The Denver Interactive Timeline’s mission is to provide a comprehensive list of resources and information about Colorado History to make lesson planning and further teaching on the topic easier for teachers across the Boulder Denver Area. We hope that this site can be a fun and interactive resource for your classroom!
Comprehensive - We want to address an inclusive and full history of Colorado that includes untold stories of underrepresented groups.
Localized - Bringing a local tone to our project so that students may connect with it more deeply.
Collaborative - Bringing in local teachers and educators to help us BUILD this project catered to their needs and wants for the classroom.
Inspiring - We want our website to encourage more knowledge and inquiry about the state of Colorado more specifically the Denver/Boulder area.
Immersive - We strive to bring a modern edge to our software, SEO/aesthetics, and user experience in order to encourage a more interactive and enjoyable
experience for students, as well as something more modernized than other Colorado resources.
Culturally Compelling - We want students to connect and relate to their Colorado culture and the stories of those before them.
Embracing Perspective - We want students to learn the multiple perspectives of Colorado's history and be able to discover for themselves how each of these perspectives brings Colorado a rich story.
Encourage independence - Through using the powerful stories from Colorado’s past, we hope to inspire the next generation to also strive to make our state a better place.
One way that our team is trying to create new learning experiences for students in our community is by highlighting stories that aren't often told in the traditional classroom curriculum. We have made a list below of inspiring stories of Coloradoans that can be used by teachers or students to connect with those who had similar experiences or backgrounds growing up in Colorado and do amazing things! Check out the list below to discover these stories.
Thank you for choosing The Denver Interactive Timeline as a classroom resource. We are happy to provide local schools with this free resource to keep Colorado history interactive and fun! Below you will find ways to incorporate our website into your classroom curriculum. We have provided activities, guiding questions, and more.
Here is a worksheet document that can be used in class to guide learners through the website content. The link is below.
Worksheet Doc Here
Howdy Partner!
Have students pair up in groups of two. Once paired, ask them to share their favorite fact they found on the website. Have the two students write down their partner’s facts on a piece of paper and hold it with them until class discussion time. Once the class is finished and in the larger group, call on a student to share what their partner's favorite part of the website was.
We don't claim to know it all! We have also made a list of resources that can be used to dig further into topics that we discuss in our presentation. We hope that as educators you can use our site to discover where to find valuable information about our state’s history and to create a hub for reliable knowledge.
Colorado Encyclopedia - https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/
History Colorado - https://www.historycolorado.org/
Geologic Time
Abbott, Lon, and Terri Cook. Geology Underfoot along Colorado's Front Range. Mountain Press Publishing Company, 2012.
Black, Riley. “Sail-Backed Dimetrodon Had a Nasty Bite.” Science, National Geographic, 4 May 2021,https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/sail-backed-dimetrodon-had-a-nasty-bite.
“Class Notes - Sedimentary Rockscolor>.” Multiple Choice, https://www.uh.edu/~jbutler/physical/chapter7notes.html.
“Elosuchus: Home.” Danielle Dufault, https://www.ddufault.com/?pgid=jrleqtn8-5bb52462-14c4-47f9-88cf-4e8dc025bf88.
“File:Map of North America with the Western Interior Seaway during the Campanian (Upper Cretaceous).Png.” Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=88839117.
Geocaching. “How to Make an Oxbow Lake (Marlborough).” GC82BRP How to Make an Oxbow Lake (Marlborough) (Earthcache) in South Island, New Zealand Created by the Seagnoid, https://www.geocaching.com/geocache/GC82BRP_how-to-make-an-oxbow-lake-marlborough?guid=bb450733-7b0b-4fa5-8213-d933eb31805a.
Gold Placer Deposits, http://earthsci.org/mineral/mindep/auplace/auplace.html.
“Interactive Geology Project.” Interactive Geology Project, https://igp.colorado.edu/.
Lyle, Shane A. “Glaciers in Kansas.” KGS Pub. Inf. Circ. 28--Glaciers in Kansas, https://www.kgs.ku.edu/Publications/PIC/pic28.html .
“National Science Foundation - Where Discoveries Begin.” NSF, https://www.nsf.gov/news/mmg/mmg_disp.jsp?med_id=59396&from=.
“Paleoguy - Professional, Digital Artist.” DeviantArt, https://www.deviantart.com/paleoguy.
Ridge, Jim. “Definition Ofthe Laramide Orogeny.” Laramide Orogeny FAQ - EXPLORING THE COLORADO PLATEAU., https://www.lightrainproductions.com/Home%20Page/Laramide-Orogeny-FAQ.htm.
Sampson, Scott D., et al. “New Horned Dinosaurs from Utah Provide Evidence for Intracontinental Dinosaur Endemism.” PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0012292.
“Shapes of Valleys.” Sketchplanations, https://sketchplanations.com/shapes-of-valleys.
Share, Jack. “Written in Stone...seen through My Lens.” February 2011, https://written-in-stone-seen-through-my-lens.blogspot.com/2011/02/.
