Tour 15: A Confluence of Cultures: A Walking Tour of the Historic Auraria Neighborhood
Tour leader: Rebecca Hunt, University of Colorado Denver
For millennia, people have lived, worked, and learned at the confluence of Cherry Creek and the South Platte River. Paleoindians and, later, Cheyennes and Arapahos called this area home. In 1858, amidst the Pikes Peak gold rush, a new wave of people occupied this ground, dispossessing the natives, initiating the era of Euro-American settlement, and giving rise to the new city of Denver. As the city grew, Auraria became an industrial, working-class, and multi-ethnic neighborhood. The 1960s brought another wave of displacement as urban renewal claimed the neighborhood, transforming it into the urban campus now shared by the University of Colorado Denver, Metropolitan State University, and the Community College of Denver. Fortunately, many historic buildings remain as traces of the pre-1960s heritage, including churches and an entire block of 19th-century houses and commercial structures.
Please note: This tour involves walking a total of 1.5 miles over moderate terrain.
Limit 30 people. $20 members, $25 nonmembers