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Denver And Rio Grande Western Railroad

Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad

]] The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad (DRG or D&RG) generally referred to as the Rio Grande, became the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad (DRGW or D&RGW) in 1920. The D&RGW served mainly as transcontinental bridge line between Denver, Colorado, and Salt Lake City, Utah, and a major origin of coal and mineral traffic with a motto of Through the Rockies, not around them. The Rio Grande was the epitome of mountain railroading, operating the highest mainline rail line in the United States over 10,240 ft (3121 m) Tennessee Pass in Colorado and the famed routes through the Moffat Tunnel and the Royal Gorge. At its height around 1890, the D&RG had the largest operating narrow gauge railroad network in North America. Known for its independence, the D&RGW operated the last private long haul passenger train in the United States, the Rio Grande Zephyr.

History

The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad (D&RG) was founded in 1870 by General William J. Palmer as a narrow gauge railway system with the intention of connecting Denver with Mexico City. The route was to pass over Raton Pass in what is now northern New Mexico, provoking the 1877-1880 war over right of way with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. Both rivals hired gunslingers and bought politicians. In June 1879, the Santa Fe defended its roundhouse in Pueblo with Dodge City toughs led by Bat Masterson; on that occasion, D&RG treasurer R. F. Weitbrec paid the defenders to leave. In the end, the Santa Fe won the right to Raton Pass, while the D&RG paid $1.4 million for tracks through Arkansas River's Royal Gorge to the mining district of Leadville, Colorado.

Royal Gorge Route

The D&RG built west from Pueblo reaching Canon City in 1874. The line through the Royal Gorge reached Salida on 20 May 1880 and was pushed to Leadville later that same year. From Salida, the D&RG pushed west over the Continental Divide at 10,845 ft (3305m) Marshall Pass and reached Gunnison on 6 August 1881. From Gunnison the line entered the Black Canyon of the Gunnison River passing the famous Curecanti Needle seen in their famous Scenic Line of the World Herald. The tracks left the ever increasingly difficult canyon at Cimmaron and passed over Cerro Summit reaching Montrose on 8 September 1882. From Montrose a line was laid north through Delta reaching Grand Junction in March 1883 and a rail connection with the Rio Grande Western Railroad for a narrow gauge transcontinental link to Salt Lake City, Utah. The line from Pueblo to Leadville was upgraded in 1887 to three rails to accommodate both narrow gauge and standard gauge operation. Narrow Gauge branch lines were constructed to Crested Butte, Lake City, Ouray and Somerset.

San Luis Valley Route

The D&RG also pushed west from Walsenburg, Colorado over Veta Pass reaching Alamosa in 1878. From Alamosa a line was pushed south through Antonito eventually reaching Santa Fe, New Mexico and west as far as Creede, Colorado. A line also linked Alamosa with Salida to the North. From Antonito a line was built over 10,015 ft (3052m) Cumbres Pass along the Colorado-New Mexico boarder reaching Durango, Colorado in August 1881 and continuing north to the rich mining areas around Silverton in July 1882. A line was also constructed south from Durango to Farmington, New Mexico.

Tennessee Pass

The D&RG built west from Leadville over 10,240 ft (3121m) Tennessee Pass in attempt to reach the mining areas around Aspen, Colorado before its rival railroad in the area, the Colorado Midland, could build a line reaching there. The D&RG build a line though Glenwood Canyon to Glenwood Springs reaching Aspen in October of 1887. The D&RG then joined with the Colorado Midland to build a line from Glenwood Springs connecting with D&RG at Grand Junction. Originally considered a secondary branch route to Grand Junction, the entire route from from Leadville to Grand Junction was upgraded to standard gauge in 1890, and the original narrow gauge route via Marshall Pass became a secondary route.

Denver and Rio Grande Western

The original Denver and Rio Grande Western Railway had built a narrow gauge line from Ogden, Utah to via Soldier Summit to Grand Junction, Colorado. The railroad became the Rio Grande Western Railway in 1889 as part of finance plan to upgrade the line from narrow gauge to standard gauge, and built several branch lines in Utah to reach lucrative coal fields. In 1901 the Denver and Rio Grande merged with the Rio Grande Western consolidating in 1908. The United States Railway Administration (USRA) took over the D&RG during World War I. In 1918 the D&RG fell into receivership after the bankruptcy of the Western Pacific Railroad. The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad (D&RGW or DRGW) emerged as a new company 1920.

The Moffat Road

In 1931, the D&RGW acquired the Denver and Salt Lake Western Railroad (a company in name only) subsidiary of the Denver and Salt Lake Railroad (D&SL) which had acquired the rights to build a 40 mile (64km) connection between the two railroads. After years of negotiation the D&RGW gain trackage rights on the D&SL from Denver to the new cutoff. In 1932, the D&RGW began construction of the Dotsero Cutoff west of Glenwood Springs to near Bond on the Colorado River, at a location called Orestod (Dotsero spelled backward). Despite the common misconception that Dotsero is a shortening of "Dot Zero," the station name exists from the construction of the Standard Gauge line to Glenwood Springs in the 1890s. Construction completed in 1934 giving Denver a directed transcontinental link to the west. The D&RGW though slipped again into bankruptcy in 1935. Emerging in 1947 it merged with the D&SL on 3 March 1947 gaining control of the "Moffat Road" through the Moffat Tunnel and a branch line from Bond to Craig, Colorado.

Merger with Southern Pacific

In 1988, Rio Grande Industries, the company that controlled the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad, under the direction of Philip Anschutz, purchased the Southern Pacific Railroad. The combined company took the Southern Pacific name due to its name recognition among shippers. On 11 September 1996 Anschutz sold the combined company to the Union Pacific Railroad in a response to the earlier merger of the Burlington Northern and the Santa Fe which formed the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway.

Passenger trains

This is a partial list of D&RGW passenger trains since 1947. Westbound trains had odd numbers, while eastbound trains had even numbers.
- #1&2 The Royal Gorge (Denver-Grand Junction (via Royal Gorge)
- #5&6 Amtrak's California Zephyr (Chicago-Oakland) (1983-)
- #7&8 The Prospector (Denver-Salt Lake City) (via Moffat Tunnel)
- #9&10 The Yampa Valley Mail (Denver-Craig)
- #17&18 The California Zephyr (Chicago-Oakland) (1949-1970)
- #17&18 The Rio Grande Zephyr (Denver-Salt Lake City)(1970-1983)
- #19&20 The Mountaineer (Denver-Montrose)
- #461&462 The Silverton (Durango-Silverton)
- The Ski Train Today, the D&RGW's Ski Train serves the city of Winter Park, Colorado, out of Union Station in Denver.

