History Colorado

Denver Public Library, Special Collections and Archives

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. 

In the days of segregation, an all-Black YWCA was established for Denver: the Phyllis Wheatley branch in the Five Points neighborhood. For over fifty years the branch provided much-needed services like a residence hall, girls’ clubs, an employment bureau and art and recreation classes. In 1964, the Wheatley branch was the last segregated YWCA to close its doors.

Both a railroad and water tunnel, the Moffat Tunnel linked Denver to western Colorado through the Continental Divide. Named for Colorado railroader David Moffat, the tunnel follows the right-of-way Moffat laid out in 1902 when he was seeking a shorter route from Denver to Salt Lake City. The first railroad cars passed through in the spring of 1928. The water and rail tunnels run parallel to each other, with the water tunnel still delivering part of Denver's water supply. And the railroad still passes Lincoln Hills every day.

Photograph, Moffat Tunnel

Photograph, Moffat Tunnel & Pioneer Zephyr

Lincoln Hills - Camp Nizhoni

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.

Early History - Entrepreneurs

Early History - Political Leaders

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.

Early History - Buffalo Soldiers

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

Early History - Mountain Men

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

Early History - Cowboys

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.


Lincoln Hills

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.


Lincoln Hills - Camp Nizhoni Album

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.

Explore Denver in the 1920s

Explore the development of civil rights throughout Colorado and the United States of America.

Civil Rights Timeline

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


Lincoln Hills - Wink's Lodge

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.


Resource Kits

Object Library

Museums

Early African American History in Colorado

Lincoln Hills - Camp Nizhoni

Background Knowledge