Fifty for 150: Kerouac’s ‘On the Road’ immortalizes mid-century Denver with 1957 publication

By: Quentin Young

Outlets: Colorado Newsline

Published: July 3, 2026

Words: 734

Last Updated: 2 weeks, 5 days ago

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Early in the semi-autobiographical novel “On the Road,” the young New York writer Sal Paradise decides to make a cross-country trip, and he dreams of the good times he’ll have in the “Promised Land” of Denver, home of the mythical character Dean Moriarty.

Paradise, a stand-in for author Jack Kerouac, buses and hitchhikes until he reaches Wyoming and heads south to Colorado, where he plans to see characters who were inspired by the real-life poet …

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