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Twentieth-Century
Colorado |
| Overview |
| Much changed during the first half of the 20th century in the
way Coloradoans lived, worked, and spent their leisure time. Comparing sets of photos from
the turn of the century and 1950 makes many of these changes obvious. By mid-century,
clothing styles, work places, the location of new houses, and modes of transportation were
vastly different. They also are noticeably modern, more like those of the present than
like those of the turn of the 20th century. In many respects, the historical evidence
for this topic constitutes a road map to modern times. Changes happened along the way.
They took place gradually, even though the pace of change was accelerating. |
| Food, Clothing, and Shelter |
| The most telling symbol of the eating habits of most
Coloradoans by 1950 was the tin can. For historical evidence of this, one need look no
farther than the interior photo of Stanley’s grocery store in Keota (See Work theme).
Store-bought processed food--packaged in boxes, in bottles, and, especially in metal
cans--were staples in both rural and urban kitchens. Of course, fresh produce still was
common during the summer, and women still preserved vegetables and fruit in glass jars.
But most food was processed food. The photos of the first half of the 20th century
document a series of revolutions in clothing styles, especially in women’s clothing.
Men’s wear changed more slowly. The styles of children’s clothing tended to
mimic those of adults.
In the larger cities, whole new neighborhoods appeared, mostly in what had been rural
countryside. Housing contractors laid out new subdivisions accessible only by city buses
or automobiles. Changes also took place in newer inner city neighborhoods, as brick houses
came within the range of working and middle-class families. |
| Families and Children and
Schools |
| Family life in 20th century Colorado reflected changes in the
larger society. As the state became more ethnically, socially, and culturally diverse, the
more varied were the experiences of Colorado families. The photographic evidence reflects
this diversity. By mid-century, children had more educational and recreational
opportunities than ever before, especially those living in urban areas. School
architecture and classrooms changed slowly. Three-story brick schoolhouses and seats lined
up in rows were common through the 1940s. However, even here change was accelerating, with
the new suburbs taking the lead. There new, one-story, sprawling school buildings had made
their appearance by the 1950s. |
| Work Places |
| The people of Colorado faced a series of economic challenges
in the 20th century. The outcome would greatly alter the kind of work they did, how they
did it, and where. The last mining bonanza, triggered in 1890 by the discovery of gold at
Cripple Creek, was over by 1920. Thereafter men who listed their occupation as
“miners” were mostly coal miners. Coal mining, centered in Boulder County and in
the Canon City and Trinidad-Walsenburg area, was an important industry in Colorado through
the 1930s. Farmers prospered during the early decades of the century, with farming
becoming increasingly mechanized. Steam engines and tractors pulling multiple plows turned
vast areas of the plains into wheat fields. By the 1920s, farmers, too, had come upon hard
times. The dust bowl conditions in eastern Colorado during the 1930s demonstrated the
folly of indiscriminately plowing up the grasslands. However, many new jobs were created
in the growing cities of Colorado, especially in manufacturing and food processing. These
jobs, too, were threatened by the Great Depression, which began in 1929 and lasted through
the 1930s. The recovery of the World War II and postwar years made work plentiful once
again. However, these new jobs were almost entirely located in cities, where
manufacturing, retailing, and services were the engines of economic growth. |
| Community Life |
| The things people did as members of communities also changed
during the first half of the 20th century. Special days celebrated by Colorado residents
reflected changes in the ethnic and cultural makeup of the society. However, much remained
the same. Religion continued to be important in people’s lives, with churches serving
as major community gathering places. People continued to celebrate traditional holidays
and to attend and participate in sporting events. Camping, hiking, and outdoor recreation
remained popular. Yet modern technology was rapidly altering the recreational as well as
the industrial landscape. Radio and movie theaters were successfully competing with band
concerts and dramatic performances. Auto racing rivaled horse racing in popularity. |
| Transportation |
| In Colorado, as elsewhere in the United States, modes of
transportation by 1950 had changed radically. The electric streetcars that dominated urban
public transit at the turn of the century had been largely replaced by gasoline-powered
busses. The few remaining trolleys were valued mainly as historical artifacts. The
interurban electric cars popular in 1910 had been replaced by busses. By 1950, autos, farm
and delivery trucks, and tractors had largely replaced horse-drawn vehicles in urban and
rural Colorado. Railroads, still a vital part of the nation’s interstate
transportation network in 1950, were being challenged by bus and trucking companies.
Airlines, still a novel transportation alternative in 1940, were becoming a major rival to
the railroads for business travel ten years later. |
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