Colorado Experience — Season 6

Sept 201827m

Quench your curiosity and learn how thirsty miners started a Liquid Gold Rush that began Colorado's journey to become the Beer State.

Oct 201827m

Dreaming of a better life, many individuals were inspired to make the harsh trek westward at the turn of the 19th century without the assurance of home and family. The rise of boarding houses presented a solution to this insecurity while challenging social and cultural conventions of gender, race, and class; and at one point housed one third of Americans. Discover how the adaptable nature of boarding houses like the Astor House, Hotel Jerome, and the Peck House allowed for their survival despite mining busts and the end of railroads.

Nov 201850m

Paddle through the buoyant history of FIBArk, the United States’ oldest and longest whitewater festival, and discover the adventurous evolution of whitewater sports and how they fortified a small town in central Colorado. Salida, Colorado is home to the birth of American kayaking and helped develop many whitewater sports including kayak slalom, river SUP (Stand Up Paddle Boarding) and more.

Nov 201851m

Fannie Mae Duncan brought the motto “Everybody Welcome” to true meaning at her Colorado Springs Cotton Club from 1948 to 1975, despite the volatile Civil Rights Movement of the day. The granddaughter of slaves and the daughter of tenant farmers, Fannie Mae stood for harmony and maintained the first racially integrated club in the city.

Dec 201827m

Ride into the "bloody grass" battlefields of the Old West's longest feud over grazing and water rights and witness the gunfights, court cases, and massacres that gave rise to the classic American contest of cowboy versus sheepman.

Jan 201927m

Wander through the extravagant halls of the Redstone Castle and meet the creator who forged an empire atop the remote and rugged Rocky Mountains.

Jan 201927m

Initially only a single building in the middle of a 30-acre plot of land near Cañon City, Colorado’s first prison was erected in 1868 before statehood. Colorado’s history of imprisonment has taken a turbulent journey through rebellions, riots, and escapes. The story of Old Max and its architectural journey tells the story of changing attitudes towards crime, justice and punishment.

Jan 201927m

Discover the rare and fragile "WIckiup" shelters that reveal the ways the Ute people lived and traveled across Colorado from prehistory to the present day.

Feb 201927m

Check in to Denver's longest operating hotel and discover why everyone, from Teddy Roosevelt to The Beetles, has been drawn to this "Oasis of Elegance."

Feb 201927m

It’s dog and handler versus sheep at The Meeker Classic Sheepdog Trials. What began as a strategy to bring commerce and people to the small town of Meeker in 1987 has become one of the world’s most renowned sheepdog competitions. Set in the beautiful White River Valley of Northwestern Colorado, witness the story of a small Western town becoming an international destination.

Apr 201939m

Unearth the resilient story of the Denver Botanic Gardens, a once struggling attraction that persevered through grassroots efforts to become an architectural, educational, and scientific pioneering institution.

Mar 201927m

In the late 1850s, prospects of gold lured miners to the intersection of the Platte River & Cherry Creek. It was here that Auraria, later to become “West Denver,” was born. Explore the origins of Denver through its oldest neighborhood and see how this culturally-rich community fought against urban renewal and is now home to several historic buildings and a thriving campus of opportunity.

Apr 201927m

The son of a tubercular mother and an alcoholic father, Ben Nighthorse Campbell persevered to become one of America’s most interesting leaders. From high school dropout to Olympic athlete… from artist to the United States Senator from Colorado… Ben has amassed a collection of identities, but none so important as the one he was ceremonially given by his father’s Northern Cheyenne tribe: Nighthorse.