Introduction to Hilltop Neighborhood History and StoryMap

Submitted by Kira Boatright, 2024 Wes Brown Map Intern

Denver, with its various neighborhoods, is the sum of many parts. This StoryMap explores Hilltop in order to add a more nuanced understanding of one of the city’s neighborhoods and Denver’s history as a whole. While we cannot highlight every possible narrative that could be told about Hilltop, it offers a glimpse of some of the people, places, and events that were foundational to shaping its character and development. Hilltop’s story also illustrates how broader changes taking place in the state, country, and world impacted people at local and personal levels. For example, events such as the Silver Panic of 1893, the Great Depression (1929-1939), and the Korean War (1950-1953) influenced the trajectory of Hilltop’s development and the lives of its residents in clear and concrete ways.

Historic maps and photographs play an important role in bringing Hilltop’s narrative to life. They add important details that reveal why the neighborhood is the way it is, what has changed over the years, and what has remained the same. 

Whether you call Hilltop home or have never visited the area, explore Hilltop's StoryMap to take a virtual walk through the neighborhood and unravel the stories behind the mosaic of people, places, and events that define it. 

This project was made possible by Denver Public Library’s Wes Brown Map Internship. As such, a major goal of Hilltop’s StoryMap is not only to build upon Denver’s neighborhood histories, but to showcase Denver Public Library’s map collections and demonstrate how maps can be used not just as interesting visual representations of a place, but also as historic documents.