The Boulder Commercial Association (now the Boulder Chamber) is founded by a group of business owners with a like-minded vision: promoting Boulder's up-and-coming economy. Its first headquarters opened on the 1500 block of Pearl Street.

Beginning in the early 1900s, Boulder saw a population increase driven mainly by the mining industry and the establishment of The University of Colorado. Realizing a need to lay a solid foundation for Boulder's up-and-coming economy, The Boulder Commercial Association buckled in and got to work. 

In 1906, the Boulder Commercial Association envisioned a plan to attract more visitors, businesses, and potential investors to Boulder --- constructing a first-class hotel. There was one notable kink in this plan, however: There simply wasn't enough funding to bolster such a remarkable idea.

So, the Boulder Commercial Association devised a brilliant solution: a stock subscription campaign that encouraged residents and investors to purchase shares in the project. The heart of this campaign rested in the fact that The Boulderado would be owned by the community, and its success would have a direct impact on Boulder's economy.

The campaign was a major success, with the community raising approximately $100,000. (~$3 million today) Following two years of construction, Hotel Boulderado opened its doors on New Year's Day, 1908.

During the Great Depression, the City of Boulder, along with support from the Chamber, introduced the first public bus system. Initially, bus systems around town were owned by private companies until the City took control of the operation. The Chamber supported this development, understanding that the system was a fantastic way to improve access to local businesses, tourist attractions, and residential areas. The last streetcars in Boulder would be retired on June 1, 1931, and replaced with four "Mack" buses. The streetcars had traveled 150,000 miles since 1899. 

Although the motor industry had been booming in the decades prior, the economic circumstances of the Great Depression made it so that fewer people could afford personal vehicles, making Boulder's first bus system a much-needed service to residents facing financial hardship.

The introduction of Boulder's first bus system paved the way for continuous development and investment in Boulder's public transportation sector for nearly a century to come. 

In the mid-to-late 1930's, the Chamber made tourism a key initiative. The New Deal, enacted by the then United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt, was a series of public works projects and financial reforms to curb the effects of The Great Depression.

This legislation had several positive impacts on Boulder's infrastructure and economy. The Works Progress Administration (WPA) funded various improvements to public buildings, roads, and recreation space --- The Boulder Canyon Dam being one. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in Boulder began developing parks and trails, including improvements to Flagstaff Mountain. The Public Works Administration (PWA) constructed new transportation networks, making it easier to travel throughout Boulder. 

With improved infrastructure brought by New Deal Programs, Boulder was better suited to host tourists and increase investor appeal. The Boulder Chamber capitalized on these advancements and began to promote tourism like never before through vigorous advertisement and tourist-centric event planning.

In 1943, the city bought 36 acres of the Hayden Field property and renamed it Boulder Municipal Airport. Soon after, they graded the main runway, added runway markers, and constructed the first city-owned building. A year later, in 1944, Boulder would see it's first commercial flight

During World War II, the airport hosted the Army Air Corps’ Civilian Pilot Training Program, where U.S. Navy aircrews learned to fly the J-3 “Cub” trainer and surveillance aircraft.

Posed in front of the airplane on June 19, 1944, Fred Stevens, Gene Love (Chamber of Commerce president), H.C. McClintock (City Manager), the unnamed pilot, and Mr. Massey.

In the late 1940s, Boulder faced challenges creating jobs for its 20,000 residents, with only two major companies employing a combined 200 people. Francis Reich, the ambitious manager of the Boulder Chamber of Commerce, made job creation his top priority. Under his leadership, the Chamber launched the "Progress Campaign," which spearheaded several initiatives to boost the local economy.

One of the campaign's early successes was attracting Esquire magazine to Boulder. Reich and 175 businesses raised $75,000 to bring the influential publication to the city, creating 180 jobs when its offices opened in July 1949. Another milestone was the construction of the Denver-Boulder Turnpike, a toll road championed by Reich and the Chamber that shortened the commute to Denver by seven miles, improving accessibility and regional connectivity.

The campaign’s most transformative achievement came in 1949 when the National Bureau of Standards sought a new site for its Central Radio Propagation Laboratory. Concerned about nuclear threats during the Cold War, the U.S. government prioritized decentralizing research facilities. Boulder, with its strong university and minimal radio interference, became a contender among many cities.

Reich traveled to Washington, D.C., that fall to promote Boulder as the ideal location. Armed with photographs, films, and answers to officials’ questions, he highlighted Boulder’s potential. The effort paid off, and on December 15, 1949, Boulder was chosen as the lab's new home—a pivotal moment that solidified the city’s future as a hub for innovation and research.

Thanks to Francis Reich's tenacious lobbying for government labs in Boulder, as a part of his "Progress Campaign," our city was chosen as the location for the government's Central Radio Propagation Laboratory. 

The Chamber of Commerce located a 208-acre plot of land for the lab, and the land was subsequently donated by the people of Boulder.

The 208-acre parcel, located west of what is now Broadway and extending to Boulder Open Space, marked the southern boundary of Boulder. In just one week, 296 individuals, businesses, and organizations raised $90,000 to purchase the site. The Chamber of Commerce offered the land to the National Bureau of Standards (NBS), now known as NIST, which accepted the proposal and chose Boulder as the location for the new Radio Propagation Lab. Construction began in 1952, and in 1954, President Eisenhower visited to dedicate the new facility.

The "Jaycees" (Junior Chamber of Commerce) hosted and participated in many fundraising events and community campaigns throughout the mid-20th century. One of them being the "Light a Bumper" campaign, an effort to encourage road safety in the city.

Bumper lights on automobiles would not become nationally mandated until 1968, so it's fair to say that the Boulder Jaycees were ahead of their time in auto-safety. 

Two young brothers enjoy a meal at the Boulder Chamber's 1956 picnic, dedicated to Boulder area teachers.

Hikes at the Arapaho Glacier were held for a number of years. The Boulder Chamber of Commerce organized the hikes annually on the second Sunday in August from 1939 through 1976. Laurence Paddock notes that "over the years, more than 14,000 persons from carried infants to 80-year-olds took part, with the only two injuries reported in 1954." 

(Carnegie Library for Local History, Boulder)

In 1941, the Highway Committee of the Boulder Chamber of Commerce began pushing for a direct road between Boulder and Denver. After World War II, a dedicated committee was formed to focus on the project, overcoming obstacles and skepticism about toll financing.

In July 1950, $6.3 million in bonds were approved, and the Denver-Boulder Turnpike opened in January 1952. It was the first highway of its kind in Colorado, predating the Interstate Highway System it later resembled. Remarkably, the bonded debt was paid off 13 years ahead of schedule, and in September 1967, the turnpike became a free public highway.

The Boulder Chamber's Visitor and Conference Bureau, now known as Visit Boulder, had many unique ways of drawing the attention of Boulder tourists. Among their many quirky tactics was the mobile visitor information center pictured above, in June of 1977.