The city of Denver was born during the great "Pikes Peak or Bust" gold rush of 1859 when flakes of placer gold were found where the South Platte River meets Cherry Creek. With the discovery of more gold, Denver became a boomtown, and African American pioneers began to arrive in search of prosperity and a better future. Initially, Denver's African Americans lived scattered throughout the city and in the Cherry Creek area. By the late 1890s, most had relocated to the Five Points Neighborhood. Many worked in Denver during the week and farmed their homesteads in Dearfield on the weekends. They often spent their holidays at Winks Lodge and summers at Camp Nizhone.
Authors Ronald J. Stephens, Ph.D., and La Wanna M. Larson have drawn the images in this collection from the Black American West Museum and from local private collections. Stephens is professor of African and African American Studies at Metropolitan State College of Denver and author of the Arcadia title Idlewild: The Black Eden of Michigan. Larson is executive director and curator of the Black American West Museum, a member of the African American Advisory Committee of the Colorado Historical Society, and a recipient of the prestigious Preserve America Award for Heritage Trails and Tourism.