References

Merle Armitage, Operations Santa Fe (1948), pp. 9-15
James R. Griffin, Rio Grande Railroad (2003)
Ross B. Grenard, Rio Grande In Color, Volume 1 (1992)
James Sandrin, Rio Grande In Color, Volume 2 (1998)
Colorado Rail Annual, No. 11 (1981)

External links


- [http://www.drgw.org Rio Grande Modeling & Historical Society]

1920

1920 (MCMXX) is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar)

Events

January


- January 7 - Forces of Russian White admiral Kolchak surrender in Krasnoyarsk.
- January 9 - Britain announces it will build 1,000,000 homes for war veterans. The promise will never be fulfilled in full.
- January 9 - Thousands of onlookers watch as "The Human Fly" George Polley, climbs the New York Woolworth Building. He has reached the 30th floor when a policeman arrests him for climbing without a permit
- January 10 - League of Nations holds its first meeting and ratifies the Treaty of Versailles ending World War I.
- January 15 - Prohibition goes into effect in the United States with the Eighteenth Amendment coming into effect.
- January 16 - Allies demand that the Netherlands extradite the German Kaiser, who has fled there.
- January 19 - The United States Senate votes against joining the League of Nations.
- January 22 - The Australian Country Party is officially formed.
- January 23 - The Netherlands refuses to extradite the German Kaiser.
- January 28 - The Spanish legion is founded and stationed in North Africa to fight rebels in Morocco.
- January 28 - Turkey gives up the Ottoman Empire and all non-Turkish areas.

February


- February 1 - The Royal Canadian Mounted Police begin operations.
- February 2 - Estonia's independence is recognised.
- February 2 - France occupies Memel.
- February 9 - League of Nations gives Spitzbergen to Norway.
- February 10 - Jozef Haller de Hallenburg performs symbolic engagement of Poland with the sea, celebrating restitution of Polish access to open sea.
- February 17 - Woman named Anna Anderson tries to commit suicide in Berlin and is taken to mental hospital, where she claims she is Anastasia.
- February 14 - The League of Women Voters is founded in Chicago, Illinois.
- February 22 - In Emeryville, California, the first dog racing track to employ an imitation rabbit opens.
- February 24 - Adolf Hitler presents his national socialist program in Munich.

March


- March - World's first peaceful establishment of a social democratic government takes place in Sweden. Hjalmar Branting takes over when Nils Edén resigns.
- March 1 - Hungarian Admiral and statesman Miklós Horthy becomes the Regent of Hungary
- March 1 - The United States Railroad Administration returns control of American railroads to its constituent railroad companies.
- March 13-March 17 - Wolfgang Kapp fails in his coup attempt in Germany due to public resistance and a general strike.
- March 15 ? Red Army of Ruhr, communist army 60.000 men strong, formed
- March 19 - US Congress refuses to ratify Versailles Treaty.
- March 23 - Admiral Horthy declares that Hungary is a monarchy without anyone on the throne.
- March 26 - German government asks France for permission to use its own troops against rebellious Ruhr Red Army in the French-occupied area.
- March 26 - The Black and Tans special constables arrive in Ireland
- March 29 - Sir William Robertson, who enlisted in 1877, becomes a field marshal in the British Army, the first man to rise to this rank from private
- March 31 - Government of Ireland Act 1920 is presented in British parliament.

April-May


- April 2 - German army marches to Ruhr to fight Red Ruhr Army.
- April 4 - Jerusalem pogrom of April, 1920 ? Violence between Arabic and Jewish resident in Jerusalem ? governor declares the state of siege
- April 6 - French troops occupy Frankfurt.
- April 6 - The short-lived Far Eastern Republic declared in eastern Siberia
- April 11 - Mexican Revolution - Alvaro Obregon flees from Mexico City during a trial intended to ruin his reputation - he flees to Guerrero where he joins Fortunato Maycotte
- April 19 - Germany and Bolshevist Russia agree to the exchange of prisoners of war.
- April 20 - Alvaro Obregon announces in Chilpancingo that he intends to fight against the rule of Venustiano Carranza
- April 23 - National council in Turkey denounces the government of sultan Mehmed VI and announces a temporary constitution.
- April 24 - Polish-Soviet War: Polish and Ukrainian troops attack Soviet army occupying Ukraine.
- May 2 - The first game of the Negro National League baseball is played in Indianapolis, Indiana.
- May 7 - Polish-Soviet War: Polish troops occupy Kyiv. Ukrainian government returns to the city.
- May 7 - Venustiano Carranza leaves Mexico City in a large train
- May 9 - Alvaro Obregon's troops enter Mexico City
- May 15 - Maria Bochkareva executed in Soviet Union
- May 16 - Referendum in Switzerland is favorable to joining League of Nations.
- May 16 - In Rome, Pope Benedict XV canonizes Joan of Arc as a saint.
- May 17 - French and Belgian troops leave the cities they have occupied in Germany.
- May 17 - First flight of KLM, Dutch air company, from Amsterdam to London.
- May 20 - Venustiano Carranza arrives in San Antonio Tlaxcalantongo. Troops of Rodolfo Herrero attack him at night and shoot him
- May 24 - Venustiano Carranza is buried in Mexico City - all of his mourning allies are arrested. Adolfo de la Huerta is elected provisional president
- May 24 - French president Paul Deschanel falls out of a train and is later found wandering along the railroad track, wearing pajamas.
- May 27 - Thomas Masaryk becomes president of Czechoslovakia.
- May 29 - Great Horncastle flood. 20 people killed.

