Why Is It Called Cherry Creek? The Bitter Truth Behind Denver’s Iconic

📍 Location: Cherry Creek runs through downtown Denver, paralleled by the popular Cherry Creek Trail. The Misleading Name Despite its sweet-sounding title, Cherry Creek wasn’t named for cultivated cherries. The waterway owes its identity to the chokecherry (Prunus virginiana), a wild fruit that grows along its banks. Early settlers found these small, reddish berries—but biting into one raw? Brace for a face-puckering, astringent shock! Native American Heritage 🍒 Survival Superfood: The Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes harvested ripe (dark purple) chokecherries, mashing and drying them to mix with bison meat in pemmican—a high-energy travel staple. Sweetened with honey, they made jams; the bark served as cold remedies and even tobacco substitutes. 🏞️ A Name Born of Tradition: Generations of Indigenous people gathered these berries along the creek, dubbing it the "Chokecherry Creek". When white settlers arrived, they dropped the "choke" (perhaps for marketing?) and kept "Cherry"—despite the fruit’s notorious bitterness. Modern Cherry Creek 🌊 Legacy of Floods: The creek fueled Denver’s growth but also unleashed devastating floods (like the 1864 disaster that reshaped the city). Today, its tamed waters blend urban recreation with hidden history. #ColoradoHistory #Denver #Chokecherry #IndigenousCulture #UrbanRivers