Gateway to Lincoln Hills Lincoln Hills
Lincoln Hills
Denver’s proximity to the Rocky Mountains has meant easy escape to the mountains for a getaway to enjoy scenic vistas, relax and recharge. For Denver African Americans in the 1920s however, this was not an easy proposition, as although there were no Jim Crow laws in Colorado, there was still segregation. And the threat of the Ku Klux Klan was real; Denver was home to one of the largest chapters of the Ku Klux Klan (with some 17,000 members) at that time.
As has often been the case in history, where some saw problems, others saw opportunity. In 1922, Edwin Regnier and Robert Ewalt turned a mining claim into a vacation community. Since African Americans could not enjoy lodging or amenities at other Colorado resorts, the men helped bridge the gap by creating a land development company which sold mountain property to African Americans. The duo sold lots that ranged in price from $50-$100 (prices that would be unthinkable in today’s market), and owners built cabins or sometimes erected teepees on their lots. Cabins could then be rented or sold.
Situated 38 miles west of Denver, Lincoln Hills was the biggest resort west of the Mississippi built by and for African Americans. Both the Denver and Salt Lake railroads brought holidaymakers to the resort and the resort itself comprised some 100 acres on both sides of said railroads. From its inception it enjoyed immense popularity and soon people came from across the country to the famed resort. Coloradans of all backgrounds wrote letters celebrating the resort and encouraging others to patronize it. Memoirs from vacationers at that time recount the thrill of children who had known only city life and found joy in drinking fresh, cold spring water after playing in the crisp mountain air.
In its heyday, the club enjoyed great success, but two factors contributed to its decline and eventual demise. First, the Great Depression forced many to sell or abandon properties altogether. Second, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed racial discrimination and affluent African Americans soon began to join integrated clubs. Lincoln Hills closed in 1966.
The entire Lincoln Hills resort was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
Some other historic vacation resorts that catered to African Americans were Idlewild in Michigan and Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard, a resort frequented even today by luminaries such as the Obamas.
Historic Winks Lodge ~ Image Courtesy of Lincoln Hills Cares
Historic Winks Lodge ~ Image Courtesy of Lincoln Hills Cares
More resources about Lincoln Hills:
Lincoln Hills Archive Collection at Blair-Caldwell Library
Correspondence from the 1920s describing Lincoln Hills, photographs that date from the beginning of the resort and photographs taken in the autumn of 2000.
Memories Of Camp Nizhoni, By Frances Mozetta Currin
Frances Mozetta (Hale) Currin describes her experiences as a child aged 9-11 at Camp Nizhoni, a “YMCA mountain camp for African American girls during the 1930s.” The camp was located in the Lincoln Hills of Gilpin County, Colorado. Photographs used to illustrate the book, which include captions and identification numbers, are from the collections of Denver Public Library’s Western History & Genealogy Department.
Colorado Experience. 101, Lincoln Hills : A Shelter From The Storm
Lincoln Hills’ status as the only African-American resort west of the Mississippi river attracted many prominent black figures of the time, including Duke Ellington, Lena Horne, Langston Hughes, and more. Colorado Experience takes you through the rich history of this remarkable landmark through first-hand accounts from those who were there. DVD summary provided by ProQuest Syndetics.
Lincoln Hills Primary Resource Teaching Guide
Sources:
Black Past. (n.d). Lincoln Hills Country Club (1922-1966). Retrieved from http://www.blackpast.org/aaw/lincoln-hills-country-club-1922-1966
History Colorado. (n.d.). Lincoln Hills Escape From Racism. Retrieved from http://exhibits.historycolorado.org/lincolnhills/lincoln_home.html
Lincoln Hills Cares. (n.d.). A Proud Heritage. Retrieved from http://lincolnhillscares.org/history/
Martin, C. (2009). A Resort to Remember. The Denver Post. Retrieved from http://www.denverpost.com/2009/02/14/a-resort-to-remember/
Newsum, D. (n.d). Lincoln Hills and civil rights in Colorado. Retrieved from http://www.historycolorado.org/sites/default/files/files/Educators/lincoln_hills_primary_resource_set.pdf
Colorado Experience: Lincoln Hills
Video of Colorado Experience: Lincoln Hills
Blair-Caldwell AARL NewsAfrican American HistoryColoradoCivil RightsDenverPhoto Gallery:
‘Round and About Camp
From the collection of Marie Greenwood[between 1934 and 1935]
“Andy Family” First week
From the collection of Marie Greenwood1935
“Pat,” “Woody” and “Peggy,” Me, Mrs. Wilson
From the collection of Marie Greenwood1936, August
“Smitty” Eleanor Smith, “Hawky” Eleanor Hawkins, “Woody” Mary E. Wood
Full size imageFrom the collection of Marie Greenwood1932
1930 Camp staff and visitors. White shorts! Why, Woody!!
Full size imageFrom the collection of Marie Greenwood1930
A bit of God’s most majestic handiwork
Full size imageFrom the collection of Marie Greenwood1929
A good old water fight. You get wet whether you like it or not
Full size imageFrom the collection of Marie Greenwood1935
A lot of people are glad this little pavilion can’t talk
Full size imageFrom the collection of Marie Greenwood[between 1929 and 1931]
A souvenir shop at the fox farm
Full size imageFrom the collection of Marie Greenwood1929
A trip to the old mine
Full size imageFrom the collection of Marie Greenwood1928
A trip to the old tungsten mine
Full size imageFrom the collection of Marie Greenwood1936
Administration Building
Full size imageFrom the collection of Marie Greenwood1929 August 20-30
Ah! destination in sight-Rollinsville, at the end of the bend of the road It’s only 8 o’clock!
Full size imageFrom the collection of Marie Greenwood1932
Alberta Falls – near timberline
Full size imageFrom the collection of Marie Greenwood1929, August 20-30
And there they go-with our flowers
Full size imageFrom the collection of Marie Greenwood1934
Be sure to soap all over, brr-rr!
Full size imageFrom the collection of Marie Greenwood1932
Breakfast out of doors first week. Such hard workers!!!
Full size imageFrom the collection of Marie Greenwood1936
Camp 1937 Season
Full size imageFrom the collection of Marie Greenwood1937 June 27 to August 7
Camp 1937 Season
Full size imageFrom the collection of Marie Greenwood1937 June 27 to August 7
Camp Nizhoni
Full size imageFrom the collection of Marie Greenwood1932
Camp Nizhoni
Full size imageFrom the collection of Marie Greenwood1937
Camp Nizhoni
Full size imageFrom the collection of Marie Greenwood1937
Camp Nizhoni
Full size imageFrom the collection of Marie Greenwood1937
Dam at entrance of Big Thompson Canon
Full size imageFrom the collection of Marie Greenwood1929, August 20-30
Everybody’s happy except Marie. Musta been somethin’ she e’t
Full size imageFrom the collection of Marie Greenwood1932
Camp Nizhoni
Full size imageFrom the collection of Marie Greenwood1937
Discovering Lincoln Hills: Camp Nizhoni