In the late 19th century, large civic celebrations required a master of fire and flavor. In Denver, Colorado, that master was Columbus B. Hill, an iconic African American pitmaster originally from Missouri. He revolutionized Western culinary gatherings with his massive, open-air brick trench pit architecture. His open-air engineering turned raw earth and local hardwood into monumental public feasts.
He famously fed 25,000 people at the 1890 State Capitol cornerstone laying. He also cooked for a staggering crowd of 30,000 at the 1898 stock show barbecue. Despite his incredible public reach, Hill faced systemic erasure and was originally buried in 1923 at Denver’s historic Riverside Cemetery without a headstone. Today, thanks to modern recovery efforts by food historians, we recognize his historic 2023 induction into the American Royal Barbecue Hall of Fame. We speak his name, we acknowledge and honor his foundation, and we recognize the undeniable artistry of his contribution.