June-July


- June 4 - Treaty of Trianon, Treaty of Peace between The Allied and Hungary.
- June 12 - Polish-Soviet War: Red Army retakes Kyiv.
- June 13 - The United States Postal Service rules that children may not be sent via parcel post
- June 15 - New border treaty between Germany and Denmark gives northern Schleswig to Denmark.
- June 22 - Greece attacks Turkish troops.
- July 1 - Germany declares its neutrality in the war between Poland and Soviet Russia
- July 2 - Polish-Soviet War: Red Army continues offensive into Poland.
- July 10 - Arthur Meighen becomes Canada's ninth prime minister.
- July 12 - Bolshevist Russia recognizes independent Lithuania.
- July 13 - London County Council bars foreigners from council jobs.
- July 14 - France declares that Faisal I of Syria is deposed and occupies Damascus and Aleppo
- July 17 - Republic of Mirdite proclaimed near Albanian-Serbian border with Yugoslav support
- July 22 - Polish-Soviet War: Poland sues for peace with Bolshevist Russia.
- July 25 - First transatlantic two-way radio broadcast.
- July 26 - Pancho Villa takes over Sabina and contacts de la Huerta to offer his conditional surrender. He signs his surrender in July 28
- July 29 - The United States Bureau of Reclamation begins contruction of the Link River Dam as part of the Klamath Reclamation Project.

August-September


- August 2 - British parliament passes bill to restore order in Ireland, suspending jury trials.
- August 3 - Catholics riot in Belfast.
- August 10 - Ottoman sultan Mehmed VI's representatives signs the Treaty of Sevres.
- August 11 - Bolshevik Russia recognizes independent Estonia and Latvia.
- August 13 - August 25 - Polish-Soviet War: The Red Army is defeated in the Battle of Warsaw.
- August 15 - Town Hall of Templemore, Ireland, is burned down during the riots.
- August 18 - 19th Amendment to US constitution is passed, guaranteeing women's suffrage.
- 19 August-25 August - Second Silesian Uprising, the Poles in Upper Silesia rise against the Germans
- August 20 - The first commercial radio station in the United States, 8MK (WWJ), begins operations in Detroit, Michigan.
- September 4 - La Tercio de Extranjenos, the "Regiment of Foreigners" (modern-day Spanish Legion) inaugurated in Spain
- September 5 - Presidential elections begin in Mexico
- September 8 - Gabriele D'Annunzio declares Fiume a free state.
- September 16 - The Wall Street bombing: a bomb in a horse wagon explodes in front of the J.P.Morgan building in New York City - 39 dead, 400 injured
- September 20 - The first soldier joins the Spanish Legion.
- September 22 - Flying Squad formed in London Metropolitan Police.
- September 29 - First domestic radio sets come to stores in USA – Westinghouse radio costs $10.
- September 29 - Adolf Hitler's makes first public political speech, in Austria.

October-November


- October 9 - Polish troops take Vilnius
- October 10 - In the Carinthian Plebiscite a large part of Carinthia Province votes to become part of Austria rather than of the Yugoslavia.
- October 12 - Polish-Soviet War After Polish army captures Tarnopol, Dubno, Minsk, and Dryssa, the ceasefire is enforced.
- October 18 - Thousands of unemployed demonstrate in London ? 50 injured
- October 26 - Alvaro Obregon is announced elected president of Mexico
- October 27 - League of Nations moves its headquarters to Geneve, Switzerland
- November 2 - Warren G. Harding defeats James M. Cox in the U.S. presidential election, the first national U.S. election in which women have the right to vote.
- November 2 - In the United States, KDKA AM of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (owned by Westinghouse) starts broadcasting as a commercial radio station. The first broadcast was the results of the U.S. presidential election, 1920.
- November 11 - Unknown Soldier buried in Westminster Abbey.
- November 15 - In Geneva, the first assembly of the League of Nations is held.
- November 16 - Queensland and Northen Territory Aviation Services (Qantas) is founded by Hudson Fysh and Paul McGinniss.
- November 17 - Council of League of Nations accepts the constitution of Danzig(Gdansk) free state.
- November 21 - Bloody Sunday - British forces open fire on spectators and players during a Football match in Dublin's Croke Park, following the assassinations of 12 British agents.
- November 28 - The Third Cork Brigade Flying Column under Gen. Tom Barry successfully ambush two lorries of British soldiers at Kilmichael ,Co.Cork.

December


- December 1 - Álvaro Obregón becomes president of Mexico.
- December 5 - Referendum in Greece is favorable to reinstatement of monarchy.
- December 11 - Martial law in Ireland.
- December 16 - Finland joins the League of Nations.
- December 16 - 8.6 Richter scale Earthquake causes landslide in Gansu Province, China - 180.000 dead.
- December 23 - United Kingdom and France ratify the border between French-held Syria and British-held Palestine.
- December 25 - Foundation of The Rosicrucian Fellowship's Spiritual Healing Temple "The Ecclesia" at Mount Ecclesia, Oceanside, California (USA).

Undated


- Number of US Americans move to Paris to escape the Prohibition
- France prohibits selling of contraceptives.
- Roman Ungern von Sternberg conquers Urga and declares himself as a ruler of Mongolia.
- Kurd rebellion in Turkey begins.
- Johnny Torrio invites Al Capone to Chicago, Illinois from New York City, New York.
- Bricks of wine are widely sold throughout U.S.

Births

January


- January 1 - Virgilio Savona, Italian singer and songwriter (Quartetto Cetra)
- January 2 - Isaac Asimov, Russian-born author (d. 1992)
- January 3 - Renato Carosone, Italian musician and singer (d. 2001)
- January 5 - Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, Italian pianist (d. 1995)
- January 6 - Sun Myung Moon, Korean evangelist
- January 6 - John Maynard Smith, English biologist (d. 2004)
- January 6 - Early Wynn, baseball player (d. 1999)
- January 12 - Bill Reid, Canadian artist (d. 1998)
- January 19 - Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, Peruvian United Nations Secretary General
- January 20 - Federico Fellini, Italian film director (d. 1993)
- January 20 - DeForest Kelley, American actor (d. 1999)
- January 20 - John O'Connor, American Catholic cardinal
- January 23 - Gottfried Böhm, German architect
- January 30 - Delbert Mann, American television and film director

