Research Guides: Colorado: History

Databases & Websites

Find Colorado and western history articles and primary sources through the Auraria Library's Database List, linked from the Library's home page. Browse the topic "History, United States," or search the list using such keywords as Western History.

Below are sample databases and websites strong in Colorado and the U.S. West information.

Denver Post Collection with Historical Archives This link opens in a new window
Full-text coverage (no images) of Denver's daily newspaper from June 1989 to
the present, and full-text plus image access from 1894-1989 through the Denver
Post Historical Archive. Current paper issues are available on the first floor.
Archival content from 1990 through the latest full year are available in
microform located on the second floor.

Colorado Historic Newspapers
The Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection (CHNC) currently includes digitized pages representing individual newspaper titles published in Colorado from 1859 to 1923. Due to copyright restrictions, CHNC does not generally include newspapers published after 1923.
Colorado Encyclopedia
Supplies information, primary resources, and Annotated Resources Sets on the Centennial State: Colorado.
Colorado Magazine
Browse issues of Colorado Magazine containing a total of 1300 articles. The content is of interest to both Colorado history scholars and aficionados, covering subjects ranging from art and archaeology to folk legends, regional history, and biography.
Western History Subject Index
Formerly known as the General Index, this Colorado/Western history resource indexes the Rocky Mountain News from 1865 to 1995 as well as other newspapers, journal and magazine articles, manuscript collections, and chapters from books in the Denver Public Library collections. This index was originally accessible only through print-format catalog cards in the Western History/Genealogy Department of the Denver Public Library. Each card has been digitized; results pull up images of the cards.

Rocky Mountain News This link opens in a new window
Colorado's oldest daily newspaper. Find full text content, in Newsbank's America's News collection excluding ads, from 1989 until the paper's demise in 2009.
See also Colorado Historic Newspaper Collection, with searchable digitized issues from 1860-1875.
See also:Western History Subject Index, A digitized card index allowing subject searching of issues from 1865 - 1995.
Rocky Mountain News content is available on Microfilm copies, on the Library's second floor, for all issues from 1878. Note: RMN began publication in 1859.
America: History and Life with Full Text This link opens in a new window
An index to journal articles, book reviews, and dissertations on North American historical topics from prehistory to the present. See Historical Abstracts for historical coverage beyond the US and Canada.
American West This link opens in a new window
Content, all related to the U.S. West, includes original manuscripts, ephemeral material (including trade cards, wanted posters, photos, claim certificates, news-sheets, etc.), maps, and rare printed works.

Library of Congress Digital Collections
Find maps, photos, digital music scores, presidential papers, and so much more in this amalgamation of historic documents, images and media related to U.S. History.
Overland Journeys:Travels in the West 1800-1880
Presents writings and images representing the arduous travels of an estimated half a million settlers who crossed the U.S. West on trails spanning the time of the earliest wagon trains to the building of the transcontinental railroad in 1869.
Japanese-American Relocation Camp Newspapers: Perspectives on Day-to-Day Life
California Digital Newspaper Collection
University of Colorado Boulder Digital Collection: The Sanborn Fire Insurance Map Collection
Contains digital versions of maps made by D.A. Sanborn insurance company of 79 cities in Colorado between the years of 1883 and 1922. The complete print collection covers 560 cities 1883-1937, and can be viewed by appointment.

Collections to Search or Visit

The collections below have in-house and online materials as well as expert assistance on topics related to Colorado and the U.S. West.

Denver Public Library's (DPL) Genealogy, African American, and Western History
DPL is home to a a premier collection of print and digital materials on western and Colorado history as well as knowledgeable and helpful librarians.
Colorado State Library
The State Publications Library provides Colorado residents with access to information produced by the state government as well as answering questions related to state information. Publications created by state agencies cover a wide variety of topics.
History Colorado - Stephen H. Hart Library
Search the Hart Library's catalog to discover the rich holdings of the library associated with Colorado's historical society, History Colorado.
Colorado State Archive
This is the state's repository of Colorado legal and historical records. Includes audiotapes of Colorado House and Senate debates, floor proceedings, House / Senate Committee Hearings, House / Senate standing and interim committee meetings.
Preservation Directory
Find links to thousands of North American historical societies, preservation organizations, museums, lodgings, and historic structures.
National Archives: Rocky Mountain Region.
This collection is part of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the Federal agency that, by law, preserves and provides access to permanently valuable, noncurrent Federal records with historical, legal, or fiscal value.
Mountain West Digital Library
A search portal for digital collections about the Mountain West region supplying free access to hundreds of thousands of resources from universities, colleges, public libraries, museums, historical societies, government agencies, counties, and municipalities in Utah, Nevada, and other parts of the U.S. West.
Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library
This is a branch of the Denver Public Library system. In addition to useful research materials, an array of exhibits and lectures are regularly offered.
Denver Art Museum Library Catalog
The Denver Art Museum Library is a specialized research resource for museum staff, volunteers, and visiting scholars. Non-staff may use materials in the library. Open to the public by appointment at 720-913-0100.
Special Collections & Digital Initiatives at Auraria Library
Located on the 2nd floor of the Auraria Library, Special Collections offers many resources of interest, including materials related to the Auraria campus, including campus buildings.
New Mexico Archives Online
New Mexico Archives Online provides access to finding aids for archival collections from 19 repositories across the state of New Mexico. The finding aids include information on the contents, historical context, creation, and organization of materials in the collections.

Historic Colorado Structures & Sites

Denver Landmarks and Historic Districts by Thomas J. Noel
Call Number: F784.D46 A2 1996
ISBN: 0870814273
Publication Date: 1996
eBook
Guide to Colorado Historic Places by Thomas J. Noel
Call Number: F777 .N65 2006
ISBN: 1565794931
Publication Date: 2007
eBook

Electronic Library of Colorado Architecture, Landscape, and Planning
Historic American Buildings Survey - Historic American Engineering Record - Historic American Landscapes Survey
Special Collections & Digital Initiatives at Auraria Library
Architects of Colorado
A Guide to Colorado’s Historic Architecture and Engineering. A brief guide to architectural styles, forms, and types for use by architectural surveyors.
National Register of Historic Places and the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties
Historic Denver's Guides and Publications
Denver Building History Tutorial
Neighborhood History Guides
University of Colorado Digital Library (CU DenverL)
more...less...
A collaborative project between the University of Colorado System and the 3 Auraria Campuses.

Historic Images of Colorado & The U.S West

Denver Public Library Digital Collections
An impressive, searchable collection of historic Colorado images provided by the Denver Public Library, History Colorado, the Auraria Library's Center for Colorado & the West, and the Denver Art Museum.
Library of Congress Digital Collections
Find maps, photos, digital music scores, presidential papers, and so much more in this amalgamation of historic documents, images and media related to U.S. History.
Museum of the Rockies Photo Archive Online
Photos from the Northern Rockies region of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming from the 1860's to the 1980's. These images document the people, places, industries, and events of the region.
The National Archives Catalog
The repository for materials created in the course of federal government business. Limit the search by 'type' or 'file format' to retrieve images.
University of Washington Digital Collections: Early Advertising of the West
Hundreds of print advertisements published in local magazines, city directories, and theater pamphlets from 1867 to 1918.
University of Washington Digital Collections
Features materials such as photographs, maps, newspapers, posters, reports and other media from the University of Washington Libraries with an emphasis on rare and unique materials.
Calisphere
More than 150,000 digitized primary materials contributed by libraries, archives, and museums from all over California.
Pikes Peak Library District
These libraries collect images depicting Colorado Springs, the Pikes Peak region, Colorado, the Rocky Mountain West and the Southwest.