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Douglas
County, CO Historical Timeline
| |
Castle Rock |
|
Cherry Valley/ Spring Valley/ Greenland |
|
Franktown | |
Highlands Ranch and Lone Tree |
|
Larkspur |
| |
Louviers |
|
Mountains |
|
Parker |
|
Roxborough |
|
Sedalia |
1,100,000,000 BCE
|
| |
| * Pike's Peak Granite, from which the Rampart Range
is composed, is formed. (Bauer,
Geology p.27) |
|
54,000,000 BCE
|
| |
| * The area around Castle Rock
is a rain forest, receiving up to 100 inches of precipitation per
year. (Douglas County News-Press
August 30, 1995. |
|
c. 13,000 BCE
|
| |
| * Mammoth, horse, camel, and bison frequent the
Lamb Spring area. (Heckendorn) |
|
c. 8,000 -9000 BCE
|
| |
| * Paleo-Indians of the Cody Complex hunt wild game
near Lamb Spring. (Heckendorn) |
|
c. 5500BC -1300AD
|
| |
| * Paleo-Indians live in Douglas County. (Noel
p.43) |
|
c. 1050
|
| |
| * High plains indians of the Upper Republican Phase
settle in the Franktown vicinity as
well as lower Jarre Creek.
This culture is marked by nascent horticulture and cord-marked ceramic
jars. It also seems likely that several severe droughts occurred
during this period. (Gunnerson
pp. 65-76) |
|
c. 1500
|
| |
| * Ute Indians settle in Rocky Mountain Region of
Colorado, including Western Douglas County. (CSA
p.1) |
|
1682
|
| |
| * Robert Cavalier, Sieur de La Salle claims Mississippi
River drainage for France. He names the area Louisiana for Louis
XIV. (Stone p.34) |
|
1741
|
| |
| * Pierre and Paul Mallet follow the Platte River
to the Rocky Mountains. This would have put them in Douglas County.
(PBS) |
|
1763
|
|
|
| * The Treaty of Paris is signed, ending of French
and Indian War. France cedes Louisiana to Spain. (Stone
p.35) |
|
1801
|
|
|
| * The Treaty of Madrid forces Spain to relinquish
the Louisiana Territory to France. (Stone
p.35) |
|
1803
|
| |
| * April 30: Napoleon sells the Louisiana Territory
to United States for $15 Million (Magill
p.445) |
| * May 9: Negotiations completed for the Louisiana
Purchase. |
|
1820
|
|
|
| * Numerous Native American tribes live in the Colorado
area. The Utes live in the mountains, the Cheyenne and Arapahoe
reside on the plains from the Arkansas to the Platte rivers. (CSA) |
| * July 7: Major Stephen Long and the Long Expedition
enters Douglas County near the area where the South Platte River
flows from the mountains. |
| * July 9: Long and another ascend a high butte,
probably Dawson Butte, to get their bearings. July 10: The Long
Expedition exits Douglas County to the south. (Bell
p. 148-159) |
|
1831
|
|
|
| * Thomas Fitzpatrick, founder of the Rocky Mountain
Fur Company, surveys what is now I-25 through Douglas County. (Douglas
County News, December 1974.) |
|
1843
|
|
|
| * John C. Fremont's second expedition takes Fremont
and thirty-eight companions through Douglas County. Among members
of the company are Kit Carson, and future territorial governor William
Gilpin. (Stone p.58) |
|
1846
|
| |
| * August: Francis Parkman travels though future
Douglas County on his exploration of the American West. His travels
are recounted in his book The Oregon Trail. (Parkman
p.305-306) |
|
1849
|
| |
| * Parties of miners, including Green
Russell travel the Trapper's Trail on the way to the California
Gold Rush. They discover a little gold along Cherry Creek, possibly
in future Douglas County. (Hall,
Vol. III p.333 and Spencer) |
| * The Trappers Trail is renamed
the Cherokee Trail (Sanford
p.30) |
|
1858
|
| |
| * Castle Rock named by miner David
Kellogg. (Marr p.138) |
| * Spring - Green Russell leads
a more in depth gold hunting expedition through Douglas County which
eventually leads to the settlement of Denver and Auraria at the
confluence of Cherry Creek and the Platte River. (Spencer) |
|
1859
|
| |
| * The D. C. Oakes lumber mill begins
shipping wood to Denver. (Hall
Vol. III p.335) |
| * John H. Craig, Jack Johnson, and
Charles Holmes settle in Happy Canyon. (Hall
Vol. III, p.334) |
|
1860
|
| |
| * Over the
next decade, the area of Perry Park is homesteaded by Peter Brannan,
Albert Dakan, James Gott, Benjamin Quick, and George Ratcliffe.
