Guard’s Hall, at 15th and Curtis streets, is pictured in this photo from the 1870s. (Courtesy of Denver Public Library Special Collections, X-18553)
Though it wouldn’t be formally established as a federal holiday until 1879, Washington’s Birthday — later Presidents’ Day — was celebrated with special enthusiasm across the country in the centennial year, and Colorado was no exception.
- ← Feb. 12–18
- Feb. 19–25
This story is part of Colorado at 150.
All around the territory, businesses were closed, with residents turning out for parades, military salutes and a variety of “out-door games and literary exercises,” reported the Denver Tribune. In the evening, grand balls were held in Golden at Standly’s Hall, in Boulder at Union Hall and in Georgetown at Cushman’s Opera House…