wishart, ed. (2004). "Cities and Towns: Denver, Colorado". Encyclopedia of the Great Plains. University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 0-8032-4787-7. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Denver, Colorado.

• Digital Public Library of America. Items related to Denver, various dates

Coordinates: 39°44′21″N 104°59′05″W / 39.739167°N 104.984722°W / 39.739167; -104.984722