(Webb p.11) |
| * March 24 - Town of Huntsville
founded, first territorial post office located there. (Bauer,
Post Offices, p.76) |
|
1861
|
| |
| * Colorado Territory established. Douglas County,
named in honor of famed 19th century orator Stephen Douglas, is
one of the original 17 counties. The county stretches to the Kansas
Border, with Frankstown as the county seat. (Stone
p.172) |
| * United States Civil War begins. Colorado, as
part of the Kansas Territory, remains in the Union. |
| * Frankstown, named for James Frank Gardner, first
county clerk and recorder, is formed. (Weir
p.184) |
|
1862
|
| |
| * May 22
- Russellville Post Office opened. (Bauer,
Post Offices, p.126) |
| * September 8 - Russellville
Post Office moves to Franktown (Bauer,
Post Offices, p.126) |
| * December 20 - Bennet Springs Post
Office opens (Bauer, Post
Offices, p.19) |
| * First building erected in the
present town of Parker -- the Pine Grove post office. |
| * The first county commissioners
elected in Douglas County. They are John L. Boggs, Sylvester Richardson,
and Joseph Hipley. The first sheriff is Charles Parkinson; clerk
and recorder, J.F. Gardner; treasurer, Noel Webber. (Hall
Vol. III, p.333) |
|
* D.C. Oakes opens a sawmill at
Huntsville (possibly in conjunction with the one in Bennett Springs/Oakesville.)
(Scott)
|
| * United States Government passes
the Homestead Act to encourage settlement in the West. (Homestead
act website) |
|
1863
|
| |
| * April 7 - Bear Cañon Post
Office established (Bauer,
Post Offices, p.17) |
| * April 7 - Keystone Post Office
opens (Bauer, Post Offices,
p.82) |
| * Fire at Frankstown destroys county
records. The county seat is temporarily relocated to J. F. Gardner's
California Ranch, which was owned by Charles Parkhurst. (Weir
p.184, Bull) |
| * Keystone Ranch post office established. |
| * Telegraph line links Denver with
East; ten words to New York cost $9.10. (CSA) |
|
1864
|
| |
| * Town of New Memphis is founded
two miles north of Castle Rock, by a land company from Memphis Tennessee.
(Weir p.185) |
* Heavy rain over the upper basin
of Cherry Creek caused 19 deaths along Cherry Creek and the South
Platte River in Denver.
(Weather) |
|
* 20 Mile-House built near Pine
Grove Post office, present day Parker, at the intersection of
the Smoky Hill Trail and the Cherokee Trail.
|
| * The massacre of the Hungate Family
in Douglas County sparks increased tension between settlers and
Native Americans. This tension culminated in Col. John Chivington's
Sand Creek Massacre north of Fort Lyon on the Arkansas River. (Douglas
County News-Press 6/5/1984) |
| * Conrad Moschel is murdered by
Native Americans near the George Engl Ranch. His epitaph is carved
into the nearby bluffs, and becomes a marker for travelers. (Appleby
p.57) |
|
1865
|
| |
| * Town of Round
Corral is founded by John H. Craig (later becomes Sedalia) (Weir
p.184) |
| * March 27 - Spring
Valley Post Office established. (Bauer,
Post Offices, p.135) |
| *
September 1 - Franktown |
and
Sedalia school districts organized. (Marr
p.35) |
|
| * Douglas County has three school
districts with a total enrollment of 70 students. (Weir
p.185) |
| * United States Civil War ends.
|
|
1866
|
| |
| * President Andrew Johnson vetoes
bill for Colorado Statehood. Among his reasons are the Sand Creek
Massacre, the doubtful legality of the proposed state's constitution,
and the shrinking population caused by lessening of gold strikes.
(Encyclopedia p. 92) |
| * Oaklands School opens (Cornish) |
| * J. F. Gardner buys California
Ranch from Parkhurst. (Bull) |
|
1867
|
| |
| * David Gregory, the first homesteader
on Highlands Ranch property, filed for 80 acres. Between 1867 and
1910, 189 filings were made within the ranch. |
|
1868
|
| |
| * Glen Grove School founded. (Marr
p.201) |
| * Fort constructed on Benjamin
Quick's property to protect against "indian raids." A raid occurs
the following week. (Webb p.11) |
| * Pine Grove/Parker School opens
(Our Heritage p. 375) |
|
1869
|
| |
| * John H. Craig sells town site
of Sedalia to Jonathan House (Appleby
p.163 ) |
| * Jeremiah Gould stakes claim at
present site of Castle Rock (Appleby
p.8) |
|
1870
|
| |
| * Kansas Pacific Railroad completes
first rail line in Douglas County near present day Limon, linking
Denver to Kansas City. (Weir p.184) |
| * 20 Mile-House nearly burns down
near Parker. |
| * Spring Valley Cemetery founded.
(Appleby p.191) |
| * First burial in the Franktown
Cemetery (Appleby p. 57) |
| * Pine Grove Post
Office opens (Bauer) |
|
1871
|
| |
| * Colorado Springs is founded by
General William J. Palmer. Denver and Rio Grande Railroad is built
southward from Denver by Palmer, bringing the railroad through Douglas
County. (CSA) (Encyclopedia
p.93) |
| * April 5 - Original Castle Rock
Post Office opens at site of Douglas, south of Town of Castle Rock.
(Bauer, Post Offices, p.31)
|
| * December - Town of Huntsville
moved to Larkspur. The name Larkspur was chosen by Governor Hunt's
wife, Elizabeth. (Larkspur p. 1) |
| * September 6 - Round Corral becomes
Plum after Denver and Rio Grande names their station "Plum Station."
