Parade in Denver proceeding a convention of Klansmen

Taken from the The Denver Public Library's Digital Image Collection.

[image error]

It was pointed out in the discussion of the last of these posts that swastikas in Denver as a symbol of racial purity in the 1920s and 1930s would not have been out of place. Which made me think of one of the more sordid periods in Denver history.

After D.W. Griffith's pro-Klan feature movie Birth of a Nation — the first feature-length film in the history of cinema, and a, inexplicable perennial favorite of top 100 movie lists — Klan activity exploded. And Colorado had the largest Klan presence west of the Mississippi. According to this excellent article in the Colorado Springs Independent:

After the general election of 1924, the governor, Clarence Morley, was a Klansman. Benjamin Stapleton, the mayor of Denver, consulted the Klan when making appointments. U.S. Senator Rice Means was elected with open Klan support. The state House of Representatives had a Klan majority. Klansmen marched and burned crosses in small towns throughout the state, from Great Plains through the mountains to the Western Slope. A city council, or the mayor's office, or the police and sheriff's departments, or the county government — many fell under the Klan's control.

This is Governor Morley, surrounded by his associates:

[image error]

Original here, so you can zoom to your heart's content.

Also from the same article:

The Ku Klux Klan of the 1920s was a national movement that gained its greatest political success in Colorado — perhaps because Colorado, in a perversely progressive way, was the only Klan realm with a women's auxiliary. It was national organization of white Protestants who supported "100% Americanism" and opposed lawlessness — especially the rampant violation of Prohibition.

Here's a beautiful shot of the ladies auxiliary:

[image error]

Original here. I love the expression on the face of the woman furthest to the right.

Also from the article:

About that same time, Dr. Clarence Holmes, president of the Denver NAACP chapter, started a drive to integrate Denver's theaters. The Klan burned a cross in front of his office and sent a threatening note, but he persisted.

This is a picture of the burned cross outside Dr. Holmes' office:

[image error]

Original here.

The Klan in Colorado were far from being a secret organization; they operated completely in the open. This picture is titled "Klan member at 'Klan Day' at the races at Overland Park."

[image error]

Original here.

This one's my favorite for its pure corniness, though. It's a photomontage called "Kastle Kountry Klub," though no indication is given as to why.

[image error]

Original here.