Lookout Mountain has always been a desirable tourist destination. Prior to construction of the paved road, the means of getting there were limited to feet–either one’s own or a horse’s. This postcard shows some early commercial transport. It’s a small wagon, with only four occupants, but even so it took four horses to pull it up Lookout Mountain.
That card was postmarked 1907. Several things happened within the next few years that brought far more people to that area. In 1912, the City of Denver established the Denver Mountain Parks system, which included property on Lookout Mountain.
That same year (1912), a Lookout Mountain property owner built a funicular railway (also called an "incline" railway) to encourage tourists to visit the mountain top.
A year later (1913), Golden resident Bill Williams built the "Lariat Trail" road up Mount Zion and Lookout Mountain. Cars soon provided sharp competition to the railway, which went bankrupt within a few years.
The Lariat Loop (which includes the original Lariat Trail) was named a National Scenic Byway in 2009.