(Weir p.184) (Machann
p.2) |
| * Lake Gulch school district formed.
(Doepke Family papers) |
| * Hayden Expedition passes through
Douglas County. William Henry Jackson takes earliest photographs
of the area. (PBS) |
|
1872
|
| |
| * January 8 - New Memphis Post Office
opens (Bauer, Post Offices,
p.105) |
| * February 12 - Frost's Ranch Post
Office changed to Rock Ridge (Bauer,
Post Offices, p.123) |
| * April 8 - Sedalia Post Office
opens. The name Sedalia was chosen by Henry M. Clay, a prominent
landowner, who came from Sedalia, Missouri. (Bauer,
Post Offices, p.130) |
| * Silas Madge, "the father of the
lavastone industry," starts work in the Madge Quarry south of Castle
Rock. Douglas Quarry established. National Land and Improvement
Company acquires townsite of Douglas. |
| * Missouri industrialist and railroad
owner John D. Perry purchases several homesteads to make a ranch
at "Pleasant" Park. (Weir p. 9). |
| * Lone Tree school built. (Marr
p.214) |
| * Community church built a Bear
Canon, it will later become St. Philip in the Field Episcopal Church. |
|
1873
|
| |
| * June 3 - Greenland Post Office
opens (Bauer, Post Offices Supplement
p.2) |
| * First Allison School (wood frame)
constructed. (Miller p. 65) |
|
1874
|
| |
| * January 30 - Acequia Post Office
opens (Bauer, Post Offices,
p.9) |
| * May 18 - Castle Rock Post Office
changes name to Douglas and New Memphis Post Office moves to new
Town of Castle Rock (Bauer,
Post Offices, p.46) |
| * February - Douglas County borders
redrawn by the territorial legislature, eastern section becomes
Elbert County. |
| * April 25 - Town of Castle Rock
founded and named county seat, survey by J. D. McIntyre. 2 story
wooden courthouse built in Castle Rock. (Appleby
p.18) |
| * Jarre Creek school (District 5)
built. (Our Heritage p.381) |
| July 1 - Denver South Park and Pacific Railway
opens for business up the Platte Canyon in Douglas County. (Post
p.127) |
|
1875
|
| |
| * The town of Greenland is established
by Fred Z. Salmon. (Hall Vol. III.
p.336) |
| * Greenland was named by Helen
Hunt Jackson (Johnson p.1) |
| * A wooden-frame school is built
on the current day site of Cantril. (Our
Heritage p.368) |
| * Denver and Rio Grande Railroad
Station built at Castle Rock (now Castle Rock Museum.) (Clippings
Notebooks) |
| * Cedar Hill cemetery established
in Castle Rock (Appleby p.21) |
| * January 20 - California Ranch
burns down south of Franktown for the last time, and is not rebuilt.
(Appleby p.49) |
|
1876
|
| |
| * Colorado becomes a state. |
| * The Plum Creek Toll Road company
establishes a toll road south of Larkspur. (Larkspur
p. 1) |
|
1877
|
| |
| * Ferdinand Hayden completes his
Atlas of Colorado, the first detailed survey of the state. |
| * October 11 - Platte Canyon Post
Office opens (Bauer, Post
Offices, p.115) |
| * Pratt or Cherry School (District
20) is built on West Cherry Creek. (Marr
p.53) |
|
1879
|
| |
| * (circa) Brick school building
constructed on Allison Ranch. (Miller
p.66) |
| * Kelly/Gann School constructed.
(Our Heritage p.372) |
| * Big Dry Creek Cheese Ranch established
in northern Douglas County. (Appleby
p.69) |
| * The Owens House opens as a hotel
in Castle Rock (Appleby p. 27) |
|
1880s Prior to 1887
|
| |
| * East Cherry Creek School opens.
(Everest p.10) |
|
1880
|
| |
| * The town of Douglas is platted
by the National Land and Improvement Company. The town serves a
shipping point for rhyolite. (Weir
p.185)(plat) |
| * The John Mouat
Lumber Company opens the first sawmill on the banks of the Platte
River at the site of the current town of Trumbul. (Appleby
p. 33) |
| * Castle Rock ditch system built
to provide irrigation water for the town. (Douglas
County News - Press 1/21/1995) |
|
1881
|
| |
| * Ute tribes are removed onto reservations.
(CSA) |
| * The Denver Coal Company starts
shipments of coal from the town of Lehigh, located west of Sedalia.
(Marr p.106) |
| * O'Brien Quarry starts operations
southeast of Castle Rock. |
| * The town of Castle Rock is incorporated.
Irving S. Morse is the mayor, George Triplett is the clerk and recorder.
