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People walk across a busy main street in Louisville, Colorado in the early 1900s.

Louisville

By Jon Pinnow
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In Kentucky it's Louisville, named for French King Louis. But in Colorado, German-born engineer Louis Nawatny bought 40 acres in 1878, and named it after himself: Louisville.

Louis Nawatny was not a revered town father. After just two years, he left Louisville, and may even have faked his own death to avoid unpaid debts. Still, the town prospered on coal and pasta. An Italian immigrant’s spaghetti at his Blue Parrot restaurant became so popular that several Italian eateries sprang up downtown to meet the demand. Louisville became so strongly identified with pasta that at the dedication of State Highway 42, officials cut a spaghetti noodle instead of ribbon. In 1986, villagers made a continuous noodle, nine hundred and thirty-nine feet long, that put Louisville in the Guinness Book of World Records.

With thanks to the Louisville Historical Museum.

Colorado Postcards

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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.

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