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About the author
Linda Wommack
Visit Linda's Website
Look for additional articles by Linda Wommack in our Archives
Linda Wommack is a Colorado native, and has enjoyed Colorado History since childhood. A distant relative to Bob Womack, of Cripple Creek gold fame, Linda has written of early Colorado history across the state in publications for the past ten years, and spends much of her time giving speeches and tours throughout Colorado, and also reviews books of historical nature for local and national publications.
Her most recent project, completing three years of research, is her fourth book, Published in the Fall of 1998, with an astonishing reprint in March of 1999, by Caxton Press.
Other books
by Linda Wommack
Colorado History
For Kids
it's 5th printing.
Cripple Creek Tailings
A Centennial Reading, 1891-1991
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Red Rocks Amphitheater
shortly after construction of the stage.
Notice the open visibility.
Clarence Hoglund at the organ.
Photo courtesy: Linda Wommack
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"Never in any opera house, the world over, have I found more perfect acoustic properties than those under Creation Rock in the natural auditorium at Mount Morrison. I predict that someday twenty thousand people will assemble there to listen to the world's greatest masterpieces. Never under any roof have I sung with greater ease or had a greater delight in singing."
These words were spoken by the celebrated singer of the time, Mary Garden, in 1911. She was one of the first singers to perform at the natural amphitheater at Red Rocks Park. Singing Ava Maria, she proclaimed: "This is the greatest open-air theater I have ever seen."
Over ninety years later, her prophecy has proven true time after time.
Red Rocks Park is a near perfect natural phenomenon, once considered as one of the natural wonders of the world. The forces of nature took their time in creating this rock wonderland. Some sixty million years ago, during the Carboniferous Period in geologist terms, nature exploded, bringing the rock formations up from an ocean bottom and slowly pushing through the settled earth. Then the weather took over, as the wind, sun, heat and cold created the unique rock shapes in a thousand different ways. The natural red color of the towering rocks is caused by the iron oxide content due to the lack of organic matter in the water from which the rocks were originally formed. The natural beauty of the rocks take on a special serene magic as the rising sun changes the aura and the bright sunlight dances on the peaks.
Many visitors and inhabitants have seen the beauty of these red rocks long before our time. Dinosaur tracks are still visible along the north edge of the park. The Native American (the Ute and Arapaho Tribes,) used the area as a spiritual campground. They found the area ideal for protection on the high ground, with a great view of the Plains below. The natural depression in the center of the rock formations provided the arena for the ceremonial dances. The drums and other musical instruments resounded amidst the rocks, adding a mystical sound to their spiritual music. The first recording of the white man bearing witness to the wonderful Red Rock formations, was during the Hayden Survey of 1869. As word of mouth spread of the natural beauty of the Red Rocks, tourists began to visit the area, including the great William F. (Buffalo Bill) Cody.
Shortly thereafter, a road was built for tourists to drive through the natural wonder. In 1906, the area was opened as the "Garden of the Titans," so named for one of the towering red rock peaks near the natural amphitheater. In 1914, John Brisken Walker, who owned the land, opened the area for a park, to be enjoyed by the public.
The sight was an instant tourist attraction. Almost immediately, Walker worked to develop an open air outdoor theater. Short of funds, he lobbied the city of Denver who instantly latched on to the idea. What could have and should have been a beneficial working relationship, turned into ugly government bulldogging by the city of Denver.
A financial settlement could not be reached until 1925. Litigation tied up ownership of the park land for years to follow. The city of Denver finally got tough by filing not one but three orders of condemnation against Walker and his land. In the meantime, the city of Denver bought the surrounding parcels of land. Finally in 1928, after years of fighting "city hall," John B. Walker sold eleven hundred acres (the core of the park,) to the city of Denver for fifty thousand dollars. This sum represented forty-five dollars an acre and included water rights!
In 1932, George Cranmer, Manager of Parks and Recreation under Mayor Benjamin Stapleton, began the designing process for the open air theater conceived by Walker. Noted architect Burnham Hoyt was brought in to design the theater and orchestra pit at the natural depression near the center of the park. The amphitheater needed very little work, as it was a near perfect formation of nature. Flanked by two towering rocks, Creation Rock on the north, and Titanic Rock on the south, the acoustics were as perfect as the Indians had experienced decades earlier. Concealing concrete and steel stabilized the stage area and braced the orchestra pit. The final years of construction were concentrated on the seating area. Long, narrow stone slabs were constructed from red sandstone, and laid in a blasted area to the west of the stage. Because this final phase of construction occurred during the Depression years, labor was recruited from the WPA workers and Colorado Boys Camps. It would take five years to complete.
The new Red Rocks Park opened to the public in June of 1941, with a performance by Helen Jepson. The amphitheater continued to hold concerts throughout the war. Local artists, as well as national celebrities performed at America's unique open air mountain arena.
Following World War II, while the concerts continued, a new venue became popular at Red Rocks. Local church services were held, often including special services such as baptism rights, christenings, and ordination services. Such services lent a spiritual nature to the park and a new audience to enjoy its beauty.
Among these church services, a young organist performed with the First Covenant Church of Denver. He was Clarence Hoglund, my great uncle. He would go on to play at Red Rocks for years, as well as several orchestra venues throughout the city.
These religious services eventually evolved into the annual Sunrise Easter celebrations. Attending such a service is to experience a spiritual event only nature can provide.
Red Rocks Park, with its natural wonder and perfect acoustics, has delighted all audiences from Easter services to classical and jazz performances, to country western and rock and roll venues.
For the natural sound and beauty of Red Rocks bring the performers and the audience together in a way no other theater in America can produce.
Special thanks to the late Joyce Wommack, Ken Hoglund, and Barbara Gillespie.
Copyright © 2002 Linda Wommack. All rights reserved
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