Denver celebrates the dedication of Gates-Crescent Park and the Denver Children’s Museum is able to initiate its relocation to the South Platte River within the Park. The southern section of the SPR Greenway Trail is completed. Community involvement grows with events like the inaugural Greenway Art Fest, the Concerts on the Green series, and the annual Friends of the River Award dinner.

1982-1983

The Greenway Foundation names Jeff Shoemaker as Executive Director in 1982.

1980-1981

TGF celebrates South Platte River Week in honor of the 10^th Anniversary of Earth Day and initiates the Greenway River Ranger youth employment program.

 

A book by Joe Shoemaker, TGF Chairman and Leonard Stevens – Returning the Platte to the People – is written and published.

 

Read Returning the Platte to the People

Globeville Landing is completed and dedicated on the site of a former landfill and the community celebrates the new park. One of many transformations to come.

In 1976, the PRDC evolves into The Greenway Foundation (TGF), a 501(c)3 non-profit focused on stewarding public and private contributions towards TGF’s mission to revitalize, restore, and reclaim the South Platte River. The vision is an environmental, recreational, cultural, scientific, and historical amenity for the City of Denver and its citizens.

Denver celebrates a new era for the river as the initial Confluence Park is completed.

1974-1980

In 1974, Denver Mayor Bill McNichols appoints State Senator Joe Shoemaker as Chairman of the Platte River Development Committee (PRDC), charged with initiating the reclamation of the South Platte River.

On June 16, 1965, fourteen inches of rain falls in just over four hours, sending a torrent of water down the South Platte River through the heart of Denver. Homes, bridges, and businesses are destroyed and washed away in the most devastating natural disaster in Denver’s history. The city is left in destruction and debris. Over 20 Denver residents lose their life.