February-March


- February 7 - An Wang, Chinese-born computer pioneer (d. 1990)
- February 11 - Farouk I, King of Egypt (d. 1965)
- February 11 - Billy Halop, American actor (d. 1976)
- February 11 - Paul Peter Piech, American artist (d. 1996)
- February 12 - William Roscoe Estep, American Baptist historian (d. 2000)
- February 17 - Ivo Caprino, Norwegian film director (d. 2001)
- February 18 - Bill Cullen, American game show host (d. 1990)
- February 18 - Eddie Slovik, U.S. Army private (d. 1945)
- February 26 - Tony Randall, American actor (d. 2004)
- February 29 - Howard Nemerov, American poet (d. 1991)
- March 3 - James Doohan, Canadian-born actor (d. 2005)
- March 3 - Ronald Searle, British cartoonist
- March 10 - Boris Vian , French writer, poet, singer and musician
- March 11 - Nicolaas Bloembergen, Dutch physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
- March 14 - Hank Ketcham, American cartoonist (d. 2001)
- March 15 - Lawrence Sanders, American novelist (d. 1998)
- March 15 - E. Donnall Thomas, American physician, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
- March 16 - Leo McKern, Australian actor (d. 2002)
- March 17 - Mujibur Rahman, Prime Minister of Bangladesh (d. 1975)
- March 19 - Kjell Aukrust, Norwegian poet and artist (d. 2002)
- March 20 - Pamela Harriman, English-born U.S. Ambassador to France (d. 1997)
- March 22 Werner Klemperer, German actor (d. 2000)
- March 25 - Patrick Troughton, British actor (d. 1987)
- March 25 - Arthur Wint, Jamaican runner (d. 1992)

April


- April 1 - Toshirô Mifune, Japanese actor (d. 1997)
- April 2 - Jack Webb, American actor, director, and producer (d. 1982)
- April 5 - Arthur Hailey, American writer
- April 6 - Edmond H. Fischer, Swiss-American biochemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
- April 7 - Ravi Shankar, Indian sitar player
- April 11 - Peter O'Donnell, British cartoonist and writer
- April 15 - Thomas Stephen Szasz, Hungarian-born psychiatrist and writer
- April 13 - Liam Cosgrave, President of Ireland
- April 27 - Guido Cantelli, Italian conductor (d. 1956)
- April 29 - Harold Shapero, American composer

May


- May 2 - Jean-Marie Auberson, Swiss conductor (d. 2004)
- May 6 - Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, first Prime Minister of Fiji and President of Fiji (d. 2004)
- May 9 - Richard Adams, English author
- May 18 - Pope John Paul II (d. 2005)
- May 18 - Lucia Mannucci, Italian singer (Quartetto Cetra)
- May 23 - Helen O'Connell, American singer (d. 1993)
- May 26 - Peggy Lee, American singer (d. 2002)
- May 28 - Gene Levitt, American television writer, producer, and director (d. 1999)
- May 29 - John Harsanyi, Hungarian-born economist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2000)
- May 30 - Franklin Schaffner, American film and television director (d. 1989)

June-July


- June 2 - Tex Schramm, American football team president and general manager (d. 2003)
- June 12 - Dave Berg, American cartoonist (d. 2002)
- June 12 - Jim Siedow, American actor (d. 2003)
- June 16 - José López Portillo, President of Mexico (d. 2004)
- June 17 - François Jacob, French biologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
- June 25 - Ozan Marsh, American pianist
- July 10 - David Brinkley, American television reporter (d. 2003)
- July 10 - Owen Chamberlain, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
- July 17 - Juan Antonio Samaranch, Spanish International Olympic Committee president
- July 21 - Isaac Stern, Ukrainian-born violinist (d. 2001)
- July 24 - Bella Abzug, American politician (d. 1998)
- July 25 - Rosalind Franklin, British crystallographer (d.1958)

August-December


- August 8 - Leo Chiosso, Italian poet
- August 16 - Charles Bukowski, American writer (d. 1994)
- August 18 - Bob Kennedy, baseball player and manager (d. 2005)
- August 21 - Christopher Robin Milne, English author and bookseller (d. 1996)
- August 22 - Ray Bradbury, American writer
- August 29 - Charlie Parker, American jazz saxophonist and composer (d. 1955)
- September 10 - Fabio Taglioni, Italian motorcycle engineer (d. 2001)
- September 14 - Mario Benedetti, Uruguayan writer
- September 14 - Lawrence Klein, American economist, Nobel Prize laureate
- September 22 - William H. Riker, American political scientist (d. 1993)
- September 29 - Peter D. Mitchell, English chemist, Nobel Prize laureate
- October 1 - Charles Daudelin, Canadian sculptor (d. 2001)
- October 1 - Walter Matthau, American actor (d. 2000)
- October 6 - Pietro Consagra, Italian sculptor (d. 2005)
- October 8 - Frank Herbert, American author (d. 1986)
- October 9 - Jens Bjørneboe, Norwegian author (d. 1976)
- October 15 - Mario Puzo, American author (d. 1999)
- October 29 - Baruj Benacerraf, Venezuelan-born immunologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
- October 31 - Fritz Walter, German football player (d. 2002)
- November 5 - Douglass North, American economist, Nobel Prize laureate
- November 21 - Stan Musial, baseball player
- November 23 - Paul Celan, Romanian-born poet (d. 1970)
- November 25 - Tuanku Syed Putra ibni Almarhum Syed Hassan Jamalullail, King of Malaysia (d. 2000)
- November 25 - Ricardo Montalban, Mexican actor
- November 25 - Noel Neill, American actress
- November 27 - Abe Lenstra, Dutch football player (d. 1985)
- December 6 - Dave Brubeck, American jazz pianist and composer
- December 6 - George Porter, English chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2002)
- December 9 - Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, President of the Italian Republic
- December 24 - Evgeniya Rudneva, Russian World War II heroine (d. 1944)
- December 30 - Jack Lord, American actor (d. 1998)

Date unknown


- Patrick Campbell Rodger, Scottish Anglican bishop (d. 2002)

