History of the Stapleton Airport: Why Denver’s first airport only lasted 65 years

Maddie Rhodes
·2 min read
16

DENVER (KDVR) — What started as grazing land for a dairy farm turned into the city’s first airport in 1929 when the Stapleton Airport opened up.

The history of the Stapleton Airport and Central Park neighborhood lies within the Denver Public Library.

In the early 1900s, Denver sought to find a way into America’s transcontinental transportation after the Mile High City was turned down twice for a railway and air system due to the proximity of the Rocky Mountains.

Did you know Walt Disney once opened an amusement park on Colorado Boulevard?

While it proved useful as an access point to the West and the city invested millions of dollars into it, the airport only lasted about 65 years before it closed down.

However, remnants of the old airport still lay around Central Park.

What happened to the Stapleton Airport?

The airport had all sorts of mishaps throughout its years of operation.

Several planes went down in the 1950s, which caused the Federal Aviation Administration to implement stricter safety regulations.

Another plane crash happened in the 1960s and killed 18 people after the plane flew off the runway, crashed into a construction site and caught fire.

There were minor crashes throughout the 1970s, but the airport’s most deadly crash took place in the late 1980s when a flight attempted to take off during a snowstorm, killing 25 people.

However, the airport was able to transport millions of passengers and these accidents weren’t the main reason for the airport’s closure in the late 1900s.

Aviation-themed brewpub ‘Flyteco Tower’ celebrates one year anniversary in a big way

Ultimately, the airport was too small for the increasing demand.

The airport wanted to expand into a central hub for the nation, but it would have to expand into the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, and nearby neighborhoods complained of noise pollution and safety concerns.

In 1995, the city opened the Denver International Airport, which has become one of the world’s busiest airports.

While the Stapleton Airport is long gone and has turned into a prominent neighborhood, some pieces of the old airport remain, like the old air traffic control tower, which is still open for tours.

The area, which was once the city’s hub for transportation, turned into the Central Park neighborhood, which is now one of the city’s largest neighborhoods.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.