Denver, the capital of Colorado is sits on the high plains of the eastern base of the Rocky Mountains and was established after the gold rush of 1858. As they grew in confidence, the Denverites built a network of railroads that made their town the banking, minting, supply and processing center not only for Colorado, but for neighboring states. Between 1870, when the first railroads arrived, and 1890 Denver's population grew from 4,759 to 106,713. In a single generation, it became the second most populous city in the west.

 

Visually, Denver is noted for its predominance of single-family housing and its brick buildings. Due to its sunny climate, tourism has become one of the city’s economic mainstays. Major development in the 1990s of both housing and leisure facilities, means Denver is now booming. It is home to such notable institutions as the Denver Museum of Natural History, the Denver Public Library, the Colorado History Museum, the Denver Art Museum, and the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, as well as major league baseball, basketball, football, hockey, and soccer teams. Denver Then & Now demonstrates how this isolated city has grown into a thriving metropolis. With some spectacular photography from centuries past, as well as specially commissioned images of the city today, it is an invaluable chronicle of change.