1894: The Midland Band is formed.
The Midland Band achieved national recognition and delighted regional residents across three decades.
Howard Greenough of Colorado City began thinking about a band for Colorado City residents as early as 1889. Comprised of twelve musicians–mostly Midland Railroad workers–the Colorado Midland Band made its first public appearance on June 12, 1894. The band quickly gained popularity and won first place in a competition between 22 bands at Denver’s Festival of Mountains and Plains in 1896. By 1898 it had 35 accomplished musicians, performing classical music as well as popular tunes and marches. Wearing Ute Indian costumes as their signature style, all musicians had to sign a pledge to avoid drinking alcohol. Known for the exceptionally high character of its concerts, the band moved from Colorado City to Colorado Springs in 1900 seeking to become the leading band west of Chicago. The Gazette called it one of the best bands in the country. Thousands came to Stratton Park (at the end of the streetcar line in Cheyenne Canyon) four times per week. The band would often play in one city park in the morning and another in the evening. Winfield Scott Stratton donated $1,000 in 1900 for new uniforms and a bandstand was built in Monument Valley Park for them to play. At one point the band had as many as 50 pieces and played throughout the state and at other national venues. They achieved a fame enjoyed by few other bands in the country. Claiming that no tourist season would be complete without their concerts, the Gazette—the bastion of private enterprise and limited governance–called for municipal ownership to ensure the band’s solvency and reduce the need for constant fundraising. By 1918 the band was a city-owned entity with 24 musicians: 11 brass instruments, 11 woodwinds, and 2 drums. By the mid-1920s the band languished and ceased playing but nonetheless made a lasting impression on the region and the state during their heyday.
