Cheesman Park: Denver's Queer Gathering Place Since the 1950s

Cheesman Park Denver LGBTQ history begins on ground that was once a cemetery. The park sits in Capitol Hill, and its story runs from that cemetery to a gay-in that the Colorado Experience episode covers as Denver's first Pride gathering at the park, and on to the parade route that still starts there. The park is worth the trip for that layered history: a converted cemetery, the Cheesman Memorial Pavilion, and a lawn that has hosted queer gatherings for decades.

Prospect Hill Cemetery was converted to a public park, a change covered in Hidden History of Cheesman Park. The Colorado Experience episode covers the same conversion and the construction of the Cheesman Memorial Pavilion. Read in order, the park's history moves from cemetery to park to gathering place, and the LGBTQ+ uses came later, on ground that had already been both.

Cheesman Park has served as an LGBTQ+ gathering place since the 1950s, in the Capitol Hill neighborhood where it sits, according to Cheesman Park - The Center on Colfax. That listing describes the park as a known cruising area for gay men. These uses are older than the first Pride gathering at the park, which the next section covers, so a walk through the park connects everyday history with the public celebrations that followed.

A gay-in at Cheesman Park drew 50 activists, according to the Colorado Experience episode. The program treats that gathering as Denver's first Pride at the park. It is the starting point for the parade route described in the next section.

Denver's first parade permit for a Pride march was pulled, according to Colorado Experience. The route runs from Cheesman Park down Franklin, then along Colfax, to Civic Center. The Denver Pride parade still starts at the park, per Colorado Experience and LGBTQ Colorado. For the Colfax end of the route, read Colfax Avenue: Queer History of Denver's Most Notorious Street.

The park hosts AIDS Walk Colorado, which LGBTQ Colorado lists among its community events. Check with the event organizers and the land manager for current dates, park rules and conditions before you go. Check the weather before you leave, and carry water for a walk across the lawn.

When did Denver's first Pride take place at Cheesman Park? The first Pride gathering at the park was a gay-in, and the Colorado Experience episode is the source to check for its timing.

What was Cheesman Park before it became a park? It was Prospect Hill Cemetery, which was converted to a public park, as PBS explains.

Why is Cheesman Park important to Denver's LGBTQ community? It has served as an LGBTQ+ gathering place since the 1950s, it was the site of Denver's first Pride gathering at the park, and the parade route still starts there. The park lets a visitor follow that history on foot.

Before the park's first Pride, Denver LGBTQ+ History Before Stonewall: Early Queer Venues covers early queer venues. For the later history of Denver's Pride celebration, read the Denver PrideFest history. The Denver LGBTQ+ Archives guide covers where to research this period.

Updated 2026-10-13: removed bare years no listed source states; kept the cemetery, first Pride and parade sections; added inline citations.