Today marks a day of celebration not only for the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, but for the Denver business community: It’s the day that the first locomotive arrived in Denver in 1870 after years of hard work to connect the city to the rest of the nation.
And, as the Chamber celebrates its 150th anniversary, you’ve probably heard that the Chamber was founded in 1867 to bring the Union Pacific Railroad to Denver. That was no small task.
Just a few days after organizing, the Chamber, then known as the Denver Board of Trade, and the business community went full steam ahead to raise $500,000 in order to build 100 miles of rail bed on which Union Pacific would lay track. a canvassing committee of community leaders knocking on doors, $300,000 was raised in just three days.
Did you know $500,000 is worth $7,790,708 today? Compare Chamber facts from when we were founded in 1867 to how we work today.
When work started on the rail bed for the Denver Pacific Railroad on May 18, 1868, it signified what the Denver community can do when it comes together to support Denver’s economy. When the first train chugged into the station on June 15, 1870, it brought the promise of trade and transportation.
From the first locomotive in 1870 to Denver International Airport in 1995 and FastTracks in 2004, the Chamber and the Denver metro area business community have worked to keep transportation at the forefront to make our region competitive. How we move people and goods is key to our economic success.
That rail spur was our first call to action. What do you think our next “rail spur” challenge will be? Tell us in the comments.
Laura James is the marketing and communications coordinator for the Denver Metro Chamber.