Members of the town council are John G. Baldwin, David Owens, Thomas
King, and Dr. A Johnson. (Weir
p.185) (Appleby p.8) |
| * The town of Acequia is established
by the National Land and Improvement Company. (Weir
p.185) |
| * George Crofutt's Grip Sack
Guide to Colorado is published. Thousands of people come west
as tourists. (Appleby p.104) |
|
1882
|
| |
| * March 17 - Pine Grove Post Office
changes to Parker (Bauer,
Post Offices, p.113) |
| * Denver and Rio Grande renames
Plum station Sedalia. (Appleby
p.163) |
| * The town of Sedalia is platted
by the National Land and Improvement Company. (Machann
p.2; Hall Vol. III, p.365) |
| * With the arrival of the Denver
and New Orleans Railroad, J. S. Parker renames Pine Grove Parker
because there was already a Pine Grove Station on the Denver, Leadville
and Gunnison Railroad. |
| * Second Glen Grove School constructed
after the first was destroyed by fire. (Marr
p.201) |
|
1883
|
| |
| * Fonder school burns down, rebuilt
with rhyolite. (Miller p.65) |
|
1884
|
| |
| * Indian Park school built. (Marr
p. 229) |
| * Larkspur school built. (Marr
p.188) |
|
1885
|
| |
| * Frank Allison constructs Twin
Houses on his ranch. (Marr
Sept 7, 1972) |
| * Spring Valley School built. (Our
Heritage) |
|
1886
|
| |
| * November - Goldale School opens.
(Marr p.59) |
| * Elias Ammons and Thomas Dawson
begin ranching on the South Platte River. Ammons would latter become
governor of Colorado, while Dawson Butte in central Douglas County
was named in honor of Thomas Dawson. (Encyclopedia
p.124) |
|
1887
|
| |
| * The Atchison, Topeka and Santa
Fe rail line is built through Douglas County. (Weir
p.185) |
| * The Methodist Church in Castle
Rock is completed. It is the first church in Douglas County. (Weir
p.185) |
| * Castle Rock becomes the first
school district in the county to have a nine month school term.
(Weir p.185) |
| * Rock Ridge School is open and
operating as Douglas County School District Number 24. (Castle
Rock Journal April 20, 1887) |
|
1888
|
| |
| * John Perry and Bela Hughes form
Red Stone Town, Land and Mining Company, they begin plans to construct
a resort community at Perry Park (Webb
p. 24) |
| * Hilltop school opens in log building.
(Cornish) |
|
* St. Francis of Assisi Catholic
Church is completed in Castle Rock. (Appleby
p. 28)
|
| * December 23 - Community church
at Bear Canon is dedicated as St. Philip in the Field Episcopal
Church. (Appleby p. 172) |
|
1889
|
| |
| * Construction begins on the Douglas
County Courthouse on Wilcox Street in Castle Rock. (Appleby
p. 23) |
| * Santa Fe Quarry begins operations
west of Castle Rock. |
|
1890
|
| |
| * February 17 -
Hill Top Post Office opens (Bauer,
Post Offices, p.73) |
| * Denver and Rio Grande Railroad
removes their spur from the town of Lehigh, marking the first time
in the company's history that a spur is removed from a town. |
| * Douglas County has 28 school districts,
with an enrollment of 612 students. (Weir
p.185) |
| * July - Douglas County courthouse
completed at a cost of $24,000. (Hall
Vol. III, P.336) |
| * Castlewood Canyon Dam is built
at a cost of $100,000. (Horan
p.10) |
| * Larkspur school destroyed by tornado.
(Marr p.188) |
|
1891
|
| |
| *Forest Reserve Act Passes, creating
Pike National Forest (PBS) |
|
1892
|
| |
| * March 11 - Perry Park Post Office
opens (Bauer, Post Offices,
p.112) |
| * Elias Ammons is elected to the
Colorado State House of Representatives. He represents Douglas County.
(Monnett p. 229) |
| * Red Stone Town, Land and Mining
Company runs into legal problems when questions of ownership arise
in regard to parts of Perry Park. (Webb
p. 38) |
| * Greenland School built. (Our
Heritage p.377) |
| * Douglas County Fair held for the
first time.(Fair Books) |
|
1893
|
| |
| *Colorado grants women the vote.
(UCCS) |
| * July - Repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase
Act causes Colorado economy to collapse. Many banks and businesses
closed in the ensuing panic, including the John
Mouat Lumber Company. (UCCS) |
|
1895
|
| |
| * April - Gold is discovered in
Tyler, in the mountains near Westcreek (Appleby
p. 34) |
| * November 27 - Tyler Post Office
opens (Bauer, Post Offices,
p.144) |
| * Happy Canyon school already opened.
(Castle Rock Journal Jan 18, 1896) |
| * Denver Water Board begins acquiring
land along the Platte River in western Douglas County.(RMN
11 June 1988) |
|
1896
|
| |
| * January 23 - Pemberton Post Office
opens (Bauer, Post Offices,
p.112) |
| * April 11 - Daffodil Post Office
opens (Bauer, Post Offices,
p.41) |
| * November - Castle Rock school
burns down due to a defective flue. (Castle
Rock Journal November 27, 1896) |
| * December 30 - Dakan Post Office
established (Bauer, Post Offices,
p.41) |
| * E. L. Rogers plats the town of
Nighthawk to provide a base for lumbering and gold mining in the
South Platte River area. |
| * March 16 - Gold mining town of
Westcreek incorporated with post office. |
| * May - Glade School closed by
measles epidemic (Castle Rock Journal
May 6, 1896) |
| * May - New school built in Larkspur.
