"Before he was the World Heavyweight Champion and a cultural icon of 1920s, William Harrison Dempsey spent his youth as a miner, cowboy, and farmhand in the Rocky Mountain Region. A native of Manassa, Colorado, Dempsey was born to poor Mormon parents who traveled throughout Colorado and Utah looking for work wherever they could find it. Robust and powerful, Dempsey demonstrated a talent for fighting, and, with the guidance of his brother, Bernie,...

On a warm day in an otherwise blustery and cold January 1906, the first "Western Live Stock Show" opened in Denver under a circus tent. The event welcomed thousands of stockman from all across the American West to show-off their animals, trade stock and encourage a meatpacking center that rivaled those in Kansas City and Chicago. Discover how the Stock Show has grown into a state treasure and symbol of Colorado's deep agricultural roots.

Sometimes referred to as the "People's Constitution," the Colorado Constitution was ratified in 1876, earning Colorado the nickname "The Centennial State" . Since then, the Constitution has never been rewritten, but has been amended over 152 times. This fact has established the Colorado Constitution as one of the most easily amended state constitutions in the country. From it's early days as a tri-lingual document written in English, Spanish and German,...

Nestled between the Sangre de Cristo and San Juan Mountains, the scenic San Luis Valley holds a rich history for South-Central Colorado. Travel to San Luis, "Colorado's First Town," founded in 1851. Step inside the Valley's beautifully preserved 19 century churches. Explore agricultural legacies from La Vega, an expansive communal pasture land, to the People's Ditch, a man-made canal that holds the earliest adjudicated water rights in the state.

Hydro Power: In 1891, due to a lack of timber fuel and the challenge of steep mountain passes, all mining operations in Telluride were in danger of being shut down. Cue Lucien 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 historic milestone, Telluride's Gold King Mine remained open and hydroelectric plants...

In March, 1931, a winter blizzard took the lives of five children who were stranded inside a school bus. In this episode, descendants of the survivors share their family stories of the events that transpired over those fateful 33 hours. Discover the effects this terrible tragedy had on its survivors throughout their lifetimes, and the lessons still valued today throughout southeast Colorado and the nation.

The turn of the 20th century sparked a massive migration to American cities, leading to an increase in pollution, crime, and disease. Inspired by the beautiful modern urban aesthetic display in Chicago's World Fair in 1893, a City Beautiful Movement began to spread throughout the country. Denver's mayor, Robert Speer, sought to beautify the city's buildings, parks and community areas while simultaneously constructing a controversial.

"Crowning the summit of Brown's Bluff in the heart of Denver, the Colorado Capitol Building is among the great architectural treasures of the American West. As a living history museum and active seat of government, the Capitol provides a telling reflection of the people & politics that shaped Colorado amid interests as diverse as its landscape."--Container.