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History of Lookout Mountain
Antenna Tower Land
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The public assumption that houses were built after the towers is incorrect. Lookout Mountain
was one of the most platted and developed mountain areas of Jefferson County long before
broadcast television arrived in the 1950s. The extraordinary views of the eastern plains and
Rocky Mountains from the east summit of Lookout Mountain was savored by Native Americans
for centuries, long before the Colorado gold rush of 1859.
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The first white settlers built the Rockland School
(JeffCo District 13) in 1873 and the historic
Rockland Church in 1880. Lookout Mountain
was a tourist attraction as early as 1890
when visitors rode up the Apex Trail (from
today’s Heritage Square) and Windy Saddle
Trail up from Golden. Mount Vernon Canyon
Road (today’s I-70) was not reliable as winter
and summer storms washed the road out often.
Many developers dreamed of capitalizing on the
extraordinary views. Colorado pioneer W. A. H.
Tabor and other investors hired New York City
Central Park designer Frederick Law Olmsted,
Sr. to design the “City on the Hill” in 1889.
Olmsted planned roads that respected natural
topography. Cedar Lake Reservoir at the east
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1890 Denver Lookout Mountain Resort Map |
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summit would provide water for the development. On January 18, 1890, investors offered $120,000 in stock
options to build the “Denver-Lookout Mountain Resort” on 2,390 acres. The plan called for a hotel (above Cedar
Lake Reservoir, where most of the antenna towers were erected), summer cabins, and trails through native
flora and fauna. A promotional bon fire “on the hill” in February, 1890 promoted “ Denver’s greatest attraction.”
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Lookout Mountain Park Funicular Railroad
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A “funicular” railroad line was planned to rise from
Golden to Lookout (where the Tribune Channel 2
tower now stands, east of Buffalo Bill’s Grave). The
development was again boosted in 1893 by the
Denver Real Estate Exchange as a “resort that
would attract tourists and summer home ownes
from
throughout the nation.” Inability to develop
a water supply, unreliable roads, and the crash of
silver
caused this and other mountain developments
to be
placed on hold. |
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1895 Photo of Buffalo Bill |
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Buffalo Bill Museum Exhibit |
Legend says that William “Buffalo Bill” Cody and
entrepreneur John Brisben Walker rode horseback
often on Lookout Mountain, to gain inspiration at the
east summit 360-degree view. The site of Buffalo Bill’s
Grave is said to have been selected by him as his
“most inspiring site in all the world.” |
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Previous |
1 I 2 I 3 I 4 I 5 I 6 I 7 I 8 I 9 I 10 I 11 I 12 I 13 I 14 I 15 I 16 I 17 |
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