Denver's Mountain Playground: the Denver

Denver's Mountain Playground: the Denver

DENVER’S MOUNTAIN PLAYGROUND: THE DENVER MOUNTAIN PARKS, THE CITY BEAUTIFUL, AND THE RISE OF MODERN WILDERNESS RECREATION IN COLORADO, 1900-1940 by WENDY REX-ATZET B.A., University of Utah, 1990 M.A., San Diego State University, 1999 A thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Colorado in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of History 2011 This thesis entitled: Denver’s Mountain Playground: The Denver Mountain Parks, the City Beautiful, and the Rise of Modern Wilderness Recreation in Colorado, 1900-1940 written by Wendy Rex-Atzet has been approved for the Department of History __________________________________ Peter Boag, Committee Chair __________________________________ Marcia Yonemoto __________________________________ Virginia Anderson Date: May 5, 2011 The final copy of this thesis has been examined by the signatories, and we find that both the content and the form meet acceptable presentation standards of scholarly work in the above mentioned discipline. IRB protocol # 0107.44 iii Rex-Atzet, Wendy (Ph.D., History) Denver’s Mountain Playground: The Denver Mountain Parks, the City Beautiful, and the Rise of Modern Wilderness Recreation in Colorado, 1900-1940 Thesis directed by Professor Peter Boag ABSTRACT The history of the Denver Mountain Parks exposes the profound connections between city life and scenic preservation, outdoor recreation, and wilderness appreciation during the early twentieth century. By examining the cultural roots of Denver’s mountain parks this study links the conservation and preservation movements of the Progressive Era to specifically urban concerns. Denver’s history highlights the central role that urban reform, urban planning, and municipal politics played in shaping the scenic natural landscape parks of these years. Denver developed its mountain parks at a time of growing federal commitment to resource conservation and the national parks. In Denver, however, these trends were less significant in conceptualizing the mountain parks than the City Beautiful movement. In 1912 a coalition of Denver’s commercial interests persuaded voters to fund municipal development of extra-urban mountain parks. Building upon the popularity of exiting Mayor Robert Speer’s urban beautification program, these advocates extended City Beautiful thinking beyond the bounds of the city proper, applying urban park geographies and ideologies to justify the distant mountain parks and join them to the city. These ideas included the pursuit of tourism, thereby linking City Beautiful thought with the See America First idea and the coincident boom in national tourism. Denver commissioned a mountain park plan from Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., which provided a template for preserving vast tracts of essentially wild mountain land. Over time, however, iv Denver’s park planners moved away from Olmsted’s large tracts toward an urban geography of smaller parks. The city created a legal framework that extended its political power into the mountain hinterland, giving Denver the right to buy or condemn land outside its corporate limits, and to develop, police, and manage its mountain parks. Denver developed a range of attractions and amenities in the mountain parks including a game preserve, rustic lodges, and Buffalo Bill’s grave that connected the mountain landscapes with the popular symbolism of the frontier. These images were joined with a wealth of promotional literature that celebrated modernity, especially the technologies that paved the way for new forms of outdoor recreation in nature made accessible by road and car. v DEDICATION This work is dedicated to Jonathan, Ethan, and Madeline. With all my love and appreciation. vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am grateful to have been the beneficiary of generous assistance and guidance in the research and writing of this study. First I want to recognize the faculty of the History Department for their support of my work, and offer my sincere thanks for the excellent instruction and mentorship they have given throughout my studies at the University of Colorado. During my time in Boulder I was privileged to work with Peter Boag, Virginia Anderson, Marcia Yonemoto, Mark Pittenger, Fred Anderson, Susan Jones, Susan Johnson, Patricia Nelson Limerick, and Phil Deloria. All of these gifted scholars contributed to a rich and rewarding graduate experience. I owe a substantial debt of thanks to Joan Harms of the Denver Public Library Western History Department, who introduced me to the library’s newly opened collection on Denver’s historic parks, prompting the entire project. Joan and all of the research librarians at DPL offered me their gracious assistance