On the Map: Traveling by Trolley Back to the Dinosaurs

A cheerful yellow sign announces “Trolley Rides Today.” Credit: Paul Swansen, Flickr
A cheerful yellow sign announces “Trolley Rides Today.” Image by Paul Swansen, Flickr (CC BY-ND 2.0)

 

By Samantha Hinton

From the Fossil Trace Golf Course to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Denver is a modern city where the age of the dinosaurs is still present.  

One of the best ways to experience Denver’s dinosaurs is the Denver Trolley route (formerly called the Platte Valley Trolley route) to Lakewood Gulch, home to the site of the first Triceratops fossil ever found. 

 

Map showing the Denver Trolley route starting at Confluence Park in downtown Denver and hugging the Platte River Greenway. Credit: Denver Trolley
The Denver Trolley starts at Confluence Park in downtown Denver and hugs the Platte River Greenway. Credit: Denver Trolley

 

In 1887, American paleontologist, John Bell Hatcher discovered the mostly intact triceratops skull and horns and sent it to colleague, Othniel Charles Marsh. Marsh mistakenly thought the bones were from a bison, and they were not confirmed to be from a triceratops until the following year when another set of remarkably similar fossils was discovered in the area.   

The trolley trip to Lakewood Gulch combines history and paleontology with transportation geography. The current Denver Trolley system recalls the city’s once-extensive electric rail transit system. At its peak in the early 20th century, the trolley system had over 250 miles of track connecting the city and another 40 miles connected Denver to Golden and Boulder. In 1910, the system had 87,819,000 passengers.  

 

Map showing the Denver streetcar routes in 1917. Credit: Denver Urbanism
Denver streetcar routes in 1917. Credit: Denver Urbanism

 

Also in 1910, there were only 3,000 automobiles in Denver. After World War II, the American economy highly encouraged modernizing everyday life. By 1928, there were 78,000 privately owned automobiles and trolley ridership declined by 59%. By 1951, all the city’s trolley lines were abandoned and replaced by a new urban bus system.  

The Denver Trolley, a small section of that rail system, was later restored and reopened on July 4th, 1989, to revive some of the history and nostalgia along a route of some of Denver’s most popular attractions. The trolley runs Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from early spring to around Oct. 31. Tickets are $3 for adults and $2 for children. Other stops along the route include Confluence Park, REI’s flagship store, Elitch Gardens, and The Children Museum of Denver.   

Sources: Denver Trolley Colorado, Denver The Mile High City; “Dinosaurs in Denver,” Fossils Facts and Finds; “Triceratops Facts You Need to Know,” Denver Urbanism; “The History of Denver’s Streetcars and Their Routes”  

DOI: 10.14433/2017.0129

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