Working on the Intermountain Jewish News 100th Anniversary magazine has refueled our fascination with the Jewish history of the Rocky Mountain West, from the various areas in Denver  to the smaller cities and towns where Jews settled.

Some of the outlying Jewish communities, such as those in Pueblo, Trinidad and Cheyenne once had thriving Jewish populations, each with their own set of synagogues, B’nai B’rith lodges and other organizations.

Economic hardships through the decades took their toll on those communities as Jews left for more promising opportunities in the big city of Denver. Some of those communities continued to operate, just on a smaller scale. Others, such as the Jewish community of Leadville, ceased to exist.