(Larkspur Historical Society) |
| * Westcreek School opens (Cornish) |
| * First Ore Shipment from Westcreek
|
|
1897
|
| |
| * August 7 - Case Post Office opens,
name changed from Rock Ridge. (Bauer,
Post Offices, p.31) |
| * Cantril School built, includes
high school curriculum. (Weir p.185,
clippings notebook) |
|
1898
|
| |
| * New Hilltop School built. (Miller
p.66) |
| * Dewey School opened (District
34) (School Census) |
| * September 5 - Cantril School opens
as Castle Rock High School. (Castle
Rock Journal Aug 19, 1898) |
| * John Springer begins to acquire
land in present day Highlands Ranch, eventually acquiring a large
spread for cattle. (Appleby
p.61) |
|
1899
|
| |
| * July - Flintwood School (District
35) established. (Our Heritage p.374) |
| * Denver and New Orleans Railroad
name changed to Colorado and Southern Railway. |
| * Cedar Grove or Larson's School
is in operation as School District Number 33. (School
Tax) |
| * Townsite of Douglas is officially
vacated. |
|
1900
|
| |
| *April
7 - Cherry Post Office opens (Bauer,
Post Offices p.33) |
| * July - Acequia Post Office closes
(Bauer, Post Offices, p.9) |
| * The population of Douglas County reaches 3120.
(Weir p.185) |
|
1901
|
| |
| * Keystone Hotel built at the corner
of 4th and Wilcox in Castle Rock (now the Castle Cafe) (Appleby
p.26) |
|
1902
|
| |
| * March 28 - Bethesda Post Office
opens (Bauer, Post Offices,
p.19) |
| * April 14 - Pemberton Post Office
becomes Westcreek (Bauer,
Post Offices, p.112) |
| * Columbine School built. (Everest
p.5) |
|
1904
|
| |
| * First National Bank built out
of rhyolite in Castle Rock . (later the Masonic Lodge) (Appleby
p.25) |
|
1905
|
| |
| * Cheesman Dam
built in southwestern Douglas County by the Denver water department.
(Appleby p.44) |
| * Teddy Roosevelt makes a campaign stop in Sedalia.
School children were released early to see the future president.
(Roudebush p. 17) |
|
1906
|
| |
| * Louviers explosives factory started
by DuPont, town of Louviers is built to support the factory. (Fearnow
p.2) |
| * Quarry business
declines dramatically around Castle Rock due to the increased use
of concrete and lack of demand because of the panic of 1893. |
| * Christ Episcopal
Church built in Castle Rock (Appleby
p.21) |
|
1907
|
| |
| * Douglas County High School is
built on Wilcox Street in Castle Rock. (Weir
p.185) |
|
1908
|
| |
| * February 19 - Daffodil Post Office
changed to Deckers (Bauer,
Post Offices, p.41) |
| * DuPont changes the name of Toluca
to Louviers. (Douglas County News
11/16/1972) |
|
1909
|
| |
| * May 17 - Glen Grove School burns
down a second time. (Castle Rock Journal
May 26, 1909) |
| * Pike's Peak Grange Hall constructed
(Appleby p.58) |
|
1910
|
| |
| * Douglas County High School burns
down. (Weir p.185) |
| * First long distance phone call
from Denver to New York., first airplane leaves Denver. (UCCS) |
|
1911
|
| |
| * May 24 - Murder at Denver's Brown
Palace Hotel prompts John and Isabel Springer to divorce (Isabel
was his second wife) (Appleby
p.62) |
| * September 27
- Strontia Springs Post Office opens (Bauer,
Post Offices, p.136) |
| * Douglas County
High School rebuilt. (Cornish) |
|
1912
|
| |
| * National Forest Fire Lookout established
on Devil's Head. |
| * July - A rain and hail storm kills
one in Douglas and wipes out the trestle bridge in Parker. (Miller
p.84) |
| * New Cherry School constructed
after first school burned down. (Everest
p. 5) |
|
1913
|
| |
| * John Springer sells his ranch
(later Highlands Ranch) to his first father-in-law, Col. William
Hughes, owner of Perry Park Ranch. (Appleby
p.62) |
| * June 24 - Case Post Office changed
to Irving (Bauer, Post Offices,
p.78) |
| * Major snowstorm along the front
range, everything closes for 11 days. (Miller
p.84) |
| * Nighthawk renamed Bethesda. |
| * June - Louviers school opens.
(Our Heritage p.372) |
| * State of Colorado beings licensing
automobiles.(UCCS) |
|
1913-1915
|
| |
| * Douglas County resident Elias Ammons is governor
of Colorado. (Encyclopedia
p.97) |
|
1914
|
| |
| * Pine Grove, Plainfield, and Allison
Schools combine to form the Parker Consolidated School (Our
Heritage p.373) |
| * New East Cherry School Built.