Deaths


- January 2 - Paul Adam, French writer (b. 1862)
- January 3 - Zygmunt Janiszewski, Polish mathematician (b. 1888)
- January 4 - Benito Pérez Galdós, Spanish novelist (b. 1843)
- January 6 - Hieronymus Georg Zeuthen, Danish mathematician (b. 1839)
- January 7 - Edmund Barton, Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1849)
- January 18 - Giovanni Capurro, Italian poet (b. 1825)
- January 24 - William Percy French, Irish songwriter and entertainer (b. 1854)
- January 24 - Amedeo Modigliani, Italian painter and sculptor (tuberculosis) (b. 1884)
- January 24 - William Plunket, 5th Baron Plunket, British diplomat and administrator (b. 1864)
- January 26 - Jeanne Hébuterne, French artist, model, and common-law wife of Amedeo Modigliani (suicide) (b. 1898)
- February 2 - Field E. Kindley, American World War I aviator (b. 1896)
- February 3 - Frank Brown, Governor of Maryland (b. 1846)
- February 6 - Augustus F. Goodridge, Canadian merchant and politician (b. 1839)
- February 7 - Aleksandr Kolchak, Russian naval commander (b. 1874)
- February 15 - Joseph Burton Sumner, founder of Sumner, Mississippi (b. 1837)
- February 20 - Joseph J. Fern, Mayor of Honolulu (b. 1872)
- February 20 - Robert Peary, American Arctic explorer (b. 1856)
- February 27 - William Sherman Jennings, Governor of Florida (b. 1863)
- March 1 - John H. Bankhead, U.S. Senator from Alabama (b. 1842)
- March 1 - William A. Stone, Governor of Pennsylvania (b. 1846)
- March 1 - Joseph Trumpeldor, Russian Zionist (b. 1880)
- March 4 - Roswell P. Bishop, U.S. Congressman from Michigan (b. 1843)
- March 11 - Julio Garavito Armero, Colombian astronomer (b. 1865)
- March 13 - Charles Lapworth, English geologist (b. 1842)
- March 26 - William Chester Minor, American surgeon (b. 1834)
- March 26 - Mary Augusta Ward, Tasmanian novelist (b. 1851)
- March 31 - Paul Bachmann, German mathematician (b. 1837)
- March 31 - Edwin Warfield, Governor of Maryland (b. 1848)
- April 8 - John Brashear, American astronomer (b. 1840)
- April 8 - Charles Tomlinson Griffes, American composer (b. 1884)
- April 9 - Moritz Cantor, German historian of mathematics (b. 1829)
- April 21 - Maria L. Sanford, American educator (b. 1836)
- April 26 - Srinivasa Ramanujan, Indian mathematician (b. 1887)
- May 1 - Princess Margaret of Connaught, Crown Princess of Sweden (b. 1882)
- May 9 - Agnes Macdonald, wife of John A. Macdonald, Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1836
- May 11 - James Colosimo, Italian-born gangster (b. 1877)
- May 11 - William Dean Howells, American writer (b. 1837)
- May 16 - Levi P. Morton, Vice President of the United States (b. 1824)
- May 21 - Venustiano Carranza, President of Mexico (b. 1859)
- May 21 - Eleanor H. Porter, American novelist (b. 1868)
- May 23 - Svetozar Borojevic, Austro-Hungarian field marshal (b. 1856)
- May 30 - George Ernest Morrison, Australian adventurer (b. 1862)
- June 5 - Rhoda Broughton, Welsh writer (b. 1840)
- June 5 - Julia A. Moore, American poet (b. 1847)
- June 6 - James Dunsmuir, Canadian politician (b. 1851)
- June 13 - Essad Pasha, Prime Minister of Albania (b. 1863)
- June 14 - Gabrielle Réjane, French actress (b. 1856)
- June 14 - Max Weber, German political economist (b. 1864)
- June 18 - Jewett W. Adams, Governor of Nevada (b. 1835)
- June 18 - John Macoun, Irish born naturalist (b. 1831)
- June 20 - Marie Adolphe Carnot, French chemist, mining engineer, and politician (b. 1839)
- June 20 - John Grigg, New Zealand astronomer (b. 1838)
- June 27 - Adolphe Basile Routhier, Canadian poet (b. 1839)
- July 1 - The City and County of Denver is the largest city and capital of the state of Colorado in the United States of America. It is located on the plains just east of the Rocky Mountains and forms the heart of the Denver-Aurora metropolitan area. The central downtown district is on the east side of the South Platte River, near its confluence with Cherry Creek, approximately fifteen miles from the foothills. Denver is the county seat of, and shares the same borders with, Denver County — one of the few consolidated city-counties. According to 2005 census estimates, the population of the city was 560,400, while that of the Denver-Aurora metropolitan area was about 2,830,000, making it the 23rd-largest metropolitan area in the United States.[http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/phc-t29.html] Denver is nicknamed "The Mile-High City" because its official elevation, measured on the fifteenth step of the state capitol building's west side, is 5,280 feet (1,609 m) above sea level. The elevation, as surveyed at the Denver International Airport, is 5,431 ft (1,655 m). Also, a row of seats in the upper deck of Coors Field, home of Major League Baseball's Colorado Rockies (NL), is marked in purple (one of the team's colors) to indicate that the row is one mile above sea level. Denver has also been known historically as the Queen City of the Plains because of its important role in the agricultural industry of the plains regions along the foothills of the Front Range. Several US Navy ships have been named USS Denver in honor of the city.

History

Denver was founded in the Kansas Territory in 1858. On November 22 of that year, General William Larimer, a land speculator from eastern Kansas, placed cottonwood logs to stake a square-mile claim on the hill overlooking the confluence of the South Platte River and Cherry Creek, across the creek from the existing mining settlement of Auraria. Auraria The site was accessible to existing trails and had previously been the site of seasonal encampments of the Cheyenne and Arapaho. Larimer, along with associates in the Denver City Land Company, sold parcels in the town to merchants and miners, with the intention of creating a major city that would cater to new emigrants. The name "Denver City" was chosen to honor Kansas territorial governor James W. Denver, in order to ensure that the city would become the county seat of then Arapaho County, Kansas. Ironically, when Larimer named it after Denver, he was unaware that James Denver had already resigned as governor. In the first few years, while the town grew, land parcels were often traded freely for grubstakes and in the course of gambling by miners in Auraria. The city was incorporated on November 7, 1861, several months after the formation of the Colorado Territory. Denver was the county seat of Arapahoe County, Colorado until the creation of Denver County in 1902. Denver was selected to host the 1976 Winter Olympics to coincide with Colorado's centennial anniversary, but Colorado voters struck down ballot initiatives allocating public funds to pay for the high costs of the games, so they were moved to Innsbruck, Austria. The movement against hosting the games was based largely on environmental issues and was led by then State Senator Richard Lamm. Lamm was subsequently elected as Colorado governor in 1974. On April 20, 1999, the Columbine High School massacre occurred at Columbine High School, which is located southwest of Denver in an unincorporated area in suburban Jefferson County; the school has a Littleton address. The cheeseburger was allegedly invented in Denver by Louis Ballast who operated the Humpty Dumpty Barrel drive-in. He applied for a patent on his now famous invention in 1935. It has been speculated that he wasn’t the first person to add cheese to a hamburger, but nobody has an earlier patent, and no evidence to debunk his claim has emerged.[http://www.magazineusa.com/us/info/show.aspx?unit=originals&doc=32] Denver was an important place for the "beat generation." Beat icon Neal Cassady was raised on Larimer Street in Denver, and a portion of Jack Kerouac's beat masterpiece On the Road takes place in the city, and is based on the beat's actual experiences in Denver during a road trip. Beat poet Allen Ginsberg lived for a time in the Denver suburb of Lakewood, Colorado, and he helped found the Buddhist college, Naropa University or the "Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Naropa" in nearby Boulder, Colorado.

