Lookout Mountain Park
Encyclopedia
Lookout Mountain Park is a Denver Mountain Park
located around 20 miles (32.2 km) west of downtown Denver overlooking Golden, Colorado
. It consists of 65.7 acres (265,878.7 m²) of evergreen wilderness atop Lookout Mountain, named for its being a favored lookout point of the native Ute
Indian tribe. Lookout Mountain Park is the burial site of the internationally famous western frontiersman William Frederick "Buffalo Bill
" Cody, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
in Jefferson County west of Denver, Lookout Mountain was chosen for the honor. Plans were commissioned from famed architect Frederick Law Olmsted
, the designer of Central Park
in New York City
, to create a naturalistic resort park for the area public to enjoy. Although the area for the original Lookout Mountain Park, as it became commonly known, was acquired by the syndicate, little manmade construction took place since finances were stymied by the Silver Crash of 1893. After languishing due to this and the deaths of its aging stockholders, Lookout Mountain Park was acquired by businessman Rees Vidler, who constructed a funicular
incline railway to the top along with other attractions.
system, Lookout Mountain was quickly eyed by the city, whose efforts were led by Mayor Robert W. Speer who earlier sat on the board of Lookout Mountain Park during the early efforts. In 1917 a portion of what earlier was Lookout Mountain Park was acquired by Denver, which became the new Lookout Mountain Park for Denver. After existing briefly side by side, the bankrupt remaining original park passed by the wayside and Denver's park has been popularly known as Lookout Mountain Park. Since then much of the area of the original park has been reacquired for park purposes as part of Jefferson County Open Space.
, a large and rustic wooden lodge designed by Edwin H. Moorman, housing the Buffalo Bill Museum
. Today the museum continues to every day host visitors from around the world, a testament to Buffalo Bill's global appeal even a century after his Wild West exhibition last performed.
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Denver Mountain Parks
The Denver Mountain Parks system contains more than 14,000 acres of parklands in the mountains and foothills of Jefferson, Clear Creek, Douglas,and Grand counties in Colorado, west and south of Denver....
located around 20 miles (32.2 km) west of downtown Denver overlooking Golden, Colorado
Golden, Colorado
The City of Golden is a home rule municipality that is the county seat of Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. Golden lies along Clear Creek at the edge of the foothills of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. Founded during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush on 16 June 1859, the mining camp was...
. It consists of 65.7 acres (265,878.7 m²) of evergreen wilderness atop Lookout Mountain, named for its being a favored lookout point of the native Ute
Ute Tribe
The Ute are an American Indian people now living primarily in Utah and Colorado. There are three Ute tribal reservations: Uintah-Ouray in northeastern Utah ; Southern Ute in Colorado ; and Ute Mountain which primarily lies in Colorado, but extends to Utah and New Mexico . The name of the state of...
Indian tribe. Lookout Mountain Park is the burial site of the internationally famous western frontiersman William Frederick "Buffalo Bill
Buffalo Bill
William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody was a United States soldier, bison hunter and showman. He was born in the Iowa Territory , in LeClaire but lived several years in Canada before his family moved to the Kansas Territory. Buffalo Bill received the Medal of Honor in 1872 for service to the US...
" Cody, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Early history
In 1889 a group of prominent area businessmen and residents proposed the idea of creating a mountain park as a getaway point for people from the urban city. After a lively competition between Lookout Mountain and Eden ParkDedisse Park
Dedisse Park is a Denver Mountain Park located in Jefferson County, Colorado, USA. It was originally the scenic mountain ranch of 1860s pioneer Julius C. Dedisse; this of land was purchased by the City & County of Denver in 1919...
in Jefferson County west of Denver, Lookout Mountain was chosen for the honor. Plans were commissioned from famed architect Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted
Frederick Law Olmsted was an American journalist, social critic, public administrator, and landscape designer. He is popularly considered to be the father of American landscape architecture, although many scholars have bestowed that title upon Andrew Jackson Downing...
, the designer of Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, to create a naturalistic resort park for the area public to enjoy. Although the area for the original Lookout Mountain Park, as it became commonly known, was acquired by the syndicate, little manmade construction took place since finances were stymied by the Silver Crash of 1893. After languishing due to this and the deaths of its aging stockholders, Lookout Mountain Park was acquired by businessman Rees Vidler, who constructed a funicular
Funicular
A funicular, also known as an inclined plane or cliff railway, is a cable railway in which a cable attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles on rails moves them up and down a steep slope; the ascending and descending vehicles counterbalance each other.-Operation:The basic principle of funicular...
incline railway to the top along with other attractions.
Denver's Park
With the advent of the Denver Mountain ParksDenver Mountain Parks
The Denver Mountain Parks system contains more than 14,000 acres of parklands in the mountains and foothills of Jefferson, Clear Creek, Douglas,and Grand counties in Colorado, west and south of Denver....
system, Lookout Mountain was quickly eyed by the city, whose efforts were led by Mayor Robert W. Speer who earlier sat on the board of Lookout Mountain Park during the early efforts. In 1917 a portion of what earlier was Lookout Mountain Park was acquired by Denver, which became the new Lookout Mountain Park for Denver. After existing briefly side by side, the bankrupt remaining original park passed by the wayside and Denver's park has been popularly known as Lookout Mountain Park. Since then much of the area of the original park has been reacquired for park purposes as part of Jefferson County Open Space.
Buffalo Bill
"Buffalo Bill" Cody, who spent his final years living in Denver, was buried at Lookout Mountain Park on June 3, 1917. It is disputed whether Cody was buried here by his own request or by coercion, and it is not know if the exact site was chosen by his sister. In 1921 the gravesite was joined by Pahaska TepeePahaska Tepee
Pahaska Tepee is William "Buffalo Bill" Cody’s old hunting lodge and hotel in the U.S. state of Wyoming. It is located 50 miles west of the town of Cody and two miles from the east entrance to Yellowstone National Park. Cody built Pahaska Tepee to accommodate tourists traveling up the Cody Road...
, a large and rustic wooden lodge designed by Edwin H. Moorman, housing the Buffalo Bill Museum
Buffalo Bill Museum
The Buffalo Bill Museum, located in LeClaire, Iowa, is focused on life along the Mississippi River and local history.One exhibit is the Lone Star, a wooden, paddlewheel steam-powered towboat that is housed in a special pier...
. Today the museum continues to every day host visitors from around the world, a testament to Buffalo Bill's global appeal even a century after his Wild West exhibition last performed.
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Jefferson County, ColoradoNational Register of Historic Places listings in Jefferson County, ColoradoThis is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Jefferson County, Colorado.It is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Jefferson County, Colorado, United States...
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