Prehistory
“Rocky Mountain Geology Teacher Guide.” National Park Service and U.S. Department of the Interior. Rocky Mountain National Park, 1 May 2014.
https://www.nps.gov/romo/learn/education/upload/Geology-Rocky-Teacher-Guide-Final.pdf
Zaiken, Beth. “Ice Age Megafauna.” Blue Rhino Studios, 2019. https://bethzaiken.com/ice-age-edmonton-mural
Harlin, Greg. “Pale-Indians hunting a Mastodon.” McClung Museum, 1 Jan. 2009. https://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu/2009/01/01/prehistoric-american-indians/
“Discover the Paleoindian People.” Cuyahoga Valley National Park, 23 Nov. 2021. https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/discover-the-paleoindian-people.htm
Walton, Susan A. “Scene depicting a Paleoindian family dressing caribou hides at their camp in western Ohio.” Ohio History Connection, Education Collection, 2003.
Morton, Mary Caperton. “The Snowmastodon Project: Mammoths and mastodons lived the high life in Colorado.” Earth: The Science Behind the Headlines, 9 Dec. 2015. https://www.earthmagazine.org/article/snowmastodon-project-mammoths-and-mastodons-lived-high-life-colorado/
Zier, Christian J. “The Formative Period in History.” History Colorado, Colorado Encyclopedia, 3 Nov. 2015.
https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/formative-period-prehistory
Mann, Charles C. “The Clovis Point and the Discovery of America’s First Culture.” Smithsonian Magazine, Nov. 2013.
Settlement
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Louisiana Purchase.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 28 Mar. 2003, www.britannica.com/event/Louisiana-Purchase.
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo". Encyclopedia Britannica, 11 Oct. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/event/Treaty-of-Guadalupe-Hidalgo. Accessed 24 October 2022.
Sadler, // by Christa, and About Christa SadlerChrista Sadler is an author. “The Original Coloradans.” Uncover Colorado, Uncover Colorado, 25 Apr. 2020, https://www.uncovercolorado.com/native-american-tribes-in-colorado/.
“Southern Ute Indian Tribe.” The Southern Ute Indian Tribe, The Southern Ute Indian Tribe, 2022, https://www.southernute-nsn.gov/history/.
Potter, James M. "Ute History and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe." Colorado Encyclopedia, https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/ute-history-and-ute-mountain-ute-tribe. Accessed 3 October 2022.
Sanford, Donna, and Mariel Rodriguez-McGill. Colorado Experience: The Original Coloradans. YouTube, Rocky Mountain PBS & History Colorado, 14 June 2013, https://youtu.be/lWLdijamdcQ. Accessed 24 Oct. 2022.
Encyclopedia Staff. "Colorado Gold Rush." Colorado Encyclopedia, https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/colorado-gold-rush. Accessed 28 September 2022.
Poley, Horace Swartley. Mounted Utes Coming down the Trail. Denver, 1912.
Poley, Horace Swartley. Panning Gold. Denver, 1905.
Reed, H W. Gregory Gulch. Denver, 1879.
Wakely, George D. Black Hawk, Colorado. Denver, 1864.
Case, Francis M. Map of Colorado Territory, Compiled from Government Maps; Actual Surveys, Made in 1861. Denver, 1861.
Magruder. Ute Tribe Colorado Springs Carnival. Denver, 1912.
Studio, Brady. Indians, Ute, Government Relations, Delegations. Denver, 1868.
Development
9 News Denver . “Remembering the History of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad.” 9 News Denver . “Remembering the History of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad.” YouTube, YouTube, 28 July 2019.
API Creative Media . “Denver - History of the Railroad and the Denver Union Stockyards Charles Albi.” YouTube, YouTube, 2 Jan. 2014,
Bird , Isabella. “Rocky Mountain National Park: A History (Chapter 1).” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Borowsky, Larry. “Denver's Immigrant Legacy: University of Denver Magazine.” Archive, 1 Dec. 2006, https://magazine-archive.du.edu/current-issue/denvers-immigrant-legacy/.
Buckwalter, Harry H. Union Pacific, Denver & Gulf Exterior of "The Colorado" Car. Denver, https://digital.denverlibrary.org/digital/collection/p15330coll21/id/3416/.
Byers, William N. “Joel Estes Portrait .” Reporter Herald , 15 Sept. 2018, https://www.reporterherald.com/wp-content/uploads/migration/2018/0915/20180915_16rhkj-3.jpg?w=620.
Colorado Virtual Library. “Robert Speer, Denver's ‘City Beautiful’ Mayor.” Colorado Virtual Library, 7 Sept. 2022, https://www.coloradovirtuallibrary.org/digital-colorado/colorado-histories/20th-century/robert-speer-denvers-city-beautiful-mayor/.
“Denver and Rio Grande Railroad .” Boulder Library, Boulder, 1888, https://localhistory.boulderlibrary.org/islandora/object/islandora%3A59696.
“The Histories of Estes & Rocky Mountain National Park.” Rams Horn Village Resort, 24 Sept. 2020.
