In January of 1859, George Andrew Jackson discovered gold in Clear Creek, and John Gregory found gold in the North Fork of the same river on May 6. Jackson’s discovery led to the creation of modern-day Idaho Springs, and out of Gregory’s discovery…

Nestled in the Black Canyon, the Hoover Dam helps control the Colorado River’s flooding cycle that once devastated nearby communities. Construction started in 1931 and finished in 1935. 21,000 individuals worked on the monumental project and just…

In early 1860, prospectors were exploring gulches and panning for gold deep in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. One prospector, Abe Lee, produced the lucky pan with gold in late April. They named the area California Gulch, supposedly because Abe Lee…

In 1868, Daniel Plummer and Joseph H. Meyers located an outcrop of silver in the central Colorado Mosquito Range of the Rocky Mountains, within limestone on Mount Bross. They named it “The Dwight” Three years later, they returned to Mount Bross and…

On July 22, 1923, work started on the highest road in North America: the Mount Evans Scenic Byway. Today, visitors can travel its twenty-eight mile stretch one way to reach the summit of the 14,130-foot mountain. The byway begins about sixty miles…

The sprawling Hotel Colorado in Glenwood Springs was finished in 1893 for a total of $850,000. The hotel’s founder, Walter Devereux, was an early settler of Glenwood Springs and hoped to take advantage of the flock of visitors coming to see…

In 1978, the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) was added as one of America’s scenic long-distance trails. It, the Pacific Crest Trail, and the Appalachian Trail are the three most prominent national scenic trails. The CDT’s roughly 3,000 miles of trail…

Echo Lake Park is located at about 10,600 feet above sea level along the Mount Evans Scenic Byway. Ever since the Mount Evans Crest House at the top of the Mount Evans Scenic Byway burned down in 1979, Echo Lake has served as the primary lodging and…

There are two sides to the story of William Frederick “Buffalo Bill” Cody’s burial. One fact is agreed upon. Cody originally wished to be buried outside of Cody, the town that he established in Wyoming. He established this through a will, but later…