A Short History of Denver

by Stephen J. Leonard, Thomas J. Noel

A Short History of Denver covers more than 150 years of Denver’s rich history. The book recounts the takeover of Native American lands, the founding of small towns on the South Platte River at the base of the Rocky Mountains, and the creation of a city, which by 1890 was among the nation’s major western urban centers. Leonard and Noel tell the stories of powerful economic and political leaders such as John Evans, Horace Tabor, and David Moffat, and delve into the contributions of women, including Elizabeth Byers and Margaret (Molly) Brown. The book also recognizes the importance of the city’s ethnic communities, including African Americans, Asians, Latinos, and many others. A Short History of Denver portrays the city’s twentieth-century ups and downs, including the City Beautiful movement, political corruption, the rise of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s, and the Great Depression of the 1930s. Here readers will find the meat and potatoes of economic and political history and much more, including sports history, social history, and the history of metropolitan-wide efforts to preserve the past. 

Genres: History, American History

231 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 20, 2016

Reviews

[Lisa J Shultz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding history book of Denver filled with interesting details! Short enough not to bore. Detailed enough to grasp the significant events, people, buildings, and aspects of Denver that give it a well-rounded and thorough view. Well organized and researched. This book is a treasure for Denver history. I applaud and appreciate the authors for putting their knowledge and research into the hands of the public is such an easy to read book form. Thank you!

[Rob Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brief and breezy and filled with interesting bits of trivia. Too often it reads like a piece of boosterism, though, instead of a proper history.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I finished reading in 2020. (I have three other books in-progress, so that explains why it has taken me a while.) The last book I finished in 2019 was the same authors’ much longer, larger, and more dense “Denver: from mining town to metropolis”. I was drawn to books on the history of Denver after spending a month there for work training, and coming from that experience thinking I might like to move there someday.

The “long history” was written in 1990, so leaves out significant recent history of the city and metropolis. I was hoping to fill in those gaps with this work, and to some degree it served that purpose.

However, the style and audience of the newer, shorter history is quite different. It reads more like an in-depth travel brochure. Mostly it doesn’t get so cheeky as the following about the brewpub scene: “Denver celebrates its frothy eminence with the Great American Beer Festival. From humble 1981 origins in Boulder, the GABF moved to Denver in 1984, where it has become America’s largest such brew-haha.”

This would be a good first book to read to gain an acquaintance with things Denver, both the “city and county of Denver” and the wider metropolitan area, for somebody planning an extended visit or considering moving there.

[Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick read that has a great amount of information packed in to concise and enjoyable sections. As a recent transplant to the state I wanted an overview so I could better understand it and its rich history. This book did not disappoint and was packed with a great amount of relevant and interesting history. Finished it in a week as it was an easy read and one that kept me coming back to learn more. Would read more by these authors.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some stuff I knew some stuff I didn't!

[Buddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A concise and well written history of Denver. It answered a lot of questions I had about the city as well as lots of interesting tidbits on other topics.