History Colorado presents The Italians of Denver, a new and innovative community exhibition. In the mid 1800s, the first documented Italian immigrants in Colorado were drawn to the claim of wealth and land ownership in the West. Becoming miners, business owners, farmers and railroad workers, by 1910, Italians represented nearly 14 percent of Colorado's total population. After the 1940s, economic and social prosperity resulted in many being absorbed into the greater American culture. Yet, the cultural ties remain. The museum and members of Colorado's Italian American community have collaborated together to collect family and business artifacts, photographs and oral histories. The result of these efforts now culminates in The Italians of Denver exhibition and companion publication, along with new research archives and artifacts, now a part of the Colorado Historical Society's collections.