In the late 1880s, long before glowing skyline views and sleek rooftop decks defined North Denver, a simple wooden streetcar began clattering up the steep dirt rise west of the South Platte River. Commuters stepping off at 23rd Avenue weren't standing in Denver at all… they were in the independent, saloon-free retreat of Highlands, taking in a quiet, elevated vantage point over the smokestacks below.