Denver, Colorado, was named for James W. Denver, a territorial governor and Civil War general.
The settlement was founded in 1858 during the Pikes Peak Gold Rush, when prospectors arrived in the region that is now Colorado. William Larimer Jr. named the town Denver City to honor James W. Denver, hoping the official’s influence would help the new settlement gain recognition.
James W. Denver served as governor of the Kansas Territory from 1857 to 1858. He never visited the settlement named after him. The city later shortened its name from Denver City to Denver and became Colorado’s territorial capital in 1867, replacing Golden.
Denver is often called the “Mile High City” because its official elevation is approximately one mile above sea level. It became Colorado’s state capital when Colorado entered the Union in 1876.