Throw Back Thursday - Historic Colorado Then & Now

Take a trip in our virtual time machine. Compare historic Colorado to current day.

Mark Afman, residential mortgage expert for business, photographer and history enthusiast for pleasure. Afman started the Facebook page, "Then and Now, Images of Colorado and the West," back in 2013. Starting with photos of his own, he's now branched out to utilizing the Denver Public Library Digital Collection for his historic Colorado pics. Afman merges two photos into one showcasing the changes, or lack their of in certain places around Colorado and the west. Here are a few of our favorite pictures for this weeks Throw Back Thursday.

Union Station
Union station was and still is a hub of activity and the epicenter of travel in Denver. The bottom photo was taken 100 years ago, and this is Union Station you most likely recognize today.
Union Station x2
Another shot of Union Station, from the outside this time. This shot is looking down 17th, the first taken around 1908 and the photo on the right was taken by Afman in 2016.
Castle Marne (currently)
This beautiful stone mansion at the corner of 16th and Race St. is still a shining monument of historic Colorado today. Originally built in 1889 by the same architect who built the Molly Brown home. Now known as the Castle Marne, its completely restored but still holding true to its classic style, as a Bed and Breakfast.
Denver City Park
Over 100 years ago it was pretty fashionable to get the family together and take pictures with the Civil War era cannons on display in Denver City Park. Obviously it's less than fashionable to do today. Still, its amazing to see transformation the park when under. Not to mention the difference in bikes from then compared to today.
Leadville
Leadville, Harrison St. in 1881 and 2014. The Tabor Opera house is still standing on the right, with a painted ad for Anheuzer Busch if you look closely in the 2014 picture, you can see that ad is still there.
Littleton Bank Robbery
Bank robbery in Littleton, April 20, 1927. This old photo is of a former bank in Down Town Littleton, Afman notes that the old photos he finds don't usually come with much information. This photo on the other hand, was captured after a bank robbery. You can see the arrow indicating where the thief entered. Today the same building is the home of Colorado Home Realty.
Garden of the Gods
Garden of the Gods has clearly always been a large attraction for Coloradans and visitors alike. If you didn't know, this is Balanced Rock. The historic Colorado photo was taken in the late 1890s. Its modern pair was taken in 2016. Its super interesting to see the difference in landscape, cars, and who knew there used to be a shop there?
St. Tomas St. Mary Episcopal Church
This is the St. Thomas St Mary Episcopal Church. This church has been serving the Baker Neighborhood at 2nd in Acoma since 1891. The older photo was taken in 1896, and the modern was taken this year. While they've clearly added on to the building, the beautiful stonework still shows through today.
Redcliff
A little town named Redcliff is nestled on the Eagle River between Leadville and Minturn along highway 24. Back in the day, it was a stop on the Denver and Rio Grand Railroad heading west out of Leadville toward Glenwood Springs. Apparently, there was a Ute uprising in which Nathaniel Meeker and several other "indian agents" were killed in 1879. This happened North of Redcliff. Rumors traveled upstream to the town and the local militia built a small fort on this rock. In the end, the uprising was thwarted before they reached Redcliff. Today this rock is a part of someone's backyard.
Rocky Mountain National Park
Last but definitely not least, Rocky Mountain National Park. This iconic view is Trail Ridge Road, looking at the Never Summer range. The two photos were taken in the 1930's and 2015. Notice the lack of railing in the 1930's pic? #Terrifying