Early Transportation - Denver, CO
Posted by: 
Outspoken1
N 39° 45.063 W 104° 59.905
13S E 500135 N 4400126
A series of plaques as part of a walking tour of lower downtown (original) Denver
Waymark Code: WM3MKX
Location: Colorado, United States
Date Posted: 04/21/2008
Views: 37
This plaque is located on the side of the Denver Regional Transportation District (RTD) Building. The plaque reads:
Early Transportation
As Denver continued to grow in size and population, it became increasingly difficult to travel form one part of the city to another. Public transportation was introduced in 1871 when the Denver Horse Railroad Company built a horse car service from 7th and Larimer Streets to 27th and Champa. Eventually, these horse pulled trolleys provided service for much of the city. Some cars were even designed to carry the horse downhill after the slow uphill journey.
During this same period, several cable car companies were formed and eventually the city boasts one of the most complete cable systems of any city its size-one line, seven miles long, is believed to have been the longest single line in the world.
The 1890’s saw electric trolley cars replacing many of the cable car lines. By 1900 the various horse, cable, and electric railway companies were consolidated into the Denver City Tramway Company.
Railways within the city provided residents and tourists a way to get about town, taking them to parks, baseball games, and other attractions. The trolley promoted the growth of the outlying residential areas such as Englewood and Golden.
The 1950s was a drastic change in Denver’s transportation system, as buses replaced the trolleys. The bus system was operated privately by Denver Tramway Corporation until 1971, when its operations were acquired by the Regional Transportation District.