(Everest p.10) |
| * World War I begins |
|
1916
|
| |
| * Colorado adopts prohibition. |
| * Emily Griffith Opportunity School
is opened in Denver, later has campus in Douglas County. (CSA) |
| * Castle Rock's ditch system replaced
by underground iron pipes. (DC News-Press
1/21/1995) |
| * Dewey School consolidated with
Castle Rock. (School Census) |
|
1917
|
| |
| * Louviers Village Club opens, holds
the oldest continually operating bowling alley in the state. Clubhouse
is owned by DuPont, membership dues are $1 per year. (Record
Journal of Douglas County 11/9/1917) |
| * Town of Daffodil changes their
name to Deckers. (Record Journal of Douglas
County |
|
1918
|
| |
| * May - Glade School consolidates with Castle Rock
(Record Journal of Douglas County
May 10, 1918) |
| *World War I ends, |
| * Worldwide Flu epidemic is felt in Douglas County,
as at least one family is wiped out in the Cherry Valley area. |
|
1920's
|
| |
| *New School constructed at Case/Rock
Ridge/Irving. (Cornish) |
|
1920
|
| |
| * Florence Martin donates her extensive holdings
in northern Douglas County to the Denver Mountain Parks system.
It is named Daniel's Park. (Appleby
p.70) |
| * John Springer's Ranch (present day Highlands
Ranch), along with other land holdings, was purchased and consolidated
in 1920 by oil and real estate magnate, Waite Phillips -- brother
of Phillips Petroleum founders Frank and L. E. Phillips. |
|
1921
|
| |
| * Parker State Bank robbed of $5000, cashier locked
in the vault. |
|
* Electricity first supplied to Castle Rock.
(Douglas County
News-Press 1/21/1995)
|
|
1923
|
| |
| * Electricity is brought to Sedalia. (Roudebush
p. 21) |
|
1924-1926
|
| |
|
1924
|
| |
| * A teacherage is built at the Franktown school.
It was occasionally used as a classroom (Bull) |
| * Timber fire sparked by lightning burns in Larkspur
Area. (Larkspur p.1) |
| * Denver and Rio Grande depot at Greenland burns
down. (Johnson p.1) |
|
1925
|
| |
| * Ku Klux Klan at the height of its power in Colorado,
local Klan holds a meeting in the district courtroom of Douglas
County. (Douglas County News 1/27/1925) |
| * Newly paved Highway 85 links Denver and Colorado
Springs. |
|
1926
|
| |
| * Waite Phillips sold his holdings (Highlands
Ranch) to Frank Kistler, president of Wolhurst Stock Farms, for
$425,000. Kistler converted the ranch to dairy/Angus cattle, sheep,
hogs and chickens. Kistler names the ranch the Diamond K Ranch.
(Appleby, p.62) |
|
1929
|
| |
| * The Arapahoe Hunt was moved to the Diamond K
Ranch (Highlands Ranch) by Lawrence C. Phipps, Jr. (Appleby
p.63) |
| * Columbine School burns down, and is not replaced.
(Our Heritage p.378) |
| * August - Castle Rock installs 3 stop signs
on Wilcox at 3rd, 4th, and 5th streets. (Appleby
p.12) |
| * October - Douglas County Women's club opens
first library in Douglas County. (Maguire) |
|
1930's
|
| |
| * Baldridge School opens briefly. (Douglas County
School District Number 39) (School
Census) |
|
1932-1937
|
| |
| * Great Depression and Dust Bowl strike Douglas
County. (Encyclopedia p.99) |
|
1933
|
| |
| * August 2 - Castlewood Canyon Dam collapses after
three to nine inches of rain falls in 9 hours. Floodwaters reach
all the way to Denver. (Horan
p.18) |
| * Louviers Power Plant supplies electricity to
Louviers and Castle Rock. (Fearnow
p.5) |
|
1934
|
| |
| * Civilian Conservation Corps Company #1845, Castle
Rock Camp, locates in McMurdo Gulch. |
|
1935
|
| |
| * Flood washes out Colorado and Southern (formerly
Denver and New Orleans) railroad tracks in eastern Douglas County.
