Broomfield Depot Museum Speaker Series: "Putting Colorado on the Map: The 1859 Gold Rush"

Speaker: Wes Brown

In the spring of 1858, Colorado's Front Range area was uncharted territory, inhabited only by Native Americans. By the end of 1859, over 100,000 fortune seekers had thoroughly explored the Front Range from north of Pueblo to the Wyoming border. In their quest for gold, they left their footprints on the landscape, establishing dozens of settlements and blazing numerous trails. Wes Brown presents about Colorado's gold rush and how this important chapter of history influenced Colorado maps of today.

Wes Brown has been a map collector for 45 years, starting in college. His greatest interest is in mapping the western U.S., especially Colorado. He also loves early world and Chinese maps. He has published many papers and is actively involved in numerous map organizations.