| A cheer went up along Cherry Creek in the night. William Newton Byers, 28, and a crew of three printers cranked out the first edition of the Rocky Mountain News, beating its very first competitor, The Cherry Creek Pioneer, to the streets of Denver by 20 minutes.
Colorado had its first newspaper. | On April 23, 2009, the Rocky will mark its 150th birthday. Each day the paper publishes between now and the anniversary, we will reprise 150 historic front pages and recount some of the important - and obscure - events in the paper's and in Colorado's history. This period will include the state's second Democratic National Convention and also the City of Denver's 150th anniversary.
The News first published as an evening weekly. | The Rocky went on to become one of the leading newspapers in the country and an integral part of the lives of Coloradans. Since 1926 it has been part of the Scripps newspaper chain and media family. It has been a rich and colorful 150 years, as you will see.
Read the stories and be sure to click on the PDF links below and in the stories to take a close look at the featured front pages. |
Today's feature:
October
November
- June 11, 1859: Gold fever pans out to be first 'extra'
- January 2, 1861: Fighting words
- April 18, 1861: Printing a battle, as war erupts
- April 10, 1862: Territory, paper join fight
- Jan. 8, 1863: Reserved proclamation
- July 9, 1863: Gettysburg dispatches
- June 29, 1864: Paper plows way through flood
- Dec. 14, 1864: Sand Creek Massacre
- April 7, 1865: Sorting out surrender
- January 9, 1865: Fallout from Sand Creek
- April 15, 1865: Death of a president
December
- July 19, 1893: Financial storm breaks
- October 31, 1893: Silver loses its luster
- November 9, 1893: A new day for women
- March 16, 1894: Big guns lock horns
- January 5, 1896: A mighty palace of ice
- April 23, 1897: The Rocky and the Mountains
- February 16, 1898: War explodes with Spain
- January 1, 1900: A momentous new year
- January 1, 1901: Ringing in 20th century
- December 18, 1903: A dream takes flight
- March 27, 1904: Miners' 'hell-raiser' angel
- Sept. 2, 1904: Coins begin rolling at mint
- January 31, 1906: Stock show leaves chute
- April 19, 1906: San Francisco cataclysm
January
- July 5, 1919: 'The Manassa Mauler'
- June 4, 1921: Hell and high water
- November 25, 1922: A deal to divide the waters
- December 19, 1922: The great mint robbery
- November 6, 1924: Klan rises, only to fall
- May 22, 1927: Lindbergh flies Atlantic
- February 27, 1928: Rails under the Rockies
- October 29, 1929: Blows to economy, paper
- December 6, 1933: Legal booze begins flowing again
- April 22, 1934: 'Diamond' edition a cut above
February
- February 10, 1960: The Coors kidnapping
- November 23, 1963: 'Where were you when . . .'
- August 27, 1964: Going helter-skelter
- January 24, 1965: Last of 'Big Three' mourned
- June 19, 1965: Writing the storm out
- April 5, 1968: 'A time of fear, sorrow'
The Rocky @ 140
In 1999 we celebrated 140 years of existence and reflected on the path we took to get there. Read the stories below for an in-depth history of Colorado's oldest newspaper.
Jump to month:
From the Editor
More Rocky history
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Front page PDFs
- April 23, 1859
- June 11, 1859
- January 2, 1861
- April 18, 1861
- April 10, 1862
- Jan. 8, 1863
- July 9, 1863
- June 29, 1864
- December 14, 1864
- April 7, 1865
- January 9, 1865
- April 15, 1865 (Page 2)
- June 29, 1870
- August 9, 1871
- July 7, 1876
- August 2, 1876
- September 7, 1877
- August 31, 1879
- October 2, 1879
- July 19, 1881
- August 23, 1881
- August 6, 1886
- December 9, 1888
- July 5, 1890
- February 28, 1892
- August 13, 1892
- July 19, 1893 (Page 1)
- July 19, 1893 (Page 2)
- October 31, 1893
- November 9, 1893
- March 16, 1894
- January 5, 1896
- April 23, 1897
- February 16, 1898
- January 1, 1900
- January 1, 1901
- December 18, 1903
- March 27, 1904
- September 2, 1904
- January 31, 1906
- April 19, 1906
- February 18, 1909
- July 5, 1910
- April 16, 1912
- December 5, 1913
- April 21, 1914
- September 5, 1915
- October 31, 1915
- January 1, 1916
- January 11, 1917
- April 6, 1917
- October 10, 1918
- November 11, 1918
- July 5, 1919
- June 4, 1921
- November 25, 1922
- December 19, 1922
- November 6, 1924
- May 22, 1927
- February 27, 1928
- October 29, 1929
- December 6, 1933
- April 22, 1934
- March 8, 1935
- January 31, 1937
- June 16, 1941
- December 8, 1941
- April 13, 1942
- April 13, 1945
- May 8, 1945
- August 8, 1945
- September 12, 1946
- June 24, 1947
- April 11, 1951
- March 20, 1954
- June 25, 1954
- November 15, 1955
- February 10, 1960
- November 23, 1963
- August 27, 1964
- January 24, 1965
- June 19, 1965
- April 5, 1968
- June 5, 1968
- March 21, 1969
- March 29, 1969
- July 21, 1969
- October 3, 1970
- November 8, 1972
- November 10, 1972
- January 24, 1973
- May 1, 1973
- August 2, 1976
- August 17, 1977
- November5, 1977
- January 2, 1978
