Between the Plains and the Mountains Denver Colorado was built along streams and rivers on the high flat grassy plains Nearby are the foothills of the Rocky Mountains The Front Range Mountains part of the Rocky Mountains are the closest to Denver They are some of the highest mountains on the eastern side of the Rockies MOST PEOPLE THINK DENVER IS IN THE MOUNTAINS IT ISN'T IT IS ON FLAT LAND CALLED PLAINS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE UNITED STATES 4
Millions of years ago dinosaurs wandered this area After they disappeared mammoths giant bison and even camels lived here At Dinosaur Ridge you can see dinosaur footprints dried in the mud and bones still in the ground 5
The Rocky Mountains affect life on the plains They are so tall and the mountainsides so steep they make travel difficult They also affect the weather Most days in Denver are sunny with little rain or snow They have mild winters with a warm wind that melts any snow they get SELAMA Deriver Notes In 1982 Denver got almost 24 inches 61 centimeters of snow in 24 hours wind blew the snow until it was over 120 inches 304 5 centimeters high in some places 6
At first American Indians lived in the area but not all year The Comanche camped there until they began using horses Then they spent more time further out on the Great Plains The Arapahoe and Cheyenne camped and hunted near where Denver is today At Denver's Museum of Nature Science you can leam about the American Indians who lived in the area 7
