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KUNC's In The NOCO is a daily look at the stories, news, people and issues important to you. It's a window to the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The show explores the big stories of the day, bringing context and insight to issues that matter. And because life in Northern Colorado is a balance of work and play, we explore the lighter side of news, highlighting what makes this state such an incredible place to live.
From KUNC and the NPR Network, this is In the NOCO. I'm Erin O'Toole. Summer heat in Colorado has many people dreaming about escaping to the cool air of the mountains. But for black Americans in the nineteen twenties and thirties, segregation and discrimination severely restricted where they could travel and take a vacation, which is why in 1922, Lincoln Hills emerged as a mountain resort created by and for African Americans. It sits near Rollinsville, Northwest of Denver, and was the largest such resort West Of The Mississippi River.
Speaker 1:It drew visitors from all over the country until the nineteen sixties, and it offered a rare opportunity for black Americans to feel safe and welcome in the outdoors.
Speaker 2:Lincoln Hills was tucked into a valley along the South Boulder Creek. Days were filled with people hiking and and fishing in the creek and swimming. A lot of family reunions happened there over picnics and meals.
Speaker 1:That's Akoma Gaither, assistant curator of black history at History Colorado in Denver, which recently unveiled a new exhibit about Lincoln Hills. She joined me to talk about what made Lincoln Hills important.
Speaker 2:Families could purchase lots for 50 to a $100, which seems like a a real big steal nowadays.
Speaker 1:Nowadays. I'm sure in prices back then, it was
Speaker 2:Yes. Yes. Comparable. Yes.
Speaker 1:And so would people build cabins on those lots?
Speaker 2:Yeah. Some families built cabins, some would just pitch tents, and, yeah, some people would just come there to relax with other families and kind of get away from the bustle of city life. And I should mention that it wasn't just black Coloradans that went there, there were black families from all over the country that came to Lincoln Hills.
Speaker 1:Lincoln Hills was created in the early nineteen twenties during the time of segregation, Jim Crow laws, sundown towns, the Ku Klux Klan had a very strong presence in Colorado at that time. How did Lincoln Hills manage to exist kind of outside of that environment?
Speaker 2:You know, when we think about segregation, a lot of people think about water fountains or buses and lunch counters. But segregation really extended far beyond the built environment and into nature and and the great outdoors. So Colorado, they didn't have formal Jim Crow laws, but they had a lot of discriminatory policies, and just plain intimidation for black families in recreational spaces like public parks, and swimming pools, and campgrounds. Through my research, I was able to find meeting minutes from 1922, from NPS Park Superintendents meeting. And
Speaker 1:that's the National Park Service?
Speaker 2:National Park Service, yes. Where they said, in quote, we cannot openly discriminate against African Americans, but they should be told that the parks have no facilities for taking care of them. Wow. This was kind of a sentiment a lot of black families felt when going to recreate, even in Estes Park. So that's why the need for Lincoln Hills was so, you know, necessary.
Speaker 1:Lincoln Hills, as you mentioned, drew people from all over Colorado and all over the country. It also drew visitors that were some prominent African American writers, activists, musicians like Duke Ellington. I'm curious, were they there to perform or, you know, give talks? Or were they just there to relax and, you know, get some fresh mountain air?
Speaker 2:Yeah. You know, through my research and and speaking with people, I believe they were there to just relax. A lot of the jazz musicians that came there actually would perform in Denver at different jazz venues like the Russoian and Five Points. Yeah. And then, of course, they would make their way to Lincoln Hills to to relax.
Speaker 2:A lot of Harlem Renaissance writers came, like Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, County Cullen, and W. E. B. Du Bois came, and they would actually hold literary salons there during their visits. And, my gosh, I wish I could have visited during that time.
Speaker 1:Seriously. Yeah. Now the New History Colorado exhibit contains photographs and even some outfits that visitors would have worn. I'm wondering, Akoma, what is your favorite artifact in the exhibit and why?
Speaker 2:Oh, yes. I'm so glad that you mentioned the outfits. So I am a huge lover of early to mid twentieth century fashion, so putting together these mannequin outfits were it was an absolute joy. I looked through some of the photographs that were taken there, and that was kind of my roadmap to figuring out, you know, what did people wear. So I look through our collection to find a nineteen forties ensemble of Western outdoor wear, and that's that's pretty much one of my favorite things that's on display.
Speaker 1:Cool.
Speaker 2:And we also have a wooling a wool bathing suit that some of the girls at the camp would wear too that's also on display.
Speaker 1:Wow. Was that common to have bathing suits made of wool? Yes. Yes. Amazing.
Speaker 1:Seems a
Speaker 2:little cold, but
Speaker 1:I know. For some black families in Colorado, owning a property at Lincoln Hills was almost like a family heirloom. What did owning a cabin there represent for black individuals and families?
Speaker 2:Yeah. It was a powerful symbol of freedom and pride. You know, this was a time during rampant housing discrimination and redlining. Mhmm. So it was a symbol of legacy for black families in Colorado, and it also served as a multi generational space.
Speaker 2:So you had grandkids there, grandparents there, and really held this rich family history, you know, within the cabins. And I've heard from judge Gary Jackson, who still owns his great grandfather's cabin there,
Speaker 1:that,
Speaker 2:you know, it's a little slice of the American dream for his family.
Speaker 1:Lincoln Hill sort of petered out as a community in the nineteen sixties. What caused that?
Speaker 2:Yeah. So outdoor spaces gradually became more welcoming for black families through the sixties and seventies, and a big reason for that was the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which, banned discriminatory laws keeping African Americans from buying homes or enjoying public lands. This brought, you know, a new wave of visitorship for places that were barred for black families in the past.
Speaker 1:Akoma, how do you talk about the legacy of Lincoln Hills today?
Speaker 2:Yeah. So the legacy of Lincoln Hills is both a local Coloradan treasure, but also a part of the national story. And I think it really invites us to think about, you know, historically, who has access to leisure and land in the outdoors in America? And it really pushes you to think about equity in the outdoors today, like, who feels welcome in nature now, and who has access to land and heritage spaces like this one. I think it pushes us to think about a more inclusive outdoor future, so everybody can see themselves reflected in, you know, Colorado's mountains and and, you know, open skies and just the surrounding environment.
Speaker 1:Akoma Gaither is assistant curator of black history at History Colorado in Denver. The museum's new exhibit, Lincoln Hills Mountain Sanctuary, is now open. You can read more about Lincoln Hills in our show notes and at kunc.org. That's it today for In the NoCo. I'm Erin O'Toole.
Speaker 1:Thanks so much for listening.