Geography and climate

Denver is located at 39°43'35" North, 104°57'56" West (39.726287, -104.965486) in the Colorado Front Range region. It has the Rocky Mountains to the west and the great plains to the east. great plains According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 401.3 km² (154.9 mi²). 397.2 km² (153.4 mi²) of it is land and 4.1 km² (1.6 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.03% water.

Climate

Denver has a semi-arid climate characterized by dry winters, wetter springs, low-humidity summers, and pleasant falls. While Denver is located on the Great Plains, the weather of the city and surrounding area is heavily influenced by the proximity of the Rocky Mountains to the west. In the winter, the storms that dump huge amounts of snow in the mountains get blocked by the towering Front Range mountains. So, Denver tends to have dry winters that receive less snow than one may expect. In the late spring and early summer, the warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico influences the area and thunderstorms are prevalent, especially in the afternoon. Late summer thunderstorms are also common, fueled by tropical moisture from Mexico called the "monsoonal flow." The climate, while considered mild compared to the mountains to the west and the plains further east, can often be very unpredictable. An often-repeated saying of Denverites is "If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes." Measurable amounts of snow have fallen in Denver as late as Memorial Day and as early as Labor Day, although trace amounts have been recorded in June. September snowstorms of two feet or more have occurred. Denver averages 15.4 inches (391 mm) of precipitation per year. The average annual snowfall is around 60 inches. Although Denver's Convention and Visitor Bureau claims Denver receives over 300 sunny days a year [http://www.denver.org/StaticPage.aspx?PN=climate], the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says Denver receives about 250 days of sunshine a year [http://ols.nndc.noaa.gov/plolstore/plsql/olstore.prodspecific?prodnum=C00095-PUB-A0001#TABLES]. January's average daily high is 43° F with a daily low of 15°F. July's average high is 88°F with a low of 59°F. [http://www.crh.noaa.gov/cgi-bin-den/showProduct.pl?title=Denver's+Climatological+Normals+And+Means&product=normals.html&backto=2]

Neighborhoods

Denver has 79 neighborhoods that the City and community groups use for planning and administration. Although the City's delineation of the neighborhood boundaries is somewhat arbitrary, often the City's definitions of its neighborhoods correspond to those used by Denverites to describe a particular place. Denver also has a number of neighborhoods not reflected in the City's administrative neighborhoods. Sometimes these neighborhoods reflect the way people in an area identify themselves; sometimes they reflect how others, such as real estate developers, have defined those areas. Among the neighborhoods commonly spoken of are historic LoDo (short for "Lower Downtown"), part of the City's Union Station neighborhood; Capitol Hill, Washington Park; Uptown, part of the North Capitol Hill neighborhood; Curtis Park, part of the Five Points neighborhood; Alamo Placita, the northern part of the Speer neighborhood; and the Golden Triangle, roughly the Civic Center neighborhood.

Demographics

As of the census of 2005, there are an estimated 560,400 people, 239,235 households, and 119,378 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,396.5/km² (3,616.8/mi²). There are 251,435 housing units at an average density of 633.1/km² (1,639.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 51.9% White, 11.1% Black or African American, about 2.2% Native American, 2.81% Asian American, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 15.59% from other races, and 3.75% from two or more races. 31.68% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 239,235 households out of which 23.2% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.7% are married couples living together, 10.8% have a female householder with no husband present, and 50.1% are non-families. 39.3% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.27 and the average family size is 3.14. In the city the population is spread out with 22.0% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 36.1% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 33 years. For every 100 females there are 102.1 males. The size of population in Denver is equivelent to other U.S. cities such as Seattle, Washington DC, Boston, Atlanta or New Orleans. The median income for a household in the city is $39,500, and the median income for a family is $48,195. Males have a median income of $34,232 versus $30,768 for females. The per capita income for the city is $24,101. 14.3% of the population and 10.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 20.3% of those under the age of 18 and 9.7% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Economy

Denver's economy is based partially on its geographic position and its connection to some of the major transportation systems of the country. Denver's history is a reflection of the boom and bust cycles of the old west. Because Denver is the largest city within 600 miles, it has become a natural location for storage and distribution of goods and services to the Mountain States. Denver is also approximately halfway between the large cities of the Midwest like Chicago and St. Louis and the cities of the West Coast, another benefit for distribution. Over the years, the city has been home to some large corporations in the central United States, making Denver a key trade point for the country. West Coast Geography also allows Denver to have a considerable government presence with many federal agencies based or having offices in the Denver area. In fact, the Denver Metropolitan Area has more federal workers than any other metropolitan area except for the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. Along with the plethora of federal agencies comes many companies based on US defense and space projects. Lockheed-Martin, and Ball Aerospace are examples. Of course, being the capital of the state of Colorado also gives many state jobs to Denver. Denver's position near the mineral-rich Rocky Mountains, encouraged mining and energy companies to spring up in the area. In the early days of the city, gold and silver booms and busts played a large role in the economic success of the city. In the 1970s and early '80s, the energy crisis in America created an energy boom in Denver captured in the soap opera Dynasty. During this time, Denver was built up considerably, with many new downtown skyscrapers built during this time. Eventually the oil prices dropped from $34 a barrel in 1981 to $9 a barrel in 1986, and the Denver economy dropped with it, leaving almost 15,000 oil industry workers in the area unemployed (including mayor John Hickenlooper, a former geologist), and the highest office vacancy rate in the nation (30%). Energy and mining are still important in Denver's economy today, with companies such as Newmont Mining, Patina Oil and Gas, and Western Gas Resources. Denver's west-central geographic location in the Mountain Time Zone (UTC -7) also benefits the telecommunications industry by allowing communication with both North American coasts, South America, Europe, and Asia in the same business day. Denver's location on the 105th meridian at over 1 mile in elevation also enables it to be the largest city in the U.S. to offer a 'one-bounce' real-time satellite uplink to six continents in the same business day. Qwest Communications, EchoStar, Starz-Encore, and Comcast are just a few of the telecommunications companies with operations in the Denver area. These and other high-tech companies had a boom in Denver in the mid to late 1990s, but the technology bust in the new millennium caused Denver to lose many of those technology jobs. Recently the Denver area has started making a comeback, with the October 2005 unemployment at 4.7% the lowest since September of 2001 [http://www.metrodenver.org/DataCenter/DenverEconomy/MonthlyEconSummary.icm]. Denver government and industry leaders are attempting to diversify the Denver economy so that it is less susceptible to boom and bust cycles. Other companies with major operations in the Denver area include:
- American Medical Response
- Frontier Airlines
- Coors
- Gray Line
- Janus Capital Group
- J.D. Edwards, now part of Oracle Corporation
- Quark, Inc.
- Quizno's
- Regal Entertainment Group
- Samsonite
- StorageTek
- Sun Microsystems
- Sports Authority
- First Data
- United Airlines