as I conducted my research; their generosity and knowledge of the library’s holdings expanded the breadth and depth of my research immeasurably. I also wish to thank A.J. Tripp-Addison, superintendent of the Denver Mountain Parks Division, and Carolyn Etter, parks advocate and former Denver Parks and Recreation superintendent, for their interest in the project and the time they gave to answering my questions. Thanks are also due to Susie deDisse, who opened her home and generously shared with me her personal files on the history of the deDisse ranch. vii I have benefited greatly from funding that supported my work, and offer my thanks to the Colorado Mountain Club Foundation, which awarded a Neil B. Kendig Fellowship as I began the project, and the Boulder Historical Society, which awarded a Meier Fellowship for Local History. I am honored to be the recipient of financial support through the university’s Bernice Udick Graduate School Dissertation Completion Fellowship, Beverly Sears Graduate Research Grant, and Douglas A. Bean Memorial Fellowship. A number of colleagues, friends, and family gave their willing assistance as well. Diana DiStefano gave thoughtful commentary on the draft that helped me to clarify and strengthen my argument. Susan Cogan’s support and friendship was valuable beyond measure to my continued progress. Thanks to Carla Dean Rainone for her help in obtaining sources from distant libraries. Becky Muggli offered me her spare room, good food, and excellent company during many research trips back to Denver. My sister, Teresa Rex, shared her technical expertise in preparing the graphics and document files. My parents, Doug and Earlene Rex, gave their time and loving care to my children, allowing me countless quiet hours for work. My husband, Jonathan, has demonstrated unflagging faith in my work and remains, in so many ways, an inspiration to me. Our children, Ethan and Madeline, bless us every day with their energy, enthusiasm, and love. We walk the mountain trails together. viii CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................................................1 CHAPTER I. BREATHING SPACES: CITIES, PARKS, AND SCENIC NATURE IN NINETEENTH-CENTURY AMERICA ..........................................................17 II. BOOSTERS, BOSSES, AND THE POLITICS OF NATURE RECREATION IN THE PROGRESSIVE ERA: THE MOUNTAIN PARKS MOVEMENT IN DENVER, 1900-1912 .................................................68 III. PLAYGROUNDS OF NATURE: THE CITY BEAUTIFUL, SCENIC PRESERVATION, AND THE MOUNTAIN PARKS .......................................142 IV. BUILDING A RECREATIONAL EMPIRE: THE OLMSTED PLAN AND BEYOND, 1912-1939 ................................................................................197 V. SCENIC CAPITAL: ATTRACTIONS, IMAGE-MAKING, AND THE CREATION OF A MOUNTAIN TOURIST DESTINATION ...........................263 CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................330 BIBLIOGRAPHY KEY TO ABBREVIATIONS ..............................................................................343 PRIMARY SOURCES ........................................................................................344 SECONDARY SOURCES ..................................................................................347 APPENDIX A. MOUNTAIN PARKS DEVELOPMENT TIMELINE .......................................355 B. MOUNTAIN PARK FACTS ...............................................................................365 C. “COME OUT AND PLAY” ................................................................................368 ix LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE 1. John Brisben Walker’s Mountain Park Plan, 1910 .............................................111 2. Mountain Parks Committee Plan, 1912 ..............................................................126 3 Olmsted Plan for Denver Mountain Parks and Roads, Map No. 58 (1914) . ......205 4. Building Lookout Mountain Road, 1913 .............................................................209 5. Denver Mountain Parks, 1914 ............................................................................210 6. Denver Mountain Parks, 1918 ............................................................................211 7. Map of Proposed Denver National Park, showing Mt. Evans Drive from Bergen Park, 1918 ...............................................................................................215 8. Evergreen detail, Olmsted Plan, Map No. 58 .....................................................217 9. Red Rocks/Mt. Falcon detail, Olmsted Plan, Map No. 58 . .................................219 10. Completed Denver Mountain Parks System, 1972 .............................................222 11. The Dedisse Ranch

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