page_title: Walter Cheesman
section_title: Career
hierarchical_section_title: Walter Cheesman / Career
caption_attribution_description: العربية: دنڤر، عاصمة ولاية كولورادو الأمريكيَّة، حوالي سنة 1898. منظرٌ من على سطح مبنى الحُكومة المحليَّة، باتجاه الشمال الغربي نحو الشارع رقم 16. يظهر تقاطع شارعا برودواي ورقم 16 في المُقدمة. المبنى المُقبب جهة اليسار هو محكمة مقاطعة أراپاهو، التي هُدمت سنة 1933. يظهر فندق قصر براون على الجهة اليُمنى. English: Denver, Colorado, circa 1898. View from the top of the Colorado State Capitol, facing northwest looking down 16th St. The intersection of 16th and Broadway is in the foreground. The domed building on the left side is the Arapahoe County Courthouse, demolished in 1933. The Brown Palace Hotel is visible on the right side. (description from File:Denver Colorado 1898 LOC 09570u.jpg by User:Balcer~commonswiki)
context_page_description: Walter Cheesman was an American businessman who was involved in railroad, finance, real estate, and water industries. After beginning his career in New York and Chicago, he lived in Denver, where Cheesman Dam, Cheesman Reservoir, and Cheesman Park are named for him.
context_section_description: Cheesman moved to Chicago in 1854 to start a pharmacy business with William Henry and Edward Talbot Cheesman, his older brothers. His brothers came to Denver in 1859 and opened a pharmacy store, but they were not very successful, so Cheesman came to Denver in 1861 and took over the business. He added bottled water and liquor to the store's merchandise. The town's first drug store was located near the corner of Fifteenth and Blake. He operated the business until 1874, when he sold it. 
  In 1868 he, John Evans and David H. Moffat began work to build the Denver Pacific Railroad to Cheyenne, Wyoming. Cheesman was president of the railroad for several years. He planned for the construction of the Union Station, and he was active in the building of the Denver Boulder Valley Railroad and South Park Road. The railroad helped Denver become a major city. He also was a director of the Denver, Northern, and Pacific Railway Company.
  Cheesman determined the location of the court house by purchasing the land and selling it to the city for an affordable price. The court house otherwise would have been located further from the center of the city.  He was an organizer of the International Trust Company and served as a member of its executive committee for more than 15 years, and he was a member of the Denver Real Estate Exchange. He bought real estate throughout the years, established financial institutions, and helped develop mines.
  In 1870, he became a principal in a company to provide water to Denver and served on the board of directors. Two water plants were consolidated into the monopolistic Denver Union Water Company in 1894, and he, David Moffat, and Thomas Hayden owned the controlling stock. Cheesman became president of the company that grew to a $25 million organization. He built dams, reservoirs, and filtration and distribution systems. Cheesman Dam and Cheesman Reservoir are named for him.
caption: View from the top of the Colorado State Capitol, facing northwest looking down 16th St. The intersection of 16th and Broadway is in the foreground. The domed building on the left side is the County Courthouse, demolished in 1933.
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