Politics

Denver is a consolidated city-county with a non-partisan elected mayor (though they may belong to a particular political party), a 13-member city council and an auditor. The city council is elected from 11 districts with two at-large council-members and is responsible for passing and changing all laws, resolutions, and ordinances, usually after a public hearing. They can also call for misconduct investigations of Denver's departmental officials. Denver has a strong mayor/weak city council government. The mayor can approve or veto any ordinances or resolutions approved by the council, makes sure all contracts with the city are kept and performed, signs all bonds and contracts, is responsible for the city budget, and can appoint people to various city departments, organizations, and commissions. However, the council can override the mayor's veto with a nine out of 13 member vote, and the city budget must be approved and can be changed by a simple majority vote of the council. The auditor checks all expenditures and may refuse to allow specific ones, usually based on financial reasons. [http://www.denvergov.org/Denver_Government/template2654.asp] All elected officials have four year terms, with a maximum of two terms. While Denver elections are non-partisan, Democrats have long held a virtual monopoly on Denver politics, with all elected officials having Democratic Party affiliation. The office of Denver's Mayor has been occupied by a Democrat since the municipal general election of 1963. The current Mayor, John Hickenlooper, has boasted some approval ratings in the 90% range in recent polls, which could indicate that the Democratic Party will likely remain in control of the office. In 2005, Denver became the first major city in the U.S. to make the private use of less than an ounce of marijuana legal for adults 21 and older. The city voted 53.49%-46.51% in favor of the marijuana legalization measure. It should be noted that this initiative does not usurp state law, which currently treats marijuana possession in much the same way as a speeding ticket, with fines of up to $100 and no jail time [http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-11-03-pot_x.htm].

Transportation

marijuana legalization

Grid system

Most of Denver has a straight forward north-south, east-west street grid. Blocks are usually identified in hundreds from the median streets. Colfax Avenue, the major east-west artery through Denver, is 15 blocks or 1500 north of the median. Ellsworth Avenue is the north-south median, while Broadway is the east-west median. Both of these streets are identified as "0". Avenues north of Ellsworth are numbered (with the notable exception of Colfax Avenue and a few others). Avenues south of Ellsworth are named. However, there is also an older downtown grid system that was designed to be parallel to the confluence of the South Platte River and Cherry Creek. Therefore, most of the streets downtown and in LoDo run northeast-southwest and northwest-southeast. This system also helps with snow pack. If the streets were to run in a normal N-S/E-W system, only the N-S streets would get sun. With the grid pointed to the diagonal directions, the NW-SE streets get sun to melt snow in the morning and the NE-SW streets get it in the afternoon. The NW-SE streets are numbered, while the NE-SW streets are named. The named streets start at the intersection of Colfax Avenue and Broadway with the block-long Cheyenne Place. The numbered streets start underneath the Colfax and I-25 viaducts. There are 27 named and 44 numbered streets on this grid. There are also a few vestiges of the old grid system in the normal grid such as Park Avenue, Morrison Road, and Speer Boulevard. Confusion may arise where the two grid systems meet. Fortunately, traffic in downtown Denver is calmer than in many other large cities, the mountains to the west provide an easy navigational reference.

Highways

Denver is primarily served by the interstate highways I-25 and I-70. I-25 runs north-south from the New Mexico border through Denver to the Wyoming border. Likewise, I-70 runs east-west from Utah to Kansas. The intersection of the two interstates in Denver has been locally termed "the mousetrap." Additionally, I-76 begins from I-70 just west of the city in Arvada. It intersects I-25 north of the city and runs northeast to Nebraska where it ends at I-80. A highway expansion and transit project, dubbed "T-REX", is currently under construction. The project includes the addition of extra freeway lanes and a light rail line in the I-25 corridor between downtown Denver and the Denver Technological Center. The massive project is slated to be finished in fall of 2006.

Mass Transportation

Denver Technological Center Mass transportation throughout the Denver-Aurora metropolitan area is managed and coordinated by the Regional Transportation District (RTD). RTD currently operates more than 1,000 buses serving 10,000 bus stops in 38 municipal jurisdictions. Additionally, RTD operates two light rail lines with a total of 15.8 miles of track and serving 24 stations. Current RTD local fare is $1.25. FasTracks, an expansion project approved by voters in 2004, will allow light rail to serve cities such as Lakewood, Golden, and Aurora. Commuter rail lines will serve Boulder, Longmont and the Denver International Airport.

Trains

Train service to Denver is provided by the Amtrak California Zephyr which runs from Chicago west through Denver to San Francisco. Additionally, there is the Ski Train provided by the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad which takes passengers between Denver and the Winter Park Ski Resort. Trains stop in Denver at Union Station, where travellers can meet up with RTD's 16th Street Free MallRide or use light rail to tour the city.

