Colorado History columnist

Kenneth Jessen

Kenneth Jessen has lived in Loveland since 1965 and has contributed to area newspapers for more than four decades. He has written more than 2,000 illustrated articles published along with 20 books. Jessen is in his third year teaching adult education at Colorado State University (OSHER program) and has lectured in Northern Colorado.

Kenneth Jessen: Front Range Passenger Rail — many unanswered questions (guest opinion)

April 26, 2026 at 6:22 a.m.

Riding Bustang from Loveland or Fort Collins to Denver is fast and inexpensive, but all riders would have to agree that the ride is bumpy, seats are uncomfortable and leg...

Kenneth Jessen: Would passenger rail from Fort Collins to Denver be practical using existing tracks?

May 20, 2024 at 7:00 a.m.

The future of passenger rail from Fort Collins and Loveland to Denver and on south has been in the news. Leaving Fort Collins, assume that there will be rail stations...

LOVELAND, CO - May 11, 2022: Designed by noted Denver architect Robert K. Fuller, the Rialto's exterior is a classical revival with a terra cotta facade. Once covered, the center bay is capped by a transom of leaded glass that spells out "Rialto." (Kenneth Jessen / For the Loveland Reporter-Herald)

Loveland’s Rialto Theater celebrates more than 100 years

May 15, 2022 at 8:20 a.m.

It has been a long road over 100 years for the Rialto Theater. At times, it was a bumpy one.

ESTES PARK, CO - UNDATED: Agnes Vaille perished on a winter attempt on Longs Peak in January 1925. Her Swiss climbing companion Walter Kiener was left crippled for life due to loss of fingers and toes due to frostbite. (Estes Park Museum)

Women in Northern Colorado History: Agnes Vaille died making winter climb of Longs Peak

March 17, 2022 at 8:48 p.m.

On Jan. 10, 1925, Agnes Vaille set out with Swiss-born Walter Kiener to climb the east face of Longs Peak.

Isabella Bird was a noted English author and traveler. In 1873, she came to Colorado, where she met Rocky Mountain Jim Nugent. (Estes Park Museum)

Women in Northern Colorado History: Isabella Bird’s Colorado adventure

March 16, 2022 at 8:25 p.m.

In August 1873, after a stop in Hawaii, Isabella Bird sailed to San Francisco then traveled by train to Colorado. She wanted to see the entire state, but picked the...

The Auntie Stone cabin survives today in the fenced Heritage Courtyard at Mathews and Olive in Library Park near downtown Fort Collins. The courtyard is open from May to October Saturdays from noon to 6 p.m. (Kenneth Jessen)

Women in Northern Colorado History: Auntie Stone: first woman to own land and pay taxes in Larimer County

March 15, 2022 at 9:14 p.m.

The commanding officer at the Fort Collins in 1864 appointed Judge Lewis Stone and his wife Elizabeth to run an officers’ mess hall. The Stones were in their 60s and...

ESTES PARK, CO - JUNE 14, 2007: Trees prevent recreating the historic view of the Wigwam Tearoom, but this view shows several additions. (Kenneth Jessen)

Women in Northern Colorado History: Anna Wolfrom was a pioneer Estes Park businesswoman

March 14, 2022 at 9:40 p.m.

How Anna Wolfrom became a pioneer female Estes Park entrepreneur is a convoluted story with an unlikely ending.

LONGMONT, CO - UNDATED: Sarah Milner Smith was initially hired in 1865 as a teacher in the pioneer settlement of Burlington, the forerunner of Longmont. Before the school year ended, she was offered a teaching position in the Big Thompson Valley. (Longmont Museum)

Women of history: Sarah Milner Smith served as a pioneer teacher

March 13, 2022 at 6:53 p.m.

Editor's note: This week the Reporter-Herald will share stories from historian Kenneth Jessen of women in Loveland-area history to mark Women's History Month. In 1864, Sarah Milner Smith's family left...

DENVER, CO - FEB. 17, 2022: Isom Dart had this formal portrait taken. He sports two guns stuck in his belt. He was shot in cold blood by range detective Tom Horn. (Denver Public Library, Western History Department)

A look at Black history: Black cowboy Isom Dart killed by assassin Tom Horn

February 21, 2022 at 3:49 p.m.

Black cowboy Isom Dart drifted around the West and probably got his start breaking horses while working at the Goodnight Ranch in Texas. Dart drifted into Colorado and built a...

Entrepreneur Barney Ford was run off of his gold claim near Breckenridge only to return and become a wealthy man.

A look at Black history: Former slave Barney Ford becomes Colorado millionaire

February 20, 2022 at 6:17 p.m.

Discrimination against Blacks ran rampant in early Colorado. Under the law, they were not allowed to own homesteads or mining property. To avoid problems, Barney Ford used the name of...

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