Special Collections and Archives at Denver Public Library

Post Civil War many newly freed enslaved African Americans headed West to work as cowboys. Historians estimate 1 in 4 cowboys at the time were African American. Cattle herding and ranching were some of the only jobs available to Black men at the time that offered similar pay to their white counterparts.

Golden Legacy, an illustrated history magazine, aimed to educate people, especially Black youth, about Black history. This richly colored issue of the magazine in our collection was published in 1972 and focused on the glossed over history of Black cowboys in the American West.

Bill Pickett, who is one of the Black cowboys featured in this issue, was the first African American cowboy inducted in the National Rodeo Hall of Fame and is considered the first Black cowboy movie star. He is credited with inventing bulldogging, a wild steer wrangling technique.

He was one of 13 children of Thomas Jefferson Pickett, a former enslaved African American man, and Mary "Janie" Gilbert. Bill and four of his brothers created The Pickett Brothers Bronco Busters and Rough Riders, a business that advertised "catching and taming wild cattle a specialty".

All Denver Public Library locations will be closed tomorrow, June 19, in observance of Juneteenth. Access many library services online at denverlibrary.org

Onyx, originally titled Black Le***an Newsletter, was a bimonthly magazine about Black Le***an life and culture during the early 1980s. Published in California from 1982-1984, the magazine included original writings, photos, classified ads, illustrations, and event calendars created by and about Black Le***ans.

Our collection holds issues from 1982-1983, which you can view on the 5th floor of Central Library in our Special Collections and Archives.

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The Le***an Tide, "a feminist le***an publication, written by and for the rising tide of women today" created in Los Angeles, California in 1971.

We have scattered issues from 1972-1980, which can be viewed on the 5th floor of Central Library.

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A 🌈 post of an amazing LGBTQ bar guide created by the Colorado Tavern League in January 1975.

The guide includes a map of Denver and Colorado Springs establishments. In the 3rd photo you can see the many bars that used to be near us at Central Library!

From The Directory Fall '79, ads for The Ballpark and The Broadway.

The Ballpark was a Denver bathhouse established in 1976 that was nationally known. A story in OUT FRONT magazine describes some special parties hosted at the venue: one called "Genesis" that featured "a space ship 🚀 engulfed in disco 🪩 lighting effects" and another called "Thunderstruck" where they created a "rain storm inside the building with lightning flashes ⚡and appropriate sound effects".

The Broadway was a disco bar, lounge, and restaurant that opened up in 1974. The venue hosted Sunday brunches and local DJ and cabaret shows, complete with cheap drink specials (10 cent beer?? 🍻) .

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A flyer insert for local new wave band Alpha Wave inside of the Tracks Express October 1982 newsletter.

Tracks, a Denver LGBTQ nightclub still running today, published a monthly print newsletter beginning in 1982. We have issues of their newsletters spanning 1982-1984.

Each issue included curated 🎶 playlists called "Hot to Trot" of their top 20 hits for the month. Many of the songs listed can be found online. For this post we featured track 18 on the list, "I Like Plastic" by Marsha Raven.


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The Le***an & Gay Pink Pages, a local Colorado business and services directory ☎️ of q***r- friendly 🌈 places.

We have volumes of this serial from 1994-2005, which you can view on the 5th floor of Central Library.

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Here in Colorado we're all about our 150th anniversary right now, but that's not stopping us from ogling this 1822 🗺️hand-colored showstopper during Missouri's 205th birthday year.

If you're familiar with how today's Missouri looks, you might notice something missing. In 1836 the Platte Purchase extended the state's boundaries to the northwest, in apparent violation of the 1820 Missouri Compromise.

Prominent American map makers Carey and Lea created and published this map in their Complete Historical, Chronological, and Geographical American Atlas as plate 34. Capitalizing on recent explorations into the West 🐎, they advanced American cartography in the 1820s and 1830s, while Philadelphia engravers Young & Delleker executed their design beautifully.

You can stop by Denver Public Library any time we're open to enjoy this new acquisition!

Image 1: Detail showing the St. Louis area, which served as a communication and commercial hub by the time this map was made. Its importance is reflected in the more consolidated county lines

Image 2: Each county is hand-colored, showing towns, rivers, and major features. Howard County, in the northwest corner of the state, was more populous than St. Louis. Its population dropped since then, while St. Louis' increased 100-fold.

Image 3: In its 2nd year of statehood, it's no surprise there's only one governor to list. The use of the plural form of 'governors' and so much blank space shows the creators of this map intended to issue more editions, which they did in the coming years.

Join us for an evening of celebration, community pride, and love for Black Qu**rs. Enjoy good food, conversation, and contribute to a community love letter display.