A bit of history

By Rich Grant, freelance writer and co-author with Irene Rawlings of 100 Things to Do in Denver Before You Die (Reedy Press)

“Denver is one of the few cities in history that was literally in the middle of nowhere. In 1858, it was surrounded by 600 miles of wilderness and inhabited only by Native Americans and Mountain Men. And then some gold was discovered at the confluence of small Cherry Creek and the South Platte River. This was just ten years after the great California Gold Rush, and everyone who missed out on that adventure was sure to come to this one. Within two years, 100,000 men and women walked 600 miles from St. Louis to Denver, which overnight became a boom town with saloons, gambling halls, bordellos and all the delights that someone would want after walking 600 miles. literally à proprement parler / to be surrounded by être entouré de / mile = 1,609 km / wilderness étendues sauvages / Native American Amérindien / Gold Rush ruée vers l'or / to miss out on sth rater, passer à côté de qqch / overnight du jour au lendemain / boom town ville-champignon / gambling hall maison de jeu / bordello maison close / delight plaisir.