Taos Lightning Makes Denver’s First Christmas a Little too Jolly

Uncle Dick Wootton

Like any extended family gathering during the holidays, Denver’s first Christmas was no less contentious. In the autumn of 1858, gold seekers and speculators from every corner of the Union converged at Cherry Creek and the South Platte River. The pioneers included a hodgepodge of miners, merchants, southerners, abolitionists, mountain men, businessmen, Christians, Mormons, and Arapahoe Indians. Early gold seekers like William Green Russell established Auraria on the west bank of Cherry Creek, while businessmen like General William Larimer settled Denver on the east bank. Before long, all 100 of them were bitterly arguing over which side of the creek would host the main town center. The pioneers didn’t stop their petty bickering until Christmas morning, when a particularly vile concoction of whiskey called “Taos Lightning” made its first appearance in the territory.