09/30/2026
In the shadowed valleys and snowbound mining camps of 19th-century Colorado, terrible deeds left scars on the frontier. Yet long before the dust settled, those coldblooded crimes were transformed—reimagined in the ink and paper of a nation obsessed with the macabre.
From the gruesome legend of Alferd Packer to the unspoken secrets of Denver’s early underworld, frontier violence was rarely seen as it truly happened. Instead, it was filtered through dramatic woodcut engravings, sensational tabloid broadsides,
and dime-novel thrillers.
During a free lecture on October 14, adjunct history professor Kelle Roberts will untangle fact from fiction and explore how real-life horror became sensational entertainment—and forever changed how we see the West.
Join us to get your spooky on! October 14, 6pm in the auditorium.
