The map on this page shows all communities in the US called "Denver". Photo credits: M.B. Berry; "courthouselover"; Billy Hathorn; me
In October 2002 I drove roundtrip between Denver CO and Columbus OH. I used backroads for much of the trip (primarily so I could photograph several current and historic endpoints of US highways) but I also went out of my way to see some towns called "Denver" in other states. These first photos are from Denver, Missouri:
me, Oct. 2002
I approached from Mound City (nw of St. Joseph) and very much enjoyed the drive: hilly and scenic. There were a few one-lane bridges on northbound highway 113 where the signs instructed me to yield to southbound traffic (had there been any). This is a country of rivers with distinctive names: Nishnabotna, Tarkio, Nodaway, Hundred-and-Two. Maryville (north of St. Joseph) is the seat of Nodaway County, and has a beautiful courthouse. Much of the drive from there to Denver was along state secondary routes, on which one can never quite know what to expect. Let's just say you don't want to be in a big hurry. Denver itself was very quiet when I was there, which I guess is what you would expect in a town of only 53 people. There was a post office; it was a modern but unremarkable building. Below is the sign on the side:
me, Oct. 2002
The next day I stopped in Denver, Illinois, which is maybe 10 miles south of Carthage. This place is even smaller than the one in MO. Below is the signage from northbound IL hwy. 94 (which I think may soon be renumbered IL 336 after the 4-laning is complete):
me, Oct. 2002
The sign in the background also points to the right, and says "Providence Primitive Baptist Church". If you take that right turn, you'll see the city limits sign after a mile:
me, Oct. 2002
The house behind the fire hydrant was big, old, and probably very pretty one hundred years ago. Unfortunately it was also about to collapse. And that was the most remarkable thing I observed during my five minutes in Denver, Illinois.
Denver, Indiana, was probably the liveliest town of the bunch. Certainly the largest, with a population of over 400. I went north from Logansport on highway 25, and used highway 16 to get to Denver. It was a very narrow road, which I doubt would even qualify for official highway status in most states.
me, Oct. 2002
I think I remember a pretty neat church building there. The post office occupied a storefront right on highway 16 (the main road through town):
me, Oct. 2002
Below is a close-up of the sign in the window:
me, Oct. 2002
Right across the street was "The Denver Hot Spot", which appeared to be the one store in town. And apparently they provide all kinds of services: the sign there said something to the effect of "Get a tan - get a pop - all in one spot!". After my visit, I continued east on highway 16. It was a pretty drive: in Stockdale, there's an old mill on the Eel River, and just down the road in Roann was a covered bridge.
In November 2000 I was in Denver, Pennsylvania. This place is roughly between Reading and Lancaster, just a ways north of Ephrata. It's right on the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-76), but you have to use the Reading exit to get there. Unfortunately I didn't poke around much there - it's a town of over 3000 people, so there are probably some interesting things to see. I only snapped this photo of the city limits sign:
me, Nov. 2000
I was surprised to learn of a town "way back east" (from my perspective) that was named for my western city. At least that's what this sign says; however the website for Denver Borough tells the story a little differently. (Thanks to D. Witman, a native of Denver PA, for that information. By the way, there are lots of other interesting town names in that part of Pennsylvania).
In Aug. 2005 I had a chance to see Denver, Iowa. Here are a few scenes from there:
me, Aug. 2005
The building in the background below was a nice new city hall and library:
me, Aug. 2005
I'm a fan of watertowers, but the only Denver where I've noticed one so far is the one in Iowa:
me, Aug. 2005
On my 2002 trip, I also intended to visit Denver, Ohio (which shows up on some maps a little ways south of Chillicothe). But I didn't have a map detailed enough to tell me which road to take, and there was no signage from US 23, so I missed it. It doesn't look like there would be much there - in fact it may be nothing more than just a railroad siding. But I'll try again if I ever have a chance. And I hope to visit other Denvers, too - there are several others besides the ones I've listed so far on this page (you can view a map here). Feel free to send me photos if you have any (email address at the bottom of this page). I haven't been to the Denvers below, but I found these photos on the web. First, Denver South Carolina:
Berry
The faded lettering along the top of that building reads "DENVER, S.C."
Next we have Denver City, Texas:
Hathorn
The circle on the left says "Denver Unit: Home of the World's Largest CO2 Flood" (as in carbon dioxide - maybe someone can email me and explain the significance of that). Below is the local newspaper building (Denver City Press):
Hathorn
Interesting architecture. Looks like this is another Denver that has a watertower:
"courthouselover"
The line underneath "Denver City" says "Mustangs & Fillies", which I assume must be the mascots for the boys and girls high school teams.
Page created 23 November 2002; last updated 05 October 2008. |