“History & Culture - Rocky Mountain National Park .” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Lynch , Nancy. “Railroads: A Brief History of the Railroad in Northern Colorado.” Greeley Museums, 5 June 2009.
Kennedy, Anna. “Immigration to Denver, 1920–Present.” Articles | Colorado Encyclopedia, 8 Feb. 2021, https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/immigration-denver-1920%E2%80%93present.
McClure, Louis Charles. “New Stanley Hotel, Estes Park .” Denver Public Library , Denver , 1909, https://digital.denverlibrary.org/digital/collection/p15330coll22/id/739/.
Rhoads, Harry Mellon. “Denver Mayor Robert W. Speer, c.1904-18 (b/w photo).” Denver Public Library, Denver, 1975.
Unknown. “Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad, Steam Locomotive, 278.” Ingenium Digital Archives, Gunnison, Colorado, 19 July 1951.
Modern Denver
“Did You Know? Quick Facts about Boulder, Colorado.” Boulder Economic Council, 13 May 2021, https://bouldereconomiccouncil.org/living-boulder/know/#:~:text=Eighteen%20NASA%20astronauts%20are%20graduates,a%20major%20college%20football%20stadium.
Encyclopedia, Colorado. “State Facts.” Colorado Encyclopedia, https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/things/state-facts.
Hughes, Jessica. “Blog.” Free Colorado Travel Guide Vacations Travel and Tourism, 22 Oct. 2021, https://www.uncovercolorado.com/fun-facts-about-colorado/.
Yongli. “Front Range.” Articles | Colorado Encyclopedia, 23 Jan. 2017, https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/front-range.
“The 1965 Denver Broncos.” Denver Broncos History, http://history.denverbroncos.com/2016/10/the-1965-denver-broncos/.
Buderus, Keith. “Know Your Rapids History: 1996-2006.” Burgundy Wave, Burgundy Wave, 5 Mar. 2017, https://www.burgundywave.com/2017/3/5/14746594/know-your-rapids-history-1996-2006-colorado-rapids.
Dater, Adrian. “Western Conference Champs! Avalanche Going to Stanley Cup Final.” Colorado Hockey Now, 11 June 2022, https://coloradohockeynow.com/2022/06/07/western-conference-champs-colorado-avalanche-going-to-cup-finals/.
Frosch, Dan, and Timothy Williams. “Colorado Towns Are Left Stranded in Deadly Floods.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 13 Sept. 2013, https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/13/us/colorado-towns-are-left-stranded-in-deadly-floods.html.
Juskewycz, Nick. “Ranking the Best Jersey Designs in Denver Nuggets History.” Bleacher Report, Bleacher Report, 19 Aug. 2017, https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1747399-ranking-the-best-jersey-designs-in-denver-nuggets-history.
“List of Colorado Wildfires.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 16 Oct. 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Colorado_wildfires.
McGuire, // by Patrick, and About Patrick McGuirePatrick McGuire is a freelance writer and musician living in the mountain west. “Blog.” Free Colorado Travel Guide Vacations Travel and Tourism, 5 Apr. 2021, https://www.uncovercolorado.com/important-colorado-history-events/.
Minor, Nathaniel. “RTD's Light Rail Meltdown Today Took Some Riders by Surprise. Here's How to Avoid That next Time.” Colorado Public Radio, Colorado Public Radio, 17 Sept. 2019, https://www.cpr.org/2019/09/11/rtds-light-rail-meltdown-today-took-some-riders-by-surprise-heres-how-to-avoid-that-next-time/.
Minor, Nathaniel. “Sculptor behind Denver's Beloved Blue Bear Dies at 60.” Colorado Public Radio, Colorado Public Radio, 17 Sept. 2019, https://www.cpr.org/2017/10/06/sculptor-behind-denvers-beloved-blue-bear-dies-at-60/.
“Timeline of Colorado History.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 9 Nov. 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Colorado_history.
Wertz, Joe, and Veronica Penney. “We Now Know Lightning Didn't Spark the Marshall Fire, but Not Much Else Is Publicly Known about the Investigation.” Colorado Public Radio, Colorado Public Radio, 28 Jan. 2022, https://www.cpr.org/2022/01/26/marshall-county-cause-investigation-boulder-county/.
Wolf, Stephanie. “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Blucifer, the Demon Horse of DIA.” Colorado Public Radio, Colorado Public Radio, 11 Feb. 2021, https://www.cpr.org/2019/11/04/everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-blucifer-the-demon-horse-of-dia/.
5280, Burger Bar. The Ten Best Locally Owned Burger Bars in Denver, Denver, 21 Nov. 2020, https://www.westword.com/restaurants/best-denver-local-burger-bars-2020-11389861. Accessed 27 Nov. 2022.
Yingling, Noah. “This Day in Rockies' History: Denver Finally Gets Their Wish for a Team.” Rox Pile, FanSided, 5 July 2017, https://roxpile.com/2017/07/05/day-rockies-history-denver-gets-wish/.
