How did Denver get its name

By Murphy Huston on March 1, 2024

AURORA, CO – JULY 21: The downtown Denver skyline is seen from the air a day after a gunman went on a shooting rampage at the Century 16 movie theatre during an early morning screening of the new Batman movie, ‘The Dark Knight Rises,’ on July 21, 2012 in Aurora, Colorado. According to reports, 12 people have been killed and over 59 injured including 9 in critical condition . Police have the suspect, twenty-four year old James Holmes of North Aurora, in custody. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

The streets of the Mile High City are full of references to the people who founded it,so you would think that the name of the city..Denver..would be the same. This is not the case. The city’s namesake never lived here even though he was alive when it was founded. The name Denver was chosen to curry favor with James W. Denver who served as the governor of Kansas Territory until 1858. The founders wanted to curry favor to the Kansas governor but he had retired as governor.