This popular Denver leaf viewing area was once barren of trees

DENVER ( KDVR ) — Today, Denver's roads are lined with trees that provide a canopy with hues of orange and red in the fall. But many of those trees were not there in the early days of the Mile High City.

In the middle and late 1800s, the area that is now home to the University of Denver campus was mostly flat land with little to no trees blocking the view of the Front Range. It's one of many areas that was barren of trees at the time.

Deciduous trees are the kind that change colors and drop leaves in the fall, but there aren't many that are native to the high plains .

So, how did the University of Denver become a favorite leaf-peeping spot for both Coloradans and travelers?

Trees were required for the University of Denver

John Evans opened the Colorado Seminary in 1863 near 14th Street and Arapahoe Street, and though it started with the promise of much success, it did not last long. According to a University of Denver based on Allen D. Breck's 1996 book "From the Rockies to the World," the school was forced to close after four years of challenges with "administering a small seminary school on the frontier in the post-Civil War period."

In 1880, the school reopened as the University of Denver having benefitted from population growth, increased transportation availability and business expansion. However, that development landlocked the building and limited expansion opportunities, according to a Denver Library .

In June 1884, Elizabeth Iliff Warren gifted $100,000 to the university on the stipulation that the school finds a permanent location "away from the distractions, noise and smoke of downtown Denver," the DU states.

The founders wanted to create University Park to be a "utopian educational colony," according to the Denver Library .

The university chose 150 acres of land located three miles southeast of the Denver city limits. The land was donated by Rufus "Potato" Clark , a pioneer of the Denver area who was known for his success as a potato farmer along the South Platte River. Clark also donated the land for the state Capitol and was the reason many trees and cherry orchards were planted across the metro area.

With his land donation, Clark had some conditions for how it should be developed; he required 1,000 trees to be planted in parks and along the streets within a year, a street grid to be laid and alcohol could never be made or sold in the area.

University Hall

Another stipulation of Clark's donation required the university to immediately begin construction on its principal building Old Main, which today still stands as University Hall.

Historic images from History Colorado show the building before trees were ever planted.

Chamberlin Observatory

Away from the main campus at Observatory Park, the cornerstone for the Chamberlin Observatory was laid in 1890. There were no trees in the area at the time, as shown in these photos from History Colorado, but today, it is surrounded by trees that were planted throughout the park.

University of Denver in the 1900s and today University of Denver Chester M. Alter Arboretum

Clark's requirement that the university plant trees was "a harbinger to the establishment of Alter Arboretum on the campus," the DU states.

According to the university, Chester M. Alter spearheaded a building boom and helped the campus grow when he served as chancellor of the University of Denver from 1953 to 1967.

In 1999, then-Chancellor Daniel L. Ritchie founded the Chester M. Alter Arboretum with the trees on campus. Today, the arboretum provides research and educational opportunities, as well as a place for people to appreciate nature.

The arboretum is home to some 2,100 trees and thousands of woody plants, including more than 427 species and varieties, according to the website .

"In time, the Arboretum's collection will include all native Colorado species capable of flourishing on the Front Range, as well as a variety of ecologically adapted specimens from around the world," the website states.

There are some historically significant, mature trees throughout the arboretum, including 10 state champion trees , which are the largest of their particular species recorded in the state.