The smell of burnt bacon hung over the city for days.
It had been stored in a warehouse that proclaimed itself fireproof, but that had burned too, along with most of the business district, when fire broke out in the early hours of April 19, 1863.
The flames were first noticed between 2:00 and 3:00 in the morning behind the Cherokee House, a saloon and hostel near the corner of 15th and Blake. Even as the alarm went up for sleeping Denverites to come help fight the fire (the first fire department wasn’t organized until1866), the blaze spread quickly through blocks of hastily-constructed wooden buildings packed side-by-side. As spring winds fueled the flames, many residents began hauling possessions to Cherry Creek, seeking protection in the damp creek bed. Others sought the protection of the “fireproof” warehouses, a decision they would regret when those, too, began to burn.
It was nearly dawn before Denverites were able to control the fire, and the sun rose on a devastated city. Most of the city’s center—more than 70 buildings and 100 businesses—had been reduced to ash.
Remarkably, no one was killed in the fire.
In the aftermath of the fire, the town council passed a law requiring buildings in the business district to be built of fireproof materials such as brick. The Weekly Commonwealth newspaper observed that “brickmaking and laying will be a goodbusiness this summer” as it noted on April 23 that tents had already sprung up on some of the burned lots. It was indeed good business, and brick buildings became characteristic of Denver’s lower downtown area, a look that continues to define LoDo today.
Residents like Barney Ford, a Black entrepreneur seeking his next fortune in Denver amid the opportunities of the gold rush, was one of those who quickly set about rebuilding. His most recent venture, the People’s Restaurant, had just opened across 15th Street from the Cherokee House shortly before the fire. After the
fire he secured a $9000 loan at 25 percent interest, and by August he had rebuilt a larger brick building for his People’s Restaurant as well as a barbershop. He soon paid off the loan.
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Read more from the Denver Firefighters Museum.
Listen to this interview from Colorado Public Radio.
Author Bio
Jason L. Hanson is the Chief Creative Officerand Director of Interpretation and Research at History Colorado. He is also the Vice President of the Museum of Denver Board of Directors.