Historic Denver has officially launched its new Denver Story Trek. Borne out of a collaboration between Historic Denver and five of Denver's leading heritage sites, the Denver Story Trek is a customizable experience that takes visitors through a variety of Denver neighborhoods, capturing the essence of Denver's heritage and showcasing the vibrant city that it is today.

The Trek encompasses the Cherry Creek Bike Path and Civic Center Park as it leads visitors to the five partner organizations in the collaboration-Black American West Museum, Byers-Evans House Museum, Four Mile Historic Park, Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art and the Molly Brown House Museum. It tells the history of Denver -- from the settling of the frontier and the quest for gold to the arrival of the railroad and the refinement of a frontier outpost into a sophisticated city.

"In creating Denver Story Trek we sought to strengthen heritage tourism in the Rocky Mountain region," said Steve Turner, executive director of Historic Denver. "We wanted to give residents as well as visitors to the city a way to truly experience the rich history of Denver for themselves. The Trek links the various periods of Denver's history and helps people understand the forces and personalities that shaped the city over the past 150-plus years."

Enjoyable for visitors of all ages, the Denver Story Trek can be navigated by car, bus or bicycle. Visitors can choose to trek chronologically or across themes such as "Settling the Frontier," "Shedding the Frontier Rawness," "Convergence of Cultures," "Women of the West" and "Stage Stops, Railroads and Streetcars," among others. They can also choose to pioneer their own route.

The Denver Story Trek will include special Trek Connect signs at various points throughout the city. Serving much like an audio tour in a museum, these signs will give visitors a number to call using their cell phones to hear stories of the people behind the places on the Trek. In addition, visitors will be invited to record their own memories and experiences for others to hear.

"The idea behind the Trek Connect stops is to make the Denver Story Trek an interactive experience," said Annie Robb Levinsky, director of the Molly Brown House Museum. "Visitors will not only see the sites on the Trek, but they will also be able to hear stories about the sites and the surrounding neighborhoods. Those stories will include historical details recorded by the museums, as well as personal memories and tales recorded by fellow trekkers. In addition, visitors can add to the mix of available stories by recording their own memories right from their cell phones."

Information regarding the Denver Story Trek-including historical background, maps, suggested routes and details regarding calling in to Trek Connect to share stories-can be found on the Trek's Web site, www.denverstorytrek.org.

About Denver Story Trek
The Denver Story Trek brings Denver history alive for visitors as it leads them on a customizable journey through a variety of Denver neighborhoods, showcasing five leading heritage sites: Four Mile Historic Park, Byers-Evans House Museum, Molly Brown House Museum, Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art and the Black American West Museum. The Trek Connect feature allows visitors to use their cell phones to hear stories about the city's history as well as record their own experiences. Denver Story Trek is a program of Historic Denver Inc., in collaboration with the participating historic sites; Preserve America; the Colorado State Historical Fund; the Colorado Tourism Office; and the Denver Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau. For more information, please visit www.denverstorytrek.org.

PRESERVE AMERICA This material is based upon work assisted by a grant from the Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this materials are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Department of the Interior.

COLORADO TOURISM OFFICE

COLORADO STATE HISTORICAL FUND This project was paid for in part by a State Historical Fund grant from the Colorado Historical Society.