Denver to Seattle

The Front Range is the most easterly edge of the Rocky Mountains. Denver can be seen here as the grey and green against the mountains

The Rocky Mountains, shown in red, extend from Canada to New Mexico. The Front Range is the most easterly face of the Rockies, marked on here in purple.

1931 - "Pikes Peak and entrance to the Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs". The Front Range was formed over millions of years by tectonic and volcanic activity, sculpted by erosion.

1931 - "Longs Peak, Colorado". The peaks of the Front Range are formed of ancient granite that has been exposed after millions of years of erosion has worn away the softer rock layers.

1931 - "In the Garden of the Gods." Erosion by wind, water and ice over millions of years has created unusual formations in the Front Range, such as those seen in the Garden of the Gods public park.

The Southern Rocky Mountains. The Front Range can be seen to the east. This range is made of the oldest rocks in the Rockies, some one billion years old.

A 'sharks tooth' formation in the Front Range. The rocks that make up this range are some of the oldest in the Rocky Mountains.

1931 - "Odessa Lake, Rocky Mountains National Park". The Front Range is home to some of the most stunning views in Colorado, many of which can be seen in the Rocky Mountains National Park.

An elk grazes in the highlands of the Front Range of the Rockies, near Denver, Colorado.

Pikes Peak, seen in the background, inspired Katharine Bates to write the patriotic song "America the Beautiful".

Denver is nestled in the shadow of the Front Range, the eastern face of the Rocky Mountains.

The ridges of the Front Range stop dramatically when they meet the plains. Denver is located to the south of this image.

The Front Range from the air. It is clear to see how thousands of years of erosion have shaped the Front Range, with valleys, peaks and glaciers visible in this image.

The sprawl of Denver is blocked to the west by the Front Range. The mountains rise dramatically from the plain at the top of this image.

The Continental Divide shown in red marks the point which water drains into rivers flowing either to the Pacific or Atlantic Ocean. Pikes Peak, in the Front Range, is located exactly on the divide.

1888 - "View of the crest of Longs Peak and the vertical wall on its eastern face". The exposed granite face of Longs Peak is typical of the mountains in the Front Range.

1931 - "Grays Peak, Colorado". At 4,352m high, Grays Peak is the highest peak in the Front Range and one of the highest mountains in Colorado.

1931 - An annotated postcard of Denver indicating the heights of the major peaks of the Front Range, with a poster advertising Denver as the "Gateway" to Colorado's national parks.

Illustration of Denver in 1859 at the start of the Pike's Peak Gold Rush. Within a year of gold being discovered in a tributary of the South Platte River, tens of thousands of prospectors had arrived.

1889 - Within just 30 years of the first gold prospectors arriving at the fork in the South Platte River, Denver had developed into a city of 100,000 residents.

1931 - "State Building, Denver". Much of Denver was built from the wealth accumulated during the Silver Boom that lasted between the 1870s and 1890s.

1931 - The Pike's Peak Gold Rush saw hundreds of mines such as this one constructed throughout the Front Range as prospectors desperately hunted for their fortunes.

c. 1858 - Miners in the Rocky Mountains at the start of the Pike's Peak Gold Rush. Tens of thousands of miners took up the search for gold in the Front Range in the late 19th century.

1888 - "Pikes Peak from bluffs on the plains ten miles distant". Pikes Peak was the landmark that prospectors travelling east would use to navigate their way to the gold mines.

c. 1859 - This map shows the route to the gold fields at Pikes Peak. The Pike's Peak Gold Rush got its name from Pikes Peak, the distinctive peak that marked the location of the mines.

1931 - Denver grew quickly from a mining settlement at the foot of the Front Range to a boomtown. By the 20th century, the city had developed thriving industries outside of mining.

The Colorado State Capitol dome is covered with gold tiles as a reminder of the metal that fuelled the growth of the city of Denver.

1931 - Wealth accumulated from the Silver Boom of the late 1870s enabled Denver to build a number of public landmarks, such as the State Capitol and many parks.

1931 - Gold mines such as this sprung up in the hills of the Front Range during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush. The gold rush was short-lived, but in spite of this Denver grew quickly into a boomtown.

Colorado State Capitol was built in the 1890s. The dome consists of real gold plates to commemorate the Pike's Peak Gold Rush that first brought settlers here.

A full stadium watches the PRCA Pro Rodeo at the 2010 National Western Stock Show in Denver.

The Colorado Rockies (in navy and white) play the New York Mets at Coors Field in Denver.

Texas Longhorn Cattle are driven through downtown Denver of as part of the National Western Stock Show Parade. The two-week show takes place each January in the heart of the city.

A horse show in the 1950 National Western Stock Show in Denver. The first show was held in 1906, and today is the largest of its kind in the world.

A young participant 'Mutton Bustin' in the 2007 National Western Stock Show in Denver. Hundreds of events such as this take place during the fortnight-long show.

Denver's Sport Authority Field at Mile High is the home of the Denver Broncos, the city's Major League Football team.

Denver's Cinco de Mayo festival is the one of the largest cultural events in Colorado, attracting more than 400,000 revellers to the city each May.

The parade in downtown Denver marks the start of the National Western Stock Show. The show aims to celebrate the agricultural industry of the American West.

An Oakland Raiders vs Denver Broncos football game held in Denver. The Broncos (in orange and blue) are one of four major sports teams based in the city.

A man in traditional Mexican dress participates in the annual Denver Cinco de Mayo Parade held in the city each May.

Children on a float participate in the Denver Cinco de Mayo celebrations by wearing traditional Mexican costumes. The festival commemorates the Battle of Puebla, Mexico, in 1862.

The National Western Stock Show aims to preserve the Western lifestyle by showcasing American agriculture.

Denver Stock Yards where livestock is held during the National Western Stock Show.