20th Century

The 20^th Century left an indelible mark on Colorado. From the Dust Bowl to the military, there are numerous sites dedicated to telling the stories that shaped the state in the 1900s. The repercussions of the 1930s drought on dry land farmers of the Eastern Plains led to today’s beautiful open space of the Comanche National Grasslands and the civic buildings and public art of the New Deal projects completed in many Colorado cities. The World Wars brought a military hospital and air force base to the heart of the Front Range. Fitzsimons Army Medical Center in Aurora, now home to the Anschutz Medical Center, was the temporary White House after President Dwight Eisenhower suffered a heart attack while vacationing in Colorado. Today, his restored suite at Fitzsimons provides an opportunity to see examples of the furniture and hospital equipment in 1955. Another military site, Lowry Air Force Base, closed in 1994, today houses the Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum where visitors can learn about the former base and aviation history.