South Denver | |
|---|---|
Former city | |
 Former town hall in modern Platt Park | |
  South Denver Location within the state of Colorado | |
| Coordinates: 39°40′42″N 104°57′44″W / 39.67833°N 104.96222°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Colorado |
| County | Arapahoe (historic) Denver (modern day) |
| Established | 1881 |
| Incorporated | August 9, 1886 |
| Annexed by Denver | February 7, 1894 |
| Demonym | South Denverite[1] |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (Mountain (MST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
South Denver was an incorporated city in Colorado incorporated in 1886 and annexed by Denver in 1894. Covering almost 12 square miles that included the former site of Montana City, the South Denver community was established by James Fleming in 1881 as an alcohol-free community. Potato farmer Rufus "Potato" Clark led a group which donated land to allow the University of Denver to relocate to the area and escape the "moral and environmental pollution" of Denver. Incorporated as a town to enable the community to enforce vice laws, its anti-alcohol regulations surviving the city's dissolution. John Evans, the former Colorado governor, contributed to the community's development by fostering the establishment of the two Methodist-organized subdivisions of University Park Colony and Evanston.
Under duress from the 1893 Silver Panic, South Denver became one of many communities absorbed by Denver during the 1890s. Portions of the townsite now comprises the Denver neighborhoods of University and University Park.
- ^ Leonard & Noel 2016, p. 44