During this era, Denver witnessed tremendous growth in train travel—from the completion of the very first depot to servicing nearly 80 trains a day. With this boom came tremendous opportunity for the city—without the train system, Denver may not even be on the map today.

1865 Group 7 WY Cheyenne Denver CO Railroad officials announced that the westward expanding rail lines would be constructed through Cheyenne rather than Denver. Fearing that Denver would quickly become obsolete, the Denver Board of Trade decided to build a line connecting Denver to the railroad in Cheyenne.

1870 The first train from Cheyenne arrived in Denver's Central Platte Valley on June 24, 1870. At that time there was only one depot.

1881 Group 9 DOLLAR VALUE 1881 2018 The Union Depot and Railroad Company built the city's first Union Station to accommodate multiple trains. It cost $525,000 and opened on June 1, 1881.

1894 The original Union Station structure burned down on March 1894. The damage was considerable and the building’s wooden tower was destroyed. But Denver Union Station (DUS) was quickly rebuilt with a much lower roofline and a stone clock tower to replace the wooden one.

1894 Denver’s famous Welcome Arch (Mizpah Arch) was built in front of Union Station. The arch was formally dedicated on July 4, 1906 and was dismantled on December 7, 1931, after being deemed a traffic hazard.