In 1871, the dirt path street of South Broadway (south of Cherry Creek) was graded and improved by Thomas Skerritt who cultivated apple orchards in Englewood near the present day site of S. Broadway and Hampden Ave. Skerritt wanted the road improved for farmers living to the south of Denver to enable them to bring their agricultural products into Denver. Shade trees were planted along the length of Broadway from Cherry Creek to Jewell Ave. after Skerrit improved the road. The right-of-way on Broadway is 100 ft. That right-of-way was established on August 31, 1898 “to form a thoroughfare of full and uniform width of 100 feet”, hence the name.” Broadway.”(1). Without Skerritt's forethought and considerable improvements, the area of South Broadway that we know today would not have been possible. There would not be streetcars, horsecars, electric buses, or even the notable shopping district that we have come to know a love.
Sources: (1) https://www.denvergov.org/content/dam/denvergov/Portals/479/documents/Hi...
Image Source: The Denver Public Library, Western History Collection, Call Number X-27902 & X-27903
