Tag Archive for: Colorado

The Frontier Drive-Inn sign, lit up at dusk. It reads 'In Movies We Trust.'

Drive-in Becomes drive-INN in San Luis Valley

When the first drive-in — the Camden Theater in Pennsauken, New Jersey — opened in 1933, movies with sound had only been around for six years. The popularity of these open-air cinemas spread slowly, but by the late 1950s there were more than 4,000 outdoor screens across the country. It was in this heyday that […]

A woman on a zip line in the woods laughing

Your Wish Granted

While it’s nice to dream about finding a genie in a magical lamp and getting three wishes, chances are that won’t ever happen in this reality. However, there are plenty of organizations donning a genie cap and making modest dreams come true. True, these institutions don’t create princedoms, provide flying carpets or make mountains of […]

Rows of musicians playing the bagpipes wearing kilts

Irish Immigrants Left an Indelible Impact on Colorado’s Culture

Ireland’s Great Famine, which lasted from 1845 to 1852, was a powerful driver of immigration. Although two million refugees made the long sea journey during that time, they were neither the first nor last. It’s estimated that since 1820, more than six million Irish people have emigrated to the United Staes. Though present in Colorado […]

The Lamb and the Flag pub

English and Irish Pubs Have Many Similarities to Western Saloons

From the archives: this post was originally published on December 14, 2021. People have been buying alcoholic drinks in England for more than a thousand years in taverns, ale houses, coaching inns, and grog shops – but what we think of today as a typical English pub didn’t happen until 1830. To counter distilled spirits […]

A line of soldiers snowshoe down a mountain in Camp Hale

Skis, Slopes and Spies: Colorado’s Camp Hale

America’s newest national monument has an intriguing history. On August 22, 2022, President Joe Biden designated 53,804 acres of National Forest Service lands in Eagle County as the  Camp Hale – Continental Divide National Monument. Much is written about the site’s history as a military training ground in World War II; the locale also was […]

A group photo of five outlaws, the Wild Gang

Colorado’s Outlaws

Some of the world’s worst criminals reside at Florence’s supermax penitentiary , the nation’s most secure federal prison, including Mexican drug lord El Chapo, Al-Qaida cofounder Mamdouh Mahmud Salim and FBI agent-turned spy Robert P. Hanssen. But the Centennial state has its homegrown ‘heroes,’ as well. Running from the law is a time-honored Colorado tradition, and […]