VENUE ON THE MENU
Photo credit: Mital/Creative Commons
RED ROCKS AMPHITHEATRE
By J.B. Bridges
You've listened to bands or played in some old venues in your time. But how about one that's 250 million
years old? RED ROCKS AMPHITHEATRE near Morrison, Colorado, is just a short 10 miles west of Denver and
the only naturally occurring acoustically perfect Amphitheatre in existence today. The 868 acre park, at
6,450 feet above sea level, was once listed as one of the "Seven Wonders of the World". The sandstone
monoliths contain fossils from the Jurassic Period 160 million years ago. The gradual shifting of the earth
raised the ancient sea floor forming the giant walls of the theatre you see today. The southern monolith
formation resembles a ship, hence the name "Ship Rock", while at the opposite end stands "Creation
Rock". These famous landmarks are both taller than Niagara Falls.
In the early 1900's, JOHN WALKER had the vision of artists performing on a stage and purchased it with the
proceeds from the sale of his COSMOPOLITAN MAGAZINE. From 1906-1910, artists did their performances
on a temporary stage. In 1927, the manager for the Denver Parks, GEORGE CRANMER, convinced the city
of Denver to purchase the land for $54,133. The Amphitheatre was dedicated on June 15, 1941 and been
a jewel in the music venue industry crown ever since.