They are not replaced. |
|
1936
|
| |
|
1937
|
| |
| * Financial difficulties forced
Frank Kistler to sell his ranch to Lawrence C. Phipps, Jr. the present
Highlands Ranch holdings were assembled by Phipps. He sold several
of the peripheral parcels and added lands from the East Ranch and
Cheese Ranch between 1937 and 1976. (Appleby
p.63) |
| * CCC Camp near Castle Rock closes. |
| * Colorado and Southern Railroad abandons their
Platte Canyon Rail Line. Parker depot dismantled. |
| * May 28 - Tornado hits Castle Rock, damaging
Douglas County High School (on Wilcox), the Episcopal Church, several
residences, the D&RG toolhouse, the Standard Garage, Kroll's Grocery,
the Cottage Hotel and a metal tower with the fire bell attached
to it. The nearby CCC and WPA camps help out in emergency. (Record
Journal of Douglas County) |
|
1937-1939
|
| |
| * Douglas County High School graduate Teller Ammons
is governor of Colorado. (Encyclopedia
p.100) |
|
1942
|
| |
| * Colorado and Southern Railroad pulls rail lines
in the Platte Canyon. |
|
1945
|
| |
|
1946
|
| |
| * Shamballa Ashrama is founded by the Brotherhood
of the White Temple. (Appleby
p. 167) |
| * Three-day snowstorm cripples Jarre Canyon for
16 days. |
| * Castle Rock Town Marshall Ray Lewis shot in the
B&B Cafe by escaped prisoner Manuel Perez. (Douglas
County News Press 9 October 1991) |
|
1948
|
| |
| * Pike's Peak National Forest in Douglas County
is closed to cattle grazing. (Roudebush
p. 25) |
|
1949-1956
|
| |
| * Douglas County's small schools begin to close
and consolidate. Eventually, Douglas County RE-1 School District
is founded in 1956. |
|
1951
|
| |
| * Wooden framed Quonset hut is constructed by the
citizens of Parker as a community center. (Whelchel
p.68) |
|
1952
|
| |
| * Cherry Valley School created from Spring Valley
(District 3) Upper Lake Gulch (District 13) Goldale (District 14)
Cherry or Pratt (District 20) East Cherry (District 22) Irving/Case/Rock
Ridge (District 24) Cedar Grove (District 33) and Pine Grove (District
27) (Everest pp. 4-5) |
|
1954
|
| |
|
1959
|
| |
| * March 31 - Greenland Post Office closes
(Bauer, Post Offices Supplement
p.2) |
|
1961
|
| |
| * Current Douglas County High School built. (Our
Heritage p.368) |
| * Castlewood Canyon State Park established (Appleby,
56) |
|
1962
|
| |
| * Franktown Fire Department and Fire District established
(Appleby p.52) |
|
1964
|
| |
| * Parker celebrates its centennial. |
| * Proposal is made to build the "World Science
Tower" 1.5 miles north of Larkspur. The tower was to be the tallest
building in the world, with an amusement park below. |
|
1965
|
| |
|
* June 16 - Flood causes major destruction in
Douglas County and Denver. The flood started as a cloudburst near
Larkspur, and spread northward along Plum and Cherry Creeks. (Roudebush
p. 23) Plum Creek was impassable for weeks after the storm and
newly completed sections of I-25 near Castle Rock were destroyed.
Residents were airlifted across the creek for several days after
the flood.
|
| * Westcreek School closes (last of one room schools
to close in the county, children sent to Woodland Park.) (News
Press 2 September 1965) |
|
1966
|
| |
| * Franktown school closes. (Bull) |
| * Douglas County Library Board established, Douglas
County Commissioners contribute money to the library for the first
time, establishing the first "Public" library. (Maguire) |
| * UFO reports flood the Denver Area after 7 people
claim to see UFOs in Daniel's Park. (Denver
Post 14 April 1966) |
|
1967
|
| |
| * Budget for all Douglas County operations reaches
$306,089. |
| * Perry Park is sold to Colorado Western Development
Company. (Webb p. 52) |
| * Castle Rock Junior High School built. (Everest
p.3) |
| * Castle Rock Library opens in a storefront. (Maguire) |
| * Louviers Library comes under the jurisdiction
of Douglas County. The original library was run by DuPont and opened
in 1924 (Maguire) |
|
1968
|
| |
| * January: Prank by two Castle Rock boys causes
30 Douglas County residents to report a UFO over the courthouse
in Castle Rock. (RMN 11 Jan 1968)
|
| * December - Castle Rock Library opens in building
on Gilbert St. (Appleby p.14) |
|
1969
|
| |
| * Groundbreaking held for a "heritage park" to
open in Castle Rock. (News-Press,
19 June 1969) |
|
1970
|
| |
| * Parker Library opens as book depository. (Maguire) |
|
1971
|
| |
| * DuPont ceases dynamite operations at Louviers.
(DC News 1/21/1971) |
| * The total assessed valuation of Douglas County
is $27,569,450. (Weir p.394) |
| * Parker Library joins Douglas County Library System.
(Maguire) |
|
1972
|
| |
|
1973
|
| |
|
1974
|
| |
| * Two Forks Dam proposed on the South Platte River.
|
|
1975
|
| |
| * Colorado Division of Parks purchases 500 acres
which will be the nucleus of Roxborough State Park. |
| * Douglas County Master Planning begins. |
| * Bear Canon Agricultural District named to National
Register of Historic Places (Appleby
p. 59) |
|
1976
|
| |
| * Lawrence C. Phipps, Jr., dies at the Highlands
Ranch Mansion. (Appleby p.63) |
| * Douglas County Courthouse listed on the National
Register of Historic Places. (Appleby
p. 24) |
|
1977
|
| |
| * Highlands Ranch sold to a group of Denver businessmen.
