Friends told singer Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. his name was too long to fit on a marquee, so in the early sixties he changed it to reflect his favorite state’s capital.
John Denver drew even more inspiration from Colorado. He wrote “Rocky Mountain High” while camping at Williams Lake on Mount Sopris near Carbondale. It was a huge hit worldwide, and by 2007, officially one of Colorado’s two state songs.
Some years later, a Littleton woman tried to get the eastern peak of Mount Sopris renamed John Denver Peak. While many people supported the name change, locals weren’t so sure. Some blamed John Denver for ruining Aspen with tourism, and some felt many other landmarks would have been more suitable tributes to him.
In the end, the name change petition was never sent to the U.S. Board of Geographic Names, and so anyone seeking the serenity of John Denver still has to climb Mt. Sopris.
About Colorado Postcards
Colorado Postcards are snapshots of our colorful state in sound. They give brief insights into our people and places, our flora and fauna, and our past and present, from every corner of Colorado.
