Public Transportation
What do these photos tell you about the different kinds of public transportation 20th century Coloradans used?
A 1920's City Bus
This is an Englewood city bus of the 1920s.
Photo: Denver Public Library, Western History Collection
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Electric streetcars provided public transportation in most Colorado cities during the early 1900s. During the 1920s some cities also added busses. The bus in this photo provided transportation from downtown Englewood to the Fort Logan Military Hospital.
Denver Tramway Company Bus
This bus provided public transportation in Denver during the 1930s.
Photo: Denver Public Library, Western History Collection
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Denver’s Tramway Company used busses during the 1920s in addition to electric streetcars. It ran busses like this one on streets that did not have streetcar lines. This bus was built in 1929 by the White Motor Company.
Denver Tramway Company Streetcar
This is a Denver Tramway Company trolley or street car. The photo was taken in 1940.
Photo: Denver Public Library, Western History Collection
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It took several years for gasoline powered busses to replace electric streetcars in Denver. Streetcars could carry more passengers more cheaply than early busses. The streetcar in this photo ran between Denver and the town of Golden.
A 1930's City Bus
This is a Denver Tramway Company bus. The photo probably was taken during the 1930s.
Photo: Colorado Historical Society
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To serve its customers better, the Tramway Company kept adding busses to streets that did not have electric streetcars. Buses had one big advantage over streetcars. They did not need fixed tracks and overhead electric lines. They could run on any city street.
A Pueblo Streetcar (1945)
This streetcar was part of Pueblo’s public transportation system. The photo was taken in 1945.
Photo: Denver Public Library, Western History Collection
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Several Colorado cities, including Pueblo, ran streetcars until the 1950s.
A Row Of City Busses (1940's)
This photo shows a row of Denver Tramway Company busses.
Photo: Colorado Historical Society
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Fleets of busses eventually replaced streetcars in every Colorado city.
A Fort Collins Streetcar (1950's)
This streetcar operated in Fort Collins. The photo was taken about 1950.
Photo: Denver Public Library, Western History Collection
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The Fort Collins Municipal Railway operated streetcars in that city until the 1950s.
