109 Years Ago
The February 22, 1917 Colorado Transcript included the article "May Build Electric Line to Mountains."
The Denver Mountain Parks system had opened splendid mountain scenery, easily accessible by automobile. Of course, not everybody owned an automobile at that time, and the trolley lines didn't go into the mountains (the steep climbs presenting significant technical challenges).
The Mountain Parks advisory committee was in talks with the Tramway company (which ran Denver's trolley system) to see whether the difficulties could be overcome.
It is the hope of the committee that a trolly line may be built in order that the people of Denver who do not own automobiles may enjoy the parks which their money has paid for.... Many of our own residents have never even seen the park, because they cannot afford an automobile.
Colorado Transcript - February 22, 1917
The hoped-for trolly line into the mountains was never built. Over the next few years, automobile ownership became more and more common, thus making the Mountain Parks accessible to more people. In the interim, those who didn't own automobiles could pay a fare to ride in multi-seated touring cars.
Another alternative was the Lookout Mountain Funicular, which offered an exciting, scenic way to climb Lookout Mountain. Once at the top, visitors could enjoy the park on foot.
