Commems Collection Classic: What If? 1959 Denver, Colorado Centennial

Denver, Colorado was founded in November 1858 by General William Larimer, Jr. and several others who were partners in the Leavenworth Company (a land speculation company formed while Larimer was in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas (not the military prison). (Side Note: Larimer achieved the rank of Major General in the Pennsylvania Militia in the early 1850s; he included the title in his name for the rest of his life.)

Larimer and his group took over a small, generally unimproved town site - called St. Charles - that was located west of the junction of the South Platte River and Cherry Creek. The town was originally a mining town, being formed at the time of the Pike's Peak Gold Rush. Larimer's city was first named "Golden City," but it was soon changed to "Denver City." The "Denver City" name was meant to honor (and gain the favor of) James W. Denver, the then-current Governor of the Kansas Territory. Unbeknownst to Larimer, however, Denver had resigned the Governorship just days before Larimer named the town but he did not hear the news about the Governor until after the name was set.

First House in Denver (Larimer's), Circa 1858

(Image Credit: Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division. Public Domain.)

At the time of its founding, Denver was located within the Kansas Territory. The Colorado Territory was carved out of the Kansas Territory and established in February 1861. It existed until Colorado became the 38th State to join the Union about 15 years later, in August 1876.

In 1959, Representative Byron Giles Rogers (D-CO) introduced a bill in the House that sought "to authorize the coinage of special 50-cent pieces in commemoration of the one hundredth anniversary of the founding of Denver, Colorado." Though technically a year late, it would be fair to say that Denver more firmly established itself in 1859 vs. 1858. Denver was also a part of Colorado's "Rush to the Rockies" Centennial celebrations in 1959, so having a "local" coin in circulation during such celebrations would have been a plus! (A post about the US Mint-struck medal for the "Rockies" Centennial is coming!)

The bill was apparently seeking a circulating commemorative coin, as it did not name a sponsor nor did it specify a maximum mintage for the coin or an expiration date for its striking authority. The coin's design, mintage and other details were to be determined by the Secretary of the Treasury.

The bill was referred to the House Committee on Banking and Currency upon its introduction. It was not a good time for commemorative coin bills - circulating or otherwise - however, which led to the bill never being reported out of Committee. It died for lack of action when the 86th Congress adjourned.


For more of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including other What If? stories, see: Commems Collection.