Did you know that money chain letters originated in Denver – and that Red Rocks Amphitheatre was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps?
Did you know that Winter Park lift tickets cost $1 in 1939 – and that "Black Sunday," one of the dust storms that blew through Colorado during the Dust Bowl, produced enough static electricity to power New York City?
All that and much more is highlighted in our new online exhibit, "Colorado in the 1930s," commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Stock Market Crash and the five-part series, "American Experience: The 1930s," starting Monday, October 26 at 8pm.
Check it out at rmpbs.org/thirties. We couldn't have done it without the help of History Colorado, which has graciously opened its archives to tell the Colorado story of life during the Great Depression. Seeing history come alive on our website – our
local history – has been nothing short of a thrill.
Volunteers from History Colorado and Rocky Mountain PBS spent countless hours poring through the archives, fact-checking, researching and compiling information.
These photos are just a taste of what they found:
A special thanks to RMPBS volunteer Sharon Lipsey for serving as our lead research editor. What a treat it's been to work with such a dedicated and talented individual! Thank you, Kathy Kuehl, for your input, as well.
From History Colorado, I am grateful to volunteer board chair Ed Ellis for coordinating the volunteer team's efforts – and to volunteers Jeanne Boudreau, Rae Wiseman, Rachel Weinberg, Ginger Reichert, Mary Ellen Miller and Aaron Marcus for your important contributions. A special thanks to JJ Rutherford, director of Education, for helping to facilitate the project, and to State Historian Bill Convery for your careful and exhaustive review of our content.
Thank you, all, for breathing so much life into this project. You've made it truly rewarding.
Now it's your turn, Colorado.
Check out the exhibit and share your thoughts and impressions. Do any of the photos or articles surprise you? Are there other items you'd like us to research? Have any stories to add?
-Elizabeth Mayer, Rocky Mountain PBS