Airports


- Denver International Airport
- former Stapleton International Airport (replaced by Denver International Airport and closed in 1995)
- former Lowry Air Force Base (flights stopped around 1965)

Denver's sister cities

Denver is the second oldest sister city in the United States in its relationship with Brest, France, started in 1948. In 1947, Amanda Knecht, a teacher at East High School, visited WWII ravaged Brest. When she came back, she shared her experiences in the city with her students, and her class raised $32,000 in change to help rebuild the children's wing of Brest's hospital. The gift was proceeded with the development of the sister city program with Brest. Denver's Sister Cities International develops programs to foster relations between all the cities. All of Denver's sister cities have parks in the city named after them (except the newest sister city, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, which will eventually have its own park). The list of Denver's sister (aka twinned) cities includes Axum (Ethiopia), Brest (France), Chennai (India), Cuernavaca (Mexico), Karmiel (Israel), Kunming (China), Nairobi (Kenya), Potenza (Italy), Takayama (Japan), and Ulaanbaatar (Mongolia).

Education

Public Schools

Denver's public schools are operated by Denver Public Schools. The first school was a log cabin on the corner on 12th street between Market and Larimer streets that opened in 1859. Currently, DPS operates 73 elementary schools, 15 K-8 schools, 17 Middle Schools, 14 High Schools, and 19 Charter Schools. They also operate magnet programs and schools including the Denver School of the Arts, the Center for International Studies, the Emily Griffith Opportunity School, an International Baccalaureate program, a Highly Gifted and Talented Program, and others. DPS also operates the Balarat Program, a outdoor education, western history, and environmental studies program at a 720 acre site in the mountains northwest of Boulder [http://balarat.dpsk12.org/]. In total, DPS educates approximately 73,000 students. The ethnic/racial composition of these students are: American Indian: 1.2% Asian: 3.1% Black: 19.1% Hispanic: 57.3% White: 19.3% The graduation rate of DPS students is 76.9% with a dropout rate of 4.6%. (The rest of the percentage can be attributed to students moving out of the district). There are 13,452 employees of DPS, 4,061 are teachers. [http://www.dpsk12.org]

Colleges and universities


- University of Denver
- Metropolitan State College of Denver
- University of Colorado at Denver
- Johnson & Wales University
- Regis University
- Community College of Denver

Culture

Landmarks

Community College of Denver Denver hosts a great and rich history of culture, and continues to remain a true testament to "Colorful Colorado". Landmarks and historical points of interest include:

- Brown Palace Hotel, a historic hotel that has hosted many celebrities, dignitaries, and other important people
- Buckhorn Exchange, Denver's oldest restaurant, a historic old-west steakhouse
- Civic Center, a neoclassical park, and the cultural, art and governmental center of Denver
- Colorado Convention Center
- Colorado State Capitol
- Confluence Park, where the city started at the confluence of the South Platte and Cherry Creek.
- D&F Tower, when it was built in 1910 the tallest building west of the Mississippi
- Denver Art Museum
- Denver Botanic Gardens
- Denver Mint
- Denver Museum of Nature & Science
- Denver Performing Arts Complex - The second largest performing arts center in the US after New York City's Lincoln Center.
- Denver Public Library, serving Denver's educational and entertainment needs from 23 locations and a bookmobile.
- Four Mile House, an important stop on the Cherokee Trail and the oldest standing residential building in the metropolitan area
- Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art, A museum featuring works of Vance Kirkland and others.
- Molly Brown House, where Molly Brown lived in Denver
- Denver Aquarium
- Red Rocks, This Denver owned park and outdoor amphitheater 15 miles west of Denver near Morrison, CO is world famous for its awe-inspiring red rock formations and its amphitheater with near perfect acoustics that has featured famous concerts by U2, The Beatles, Neil Young and others.
- Richthofen Castle, a castle built by the uncle and godfather of the Red Baron
- Six Flags Elitch Gardens - A rare downtown Amusement Park
- Tattered Cover, a very popular independent bookstore with two locations in Denver (LoDo, and Cherry Creek), and one in the suburb of Highlands Ranch.
- Union Station, a magnificent three-story building and the hub of the new FasTracks commuter rail network.
- Wells Fargo Center, a.k.a. the "cash register" or "mailbox" building, one of the city's most identifiable buildings.

Sports

Sports teams


- Denver Broncos charter team of the American Football League (1960-1969), now in the NFL (American football)
- Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (1967-)
- Denver Outlaws, Major League Lacrosse (2006-)
- Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball (1993-)
- Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (1996-)
- Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer (1996-)
- Colorado Crush of the Arena Football League (2003-)
- Colorado Mammoth of the National Lacrosse League (2003-)
- Denver Gaels of the North American County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (1996-)
- Denver Bears former minor league (AAA) baseball team (1948-1992)
- Denver Zephyrs originally, the Denver Bears (moved to New Orleans, 1992)
- Denver Spurs former World Hockey Association team (1975-76)
- Colorado Rockies former National Hockey League team (1976-82); now known as the New Jersey Devils
- Denver Gold former United States Football League team (1983-1985)
- Denver Dynamite former Arena Football League team (1987, 1989-1991)
- Denver Grizzlies former International Hockey League team (1994-1995)

Hosting


- Awarded the 1976 Winter Olympics, which voters rejected due to a 300 percent rise in costs and worries about environmental impact
- The 1998 Major League All-Star Game at Coors Field
- The 2001 NHL All-Star Game and FanFest at Pepsi Center
- 2005 NBA All-Star Game at the Pepsi Center
- 2008 NCAA Frozen Four Tournament
- Denver is host to a yearly race on the Champ Car World Series circuit, the Grand Prix of Denver
- Denver is also currentley lobbying to host the 2008 Democratic National Convention, which would coincidently be the centennial of the city's first hosting of the convention in 1908 .
- In 1993, Denver hosted World Youth Day, and welcomed Pope John Paul II in one of his rare travels to the United States.

Hostels


- Denver International Youth Hostel
- InnKeeper of the Rockies
- Melbourne International Hotel & Hostel

Famous Denverites


- Tim Allen
- Victor Amaya - pro-tennis player
- India.Arie - Neo-Soul singer, born India Arie Simpson
- Phillip Bailey - R&B lead singer with Earth, Wind & Fire. Later made pop tunes with Phil Collins among others, graduated from Manual High School
- Chauncey Billups
- Richard Butler (born in Bennett, Colorado)
- Douglas Fairbanks, Sr.
- David Fincher
- Pat Hingle
- John Kerry (born at Fitzsimons Army Hospital in Aurora, Denver's eastern neighbor)
- Joseph C. Phillips Actor and political commentator
- Dean Reed
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