Colorado Experience

Motivated by a bet in the late 1940s, two Swiss brothers on small wooden folding boats raced 57 miles down the Arkansas River through the Royal Gorge from Salida to Cañon City. The race would inspire what is now the oldest and longest whitewater festival in the United States. 2018 marks the 70th anniversary of the “First in Boating the Arkansas” whitewater festival, or FIBArk. Discover the adventurous evolution of the festival and how it has shaped whitewater sports across America and fortified a small town in central Colorado.

The history of Colorado may best be seen through the bottom of a beer mug. From quenching the thirst of Gold Rush miners in the 1800s to modern craft brews pouring $3 billion into Colorado’s economy, beer has either borne witness to or helped create some of the most interesting chapters in the state’s history. From stowaway Adolf Coors to craft brew revolutionist Charlie Papazian, meet the pioneers of this now booming industry. Cheers!

Check in to Denver's "Oasis of Elegance": The Brown Palace Hotel. As Denver's longest operating hotel, this "Palace" was an engineering marvel for its time and today serves as a time capsule in the heart of modern downtown Denver. Explore the halls that have hosted cultural icons and discover the secrets of this magnificent hotel that have enticed its guests since 1892.

The son of a tubercular mother and an alcoholic father, Ben Nighthorse Campbell persevered to become one of America’s most interesting leaders. From high school dropout to Olympic athlete… from artist to the United States Senator from Colorado… Ben has amassed a collection of identities, but none so important as the one he was ceremonially given by his father’s Northern Cheyenne tribe: Nighthorse. Ben Nighthorse Campbell has found success through fusing seemingly conflicting cultures, political beliefs, and artistic techniques – truly creating his own American identity.

In the late 1850s, prospects of gold lured miners to the intersection of the Platte River & Cherry Creek. It was here that Auraria, later to become “West Denver,” was born. Explore the origins of Denver through its oldest neighborhood and see how this culturally-rich community fought against urban renewal and for historic preservation — maintaining a true community that now hosts a thriving campus of opportunity.

Amid the coarse Colorado landscape and growing city, Denverites had the green mind to establish a botanic garden. The creation of today’s popular and flourishing Denver Botanic Gardens was a long, formidable journey during the mid-19th century that was only possible through local donations, gifts, volunteers, and dedicated individuals. Unearth the garden’s resilient story as an architectural, educational, and scientific pioneer.

It’s dog and handler versus sheep at The Meeker Classic Sheepdog Trials. What began as a strategy to bring commerce and people to the small town of Meeker in 1987 has become one of the world’s most renowned sheepdog competitions. Set in the beautiful White River Valley of Northwestern Colorado, witness the story of a small Western becoming an international destination.

Ride into the “bloody grass” battlefields of the Old West’s longest feud and witness the gunfights, court cases, and massacres that gave rise to the classic American contest of cowboy versus sheepman. For more than forty years Colorado sheep herders and cattlemen waged war over the rights to two of the most sought-after sources in the American West: water and land. The days of the “Sheep and Cattle Wars” came to an end with the Taylor Grazing Act of 1934 that became the law of the modern West that attempted to protect public lands by regulating their private uses and abuses.

In an era of segregation and Civil Rights protests, Fannie Mae Duncan brought world-class black entertainers to Colorado Springs. Her Cotton Club boasted high profile, top-tier acts of the day including Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Etta James. For nearly three decades it was one of a few bars, if not the only, catering to the black community. Her motto “Everybody Welcome” embraced a multi-ethnic staff and attracted a well-to-do white population eager to experience artists who were not permitted to perform elsewhere. Fannie Mae’s legacy of generosity, philanthropy, perseverance, and peaceful integration continues to inspire today.

Dreaming of a better life, many individuals were inspired to make the harsh trek westward at the turn of the 19th century without the assurance of home and family. The rise of boarding houses presented a solution to this insecurity while challenging social and cultural conventions of gender, race, and class. Discover how the adaptable nature of boarding houses like the Astor House, Hotel Jerome, and the Peck House allowed for their survival despite mining busts and the end of railroads.