Baby Doe
She preferred “Lizzie,” but “Baby Doe” was the nickname that stuck. After divorcing Harvey Doe, Baby Doe and silver magnate Horace Tabor struck up a legendary romance.
Narrow gauge, wide reach
Before trains, the way to and from Colorado’s remote mountain mines was by donkey.
Mice in a coal mine
For Colorado miners, it wasn’t a canary in the coal mine that warned of danger — it was a mouse.
Aspen
In the story of Colorado ski resorts, Aspen comes first. Once a bustling mining town, when the silver market collapsed Aspen nearly disappeared.
Loveland’s sweethearts
Loveland. The name evokes romance, but the town in Colorado was named for railroad man William Loveland, who connected the region to the rest of the country.
Mary Elitch
Elitch’s is synonymous with summer fun in Denver. John and Mary Elitch opened their “Zoological Gardens” in 1890. Exotic animals, flower displays, concerts and professional theater.
Denver Cats
Forget nuggets. The hottest commodity during Colorado’s gold rush? Cats. Picture Denver in the 1860s: wooden storefronts, miners flush with cash and whiskey — and rats. Plenty of rats.
Silver Cliff
They weren’t looking for silver, but they found it. Hauling lumber through the Wet Mountain Valley in 1873, three men spot a sheer cliff of dark, waxy-looking rock.
Keyboard of the Winds
High up in the Rocky Mountains, there’s a place where the air itself plays the landscape like an instrument.
East High
Denver’s first public high school began in a leaky one-room log cabin with thirteen students. By 1875 it officially became East Denver High School.
Coffin Races
Thunder … rain … mud… A coffin breaks loose from the earth and tumbles into Manitou Springs.
Naming the Colorado River
With a reddish tint from sediment carried over long miles, the mighty river that carved the Grand Canyon has been known by many names.
Milkweed
The milkweed’s large, rounded clusters of flowers are a common sight in Colorado. Soft pink to pale purple, kissed with silver and white.
Tiny Town
Every year 120,000 visitors walk, crouch, and crawl through the streets of Tiny Town. In the foothills near Morrison, Tiny Town isn’t just small, it’s miniature.
