Colorado Flashback: The Final Hours of Stapleton Airport

Before the massive and mysterious Denver International Airport opened on February 28, 1995, Colorado's main air transportation hub was located in Denver's Central Park and was known as Stapleton International Airport.

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However, after serving the state for over 60 years, the airport could no longer keep up and was closed for good.

Some of Colorado's Old Stapleton Airport Still Exists

Luckily, some of the airport still exists and have been converted into commercial properties, and even more lucky, footage of the last day in which Stapleton National Airport was open still exists as well, giving us a glimpse into what it was like to travel out of the air hub.

Colorado's Old Airport on its Last Day

Keep scrolling to take a virtual tour of the nearly-abandoned Stapleton National Airport on the last day in it was open:

In addition to giving viewers a glimpse into what the airport looked like, the footage shows how eerily abandoned it was as it prepared to close its doors for the last time.

Colorado's Stapleton Airport Nearly Abandoned

The footage also tells an evenly whimsical and almost sad tale of the phone ringing without being answered, the escalators being turned off, the doors being taped up, and all but one desk being abandoned.

Colorado's Stapleton Airport's Last Employee + Passenger

That desk was occupied by a woman working her last night shift at Stapleton National Airport, only appearing to get up to rouse the final would-be passenger of the airport, who, after skiing in Aspen for two weeks, attempted to fly back to his home in Brazil, only to find a desolate wasteland where the airport once was.