The Rocky Mountain District of Kiwanis International consists of 4,345 (as of 10/1/04) members serving in 125 clubs located in 17 divisions throughout the states of Colorado, Wyoming, and the panhandle of Nebraska.
The district was formed on September 25, 1918 as the Colorado District at Denver, Colorado. At that time there was only one club in existence – the Denver Club formed February 2, 1918. Wyoming was combined with Colorado to form the District of Colorado-Wyoming by action of the Executive Committee on November 27, 1920. The name of the district was changed once again from the Colorado-Wyoming District to the Rocky Mountain District on August 30, 1932.
The first ten clubs organized in the Rocky Mountain District were:
Denver, Colorado February 2, 1918
Pueblo, Colorado October 4, 1920
Colorado Springs, Colorado December 22, 1920
Manitou Springs, Colorado February 14, 1921
Casper, Wyoming May 1, 1921
Laramie, Wyoming November 10, 1921
Golden, Colorado December 7, 1921
Cheyenne, Wyoming January 27, 1922
Douglas, Wyoming February 8, 1922
Greeley, Colorado March 21, 1922
Early History:
1918 was an eventful year in our history. Woodrow Wilson was President of the United States, a half million people died of influenza in the United States and on November 11 th, World War I was ended when the Armistice was signed in Marshall Foch’s railway coach near Compiegne, France at 11:00 a.m. Rudolph Friml’s “I’m Always Chasing Rainbows” was the popular tune as Boston won the World Series from Chicago.
During the waning year of World War I when the United States was beset with many problems including the war and worst epidemic of influenza in history, Robert J. Williams of Denver conceived the idea of forming a service club in Denver and wrote to Kiwanis, which had been organized in Detroit in 1915. Kiwanis sent two organizers to Denver, who on February 2, 1918, completed the organization of the Denver Club in the Savoy Hotel, the first club in the Colorado District. There were 206 charter members who had the desire “To Build”. The club sent delegates to their first International Convention in Providence, Rhode Island that year.