(Appleby p.63) |
|
1978
|
| |
| * January - Mission Viejo Company entered into
a two-year option agreement leading to the acquisition of Highlands
Ranch. Mission Viejo Company initiated a three phase planning program
to formulate a development plan for Highlands Ranch. (Appleby
p.63) |
| * March 11 Douglas County courthouse burns after
a nuisance fire rages out of control. (Appleby
p.24) |
|
1979
|
| |
| * April - Mission Viejo Company files its application
with Douglas County for a New Communities Permit and zoning for
a planned community development. (Highlands Ranch) |
| * December - Highlands Ranch is officially purchased
by Mission Viejo. |
| * Library opens in Acres Green Subdivision. (Maguire)
|
|
1980
|
| |
| * Castle Pines golf course, designed by Jack Nicklaus,
opens. |
| * August 4 Mission Viejo Company began construction
on the site of the new town of Highlands Ranch. |
| * Douglas County's population is 25,042 (DRCOG) |
|
1980-1990
|
| |
| * Douglas County has the highest percentage of
new housing units in the country. |
|
1981
|
| |
| * September First family moves into new town of
Highlands Ranch. |
| * Town of Parker is incorporated. |
|
1982
|
| |
| * December 22-24 Major Christmas snowstorm paralyzes
Douglas County and the Front Range. |
|
1983
|
|
|
| * Branch library opens in Northridge Elementary
School in Highlands Ranch. (Maguire) |
| * Ponderosa High School opens south of Parker (News-Press) |
| * May 10 - Hwy 67 between Westcreek and Deckers
washes out from a flood along the South Platte (News-Press) |
|
1984
|
| |
| * Acres Green Library closes to make room for C-470.
(Maguire) |
|
1985
|
| |
| * Oakes Mill Library opens. (Maguire) |
|
1986
|
| |
| * International Golf Tournament held for the first
time at the Castle Pines Golf Course. |
|
1987
|
| |
| * Philip S Miller Library opens at 961 Plum Creek
Parkway in Castle Rock. (Maguire) |
|
1988
|
| |
| * Douglas County School District moves Oaklands
School building to grounds of South Elementary School in Castle
Rock. (News Press, 1988) |
| * Historic Frankstown established (Appleby
p. 58) |
|
1989
|
| |
| * Highlands Ranch library leaves Northridge Elementary,
joins Oakes Mill Library. (Maguire) |
| * Highlands Heritage Regional Park opens in Highlands
Ranch. (Appleby p.66) |
|
1990
|
| |
| * Douglas County Libraries is formed as
an independent taxing district. (Maguire) |
| * Population of Douglas County is 54,250. (140%
population growth from 1980. Median household income is 51,864 (Wall
Street Journal 8 March 1994, DRCOG) |
|
1991
|
| |
| * Highlands Ranch Library opens in storefront.
(Maguire) |
|
1992
|
| |
| * Castle Rock Factory Shops opens (Ephemera) |
|
1994
|
| |
| * Larkspur, Cherry Valley, and Roxborough satellite
libraries open. (Maguire) |
| * December 25 - Minor earthquake centered in Castle
Rock shakes Douglas County (News Press
26 December 1994) |
|
* Castle Rock Historic Preservation Board established
(Appleby p.17)
|
| * Russellville archaeological site survey completed.
(Appleby p.59) |
|
1995
|
| |
| * Douglas County becomes the fastest growing county
in the State of Colorado. (Douglas County
Trail 9/12/1996) |
| * Castlewood Canyon Dam site put on Colorado Register
of Historic Places. |
|
1996
|
| |
| * Castle Rock Museum opens in former Denver and
Rio Grande Railroad Depot (Castle Rock
Museum) |
|
* Park Meadows Shopping Mall opens in August.
(Ephemera)
|
| * Douglas County acquires Prairie Canyon Ranch,
purchases development easement on Cherokee Ranch. (DC
News Press 18 September 1996 and 11 December 1996) |
| * Larkspur library satellite closes. (Maguire) |
| * Thunder Ridge High School opens in Highlands
Ranch (News-Press, 10 Feb 1996) |
| * May 18 -Buffalo Creek Fire destroys 10,000 acres
in the Pike National Forest. |
| * June - Incorporation of City
of Lone Tree (News-Press) |
|
1997
|
| |
| * Douglas County is the fastest growing county
in the United States. 30 car pileup on Surrey Ridge Road, 55 car
accident near Castle Rock on I-25. |
| * Median household income in Douglas County is
$63,570 (DC News-Press 12 April
1997) |
| * Robert A. Christensen Justice Center named after
County Commissioner (Appleby
p. 16) |
| * Philip S. Miller Administration Building constructed
in Castle Rock out of Rhyolite. (Appleby
p.17) |
| * Shea Homes purchases Highlands Ranch from Mission
Viejo |
|
1998
|
| |
| * Chaparral High School opens in Parker (Yearbooks)
|
| * Lone Tree Library opens on Lone
Tree Parkway (Maguire)
|
|
1999
|
| |
| * Dawson Butte is protected by a conservation easement.
(DC News-Press 13 October 1999)
|
| * Douglas County has grown 160% since 1990. (Highlands
Ranch Herald 3/16/2000) |
| * Louviers
named to National Register of Historic Places (Appleby
p.) |
| * Douglas County Administration building gains
addition on the Wilcox side of the building. |
|
1999-2000
|
| |
| * Douglas County has highest median income of any
county in the United States, with average household earning over
$77,000 per year. (DC News-Press
19 April 2000) |
|
2000
|
| |
| * Greenland Ranch is protected as open space (DC
News Press 19 April 2000) |
| * Highlands Ranch Library opens in new town center
of Highlands Ranch. (Maguire) |
|
|