Colorado Experience

Founded in 1864 by Colorado Territorial Governor John Evans, the University of Denver is the oldest institute of higher education in Colorado. From Rufus “Potato” Clark and Henry August Buchtel to Woodstock West and the 2012 Presidential Debate on campus, discover the many colorful characters and milestones that have contributed to the university’s 150-year legacy.

Uncover the secrets of the United States Air Force Academy with a look at the significant events, landmarks and accomplishments over the last 60 years.

Before he was the World Heavyweight Champion and a cultural icon of the 1920s, William Harrison Dempsey spent his youth as a miner, cowboy, and farmhand in the Rocky Mountain region. Robust and powerful, Dempsey demonstrated a talent for fighting, and embarked on a career as professional boxer “Jack” Dempsey, the Manassa Mauler.

The Dustbowl was a dark time for many Coloradans. Between 1862 and 1934 the federal government granted 1.6 million homesteads to Americans under the Homesteading Act of 1862. This episode follows one family who moved west hoping to reap the benefits of the farming boom. Their luck changes as they find themselves in the middle of one of the largest environmental disasters to hit the plains.

In 1951 the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission announced the construction of the Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Plant in Arvada. The facility manufactured the plutonium “trigger” used in every nuclear weapon created in the United States. For the next several decades, Rocky Flats was a major stimulus to the local economy, but also a source of increasing controversy.

750,000 participants from 72 countries convened in Denver in the summer of 1993 for the World Youth Day Conference and a visit from the Pope. Organizers feared the gang activity of the notorious “ Summer of Violence” would scare away visitors, and yet for those five-and-a-half days, all violence ceased. This episode of Colorado Experiences examines this largest gathering in Colorado history.

What happened to the Puebloans of Mesa Verde and Crow Canyon? After settling in Colorado they abandoned their cliff dwellings, leaving behind a variety of archaeological treasures. Historians discuss the possibility that this move might have been due to a drought in the Southwest region. Discover the similarities in conditions and what the disappearance of water might mean for our state today.

Cheyenne Mountain, located south of Colorado Springs, served as the command center for the North American Aerospace Defense Command Center (NORAD) from 1966-2008. The bi-nation defense organization, currently stationed at Peterson Air Force Base, continually adapts to modern-day challenges, while simultaneously protecting the citizens of the United States and Canada.

The Smaldone brothers took control of Denver’s underworld in 1933, after then-crime boss Joe Roma’s body was found riddled with bullets in his home. They specialized in bootlegging, bookmaking, and gambling. To some, they were saints who took care of their community and provided food for poor families; to others, they were ruthless criminals.

What would lead approximately 675 volunteer soldiers to attack a peaceful settlement of Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians in southeastern Colorado Territory? On November 29, 1864, Colonel John Chivington led a group to do just that, resulting in the deaths of over one hundred men, women and children. This episode revisits the horrific events and uncovers the history 150 years later.

1968 was a pivotal year in American history: the Vietnam War hit its peak, Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated and riots shook the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. At home in Colorado, it marked the birth of the Chicano Movement. These pivotal times brought political activist Corky Gonzalez to the forefront as an early pioneer of equal rights for Mexican Americans.

Without the innovative thinking of Otto Mears, Southwest Colorado may still be a maze of dirt roads and windy passes. He was one of many Jewish Coloradans who left a mark on the state. From the philanthropists behind National Jewish Hospital for Consumptives, to the father of Denver theater, discover the achievements and advancements made by Colorado’s Jewish population.

In 1891, a lack of timber fuel threatened mining operations in Telluride. Cue L.L. Nunn. This Colorado pioneer financed Ames Hydroelectric Generating Plant, the first in the world to generate alternating current electric power for industrial application. Thanks to this, Telluride’s Gold King Mine remained open and hydroelectric plants soon popped up across the United States and the world.