THE BLACK AMERICAN WEST MUSEUM AND FIVE POINTS NEIGHBORHOOD
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The ghost town of Dearfield is preserved at the Black American West Museum - Photo courtesy of Denver Metro CVB
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Black American West Museum
Five Points Neighborhood
The Black American West Museum
Did you know that nearly a third of the cowboys who helped build the West were Black? That African Americans owned much of the prime real estate and businesses of the time? Or that Henry Parker, a Black mine owner, was one of the first to strike gold in Idaho Springs?
The Black American West Museum & Heritage Center tells the little-known story of African American pioneers through its collection of more than 35,000 artifacts — everything from photographs and cowboy boots to old newspapers and oral histories. Housed in the former home of Dr. Justina Ford, Colorado’s first Black female doctor, this culturally rich museum can be found in the heart of one of Denver’s most historically significant neighborhoods — Five Points.
Did You Know?
A man named Paul Stewart started the museum in 1971, after he met his first black cowboy — an individual who led cattle drives at the turn of the century — and vowed to uncover all the material he could on other black Western pioneers.
Good To Know Before You Go:
One of the museum’s men of interest is Bill Pickett, the man who invented “bulldogging,” now known as steer wrestling. It was made famous by his exhibitions in the Miller bothers’ 101 Ranch Wild West Show.
ADA Accessibility:
The first floor of the museum is fully accessible to those with special needs. They also offer an informational DVD tour of the museum for those unable to make it upstairs.
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Five Points Neighborhood
Founded in the 1860s, the Five Points district evolved as one of Denver’s first residential suburbs. Its convenient location along the railroad made it a requisite stop for famed African-American jazz musicians like Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton and many others on their way from the Midwest to the West Coast in the 1930s and 40s. They always turned up to perform in various Five Points clubs and music halls and often stayed at the historic Rossonian Hotel, which still stands on its original street corner.
The soulful sounds permeating the clubs attracted not only the great jazz musicians of the time but also Beat Generation icon Neal Cassady (a Denver native) and his friend Jack Kerouac. Kerouac wrote about Five Points in On The Road, his famed chronicle of a journey across the country, memorializing nearby Sonny Lawson Baseball Field in part three.
Today, Five Points is also home to the Stiles African American Heritage Center, the Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library, the Roundtree Art Center and the nationally acclaimed Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble studios.
Did You Know?
The Five Points area got its name in the early 1900s from the city's tramway company. Their streetcar signs weren’t big enough to list all the streets at this stop, so in an effort to save space, they created an area-defining nickname that stuck — Five Points.
Good To Know Before You Go:
You can still travel to the Five Points area in the same way people did during its heyday, by public transport. It’s a good idea to check the light-rail or bus schedules before starting your trip.
ADA Accessibility:
The area streets and public transportation are handicap friendly.
Black American West Museum
3091 California St., Denver, CO 80205
www.blackamericanwest.org
303-292-2566
Stiles African American Heritage Center
www.stilesheritagecenter.org
303-294-0597
Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library
www.aarl.denverlibrary.org
720-865-2401
Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble
www.cleoparkerdance.org
303-830-8500
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This project is partially funded by a State Historical Fund grant award from the Colorado Historical Society.
Colorado's Historic Sites
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updated: 08/29/06
