Parker Arts Lecture: Colorado’s Wild West

Parker Arts Lecture: Colorado's Wild West

Celebrate Colorado’s 150th anniversary with our FREE lecture called Colorado’s Wild West at The Schoolhouse on September 2, 2026. This engaging presentation explores the people, places, and events that shaped Colorado’s frontier legacy and brought the spirit of the Wild West to life.

Presented by historian, writer, actor, and antiquarian bookseller Tim Hagaman, the lecture traces Colorado’s early history from Zebulon Pike’s expedition into the territory to the rise of mining, ranching, and railroad expansion across the Southwest. Along the way, audiences will discover the role of the Colorado Volunteers during the Civil War, the development of cattle driving trails and stock raising associations, and Allan Pinkerton’s work mapping mining claims and railroad routes throughout the region.

The journey concludes in the bustling boomtowns of the Rocky Mountains and Sangre de Cristo Range, where stories of miners, cowboys, outlaws, and lawmen inspired the dime novel legends that defined the American West.

Rich with storytelling, history, and fascinating frontier characters, this free lecture offers a captivating look at Colorado’s Wild West heritage.

About the Speaker

Tim Hagaman is a member of the Wild West History Association and Rocky Mountain Map Society, a Southwest Americana antiquarian bookseller, actor, writer, and historian specializing in the history of the American West. Learn more about Colorado’s history at the Wild West History Association.