Canal History + Stories
Shared legacy and common heritage
Canal History
The workers who built the High Line Canal more than a century ago didn’t envision that people would be using their ambitious irrigation project as a recreational outlet in the midst of a busy urban area. In fact, to the builders of the 71-mile High Line, the Canal was solely a commercial idea to bring South Platte River water to settlers and farmers following a gold rush in 1859 near the confluence of the South Platte and Cherry Creek.
High Line Canal Historic Context
In 2024, the Conservancy received funding from the State Historical Fund to complete a foundational Historic Context research report to begin documenting the unique history of the Canal. This funding, matched by generous support from private donors and Arapahoe County Open Spaces, covers a consultant team to develop the Historic Context and survey 15 historic sites along the Canal’s reach.
Native and Indigenous Perspectives
The Conservancy has engaged Project Mosaic LLC, a Native–owned firm with extensive experience in Indigenous community engagement, cultural interpretation and historically responsive research methodologies, to supplement the Historic Context with perspectives from Native and Indigenous communities.
While the Canal was funded by British investors to support expanded settlement and agricultural cultivation, American Indians have been moving water through ditches and Canals to sustain themselves for thousands of years. These perspectives will be incorporated into the Historic Context and interpretation on the Canal to place the Canal in the context of thousands of years of American Indian presence in the Platte River Valley.
Historic Advisory Group
As a part of this effort, the Conservancy has convened a Historic Advisory Group consisting of preservation professionals and volunteers representing the history museums and historical societies along the Canal. This group meets quarterly to advance historic preservation and interpretation and ensure the unique history of each local community along the Canal is represented in this work. The Historic Advisory Group includes:
- Arapahoe County Open Spaces
- Aurora History Museum
- Aurora Historical Society
- City of Cherry Hills Village
- Colorado Preservation Inc.
- CSU Public and Environmental History Center
- City and County of Denver
- Denver Water
- Douglas County
- Douglas County Historic Inc.
- City of Greenwood Village
- Highlands Ranch Historical Society
- History Colorado (through the State Historical Fund)
- Historic Denver
- City of Littleton
- Littleton Museum
- Roxborough Area Historical Society
Interpretation and Education
As research on the Canal’s unique history progresses, the Conservancy is working with local jurisdictions to design and install interpretive signage along the trail to connect trail users to our shared legacy. This content will also support the Conservancy’s educational programs, connecting communities to a common heritage. Keep an eye out for new interpretive signs on the Canal.
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