Denver Public Library, Western History and Genealogy

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History Colorado
Denver Public Library, Western History and Genealogy

Early African American History in Colorado

From exploring the Colorado territory to fighting discrimination, to expanding voting rights, African American people have had a long and active role in shaping Colorado's past and present.

Created by: History Colorado, Denver Public Library, Western History and Genealogy

Grade 3-8
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History Colorado

Civil Rights Timeline

Early African American History in Colorado
Explore the development of civil rights throughout Colorado and the United States of America.

Created by: History Colorado

Grade 3-8
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History Colorado

Lincoln Hills - Camp Nizhoni Album

Early African American History in Colorado
Thanks to the all-Black Phyllis Wheatley branch of the YWCA and the vision of the Lincoln Hills Development Corporation, the YWCA established Camp Nizhoni at Lincoln Hills. The name comes from the Navajo word for “beautiful.” Segregation kept African American women and girls from attending the nearby YWCA girls’ camp at Lookout Mountain. So every summer, up to fifty girls went to Camp Nizhoni to hike, swim and learn outdoor skills. After 18 years in operation, Camp Nizhoni closed in 1945 with the integration of Camp Lookout.

Created by: History Colorado

Grade 3-8
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History Colorado

Lincoln Hills - Wink's Lodge

Early African American History in Colorado
In the early 1920s, Denver entrepreneur Obrey Wendell Hamlet, known as “Wink,” set out to build a resort in Lincoln Hills. He and first wife Naomi broke ground on a three-story, six-bedroom lodge in 1925 and finished it three years later. They officially named it Wink's Panorama, but everyone knew it as Wink's Lodge. Wink's Lodge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980

Created by: History Colorado

Grade 3-8
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History Colorado

Lincoln Hills

Early African American History in Colorado
Opened in 1922 by Black entrepreneurs from Denver’s Five Points neighborhood, Lincoln Hills was an oasis in a segregated society—the biggest resort west of the Mississippi built BY and FOR African Americans. People from across the country came to Lincoln Hills to camp, stay in Wink’s Lodge, or buy a lot and build a cabin.

Created by: History Colorado

Grade 3-8
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History Colorado

Explore Denver in the 1920s

Early African American History in Colorado
There were no formal Jim Crow laws in Denver, home to Colorado’s largest African American community. But Black citizens still faced widespread discrimination in the early twentieth century. Denver’s Five Points neighborhood created a sense of community when people had trouble finding housing except in limited areas, were largely confined to low-paying jobs, and met with segregation in schools, parks, and other public places. CLICK ON THE STARTS TO EXPLORE DENVER IN THE 1920s.

Created by: History Colorado

Grade 3-8
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History Colorado

Lincoln Hills - Camp Nizhoni

Early African American History in Colorado
Camp Nizhoni was founded in 1924 in response to the segregationist policies of the time, which prevented African American girls from attending the same YWCA camps as white children.

Created by: History Colorado

Grade 3-8
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History Colorado

Early History - Political Leaders

Early African American History in Colorado

Created by: History Colorado

Grade 3-8
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History Colorado

Early History - Cowboys

Early African American History in Colorado
African American Cowboy, c. 1900, possibly taken around Leadville, Colorado.

Created by: History Colorado

Grade 3-8
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History Colorado

Early History - Buffalo Soldiers

Early African American History in Colorado
10th Cavalry soldiers in uniform at Fort Washakie, Wyoming. More than 180,000 African Americans fought for the Union Army in the Civil War. Of them, more than 33,000 died. War’s end left the future of the Army’s African Americans in doubt.

Created by: History Colorado

Grade 3-8
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History Colorado

Early History - Entrepreneurs

Early African American History in Colorado
Colorado has a long, rich history of African American owned businesses and enterprise. This history is best exhibited in communities such as Denver’s Five Points. Five Points became a central point for African Americans moving to Denver in the 1920s.

Created by: History Colorado

Grade 3-8
Activity
History Colorado

Early History - Mountain Men

Early African American History in Colorado
The early trappers and fur traders, who came to be known in the West as Mountain Men, were the pioneer explorers of Colorado.

Created by: History Colorado

Grade 3-8
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