History of Boulder's Land Use

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Boulder's Land Use

Open Space and Mountain Parks have been visited and utilized by people for a considerable period of time, with early projectile points that have been found on Open Space and Mountain Parks dating from prior to A.D. 500. Recent cultural resource studies have indicated that use of Open Space and Mountain Parks by Native American groups is limited; however, the intensive use of the area during the last century has undoubtedly destroyed evidence of aboriginal use and occupation of the area.

It is likely that the Mountain Park lands were used primarily for limited duration activities such as hunting and planting. Some of Open Space and Mountain Parks trails and roads, such as Gregory Canyon and Bear Canyon, probably followed aboriginal trails. The Treaty of Fort Laramie in 1851 acknowledged Southern Arapaho and Cheyenne ownership of what is now the Boulder area. At the time of the first recorded White contact in 1858, the Boulder area was a winter camp for the Southern Arapaho. In fact, Settlers Park at the mouth of Boulder Canyon is considered by some historians to be the approximate location for the "first White camp" in the Boulder area, where the Euro-Americans first made contact with Southern Arapaho Chief Niwot. Prior to this, several other groups probably used the area, including the Cheyenne, Apache, Ute and Shoshone.

Cattle ranching and truck farming were early uses of property that is now protected as Open Space and Mountain Parks, with known homesteads on the land dating from as early as 1882.

The Bachelder Ranch (present site of Chautauqua Park) grew alfalfa and an apple orchard; the original stucco ranch house is still in good condition. John Brierly and his family owned the land that is now Settlers Park, raising fruits, vegetables and flowers. In 1883, the Rea family built a homestead at the mouth of Gregory Canyon and established a small vegetable business. Several adjacent cattle operations probably utilized now-protected land for grazing and logging purposes, including Walker Ranch to the west and the Dunn-DeBacker, Brammeier, and Blake operations, located to the east of Bear Peak and South Boulder Peak. The Gregory Canyon Road, originally constructed for access to the newly opened gold fields at Black Hawk and Central City, was also used by local ranchers to bring cattle to Denver from the western slope prior to 1890. Bear Canyon Road was probably also used for this purpose.

Sawmills were established on early on as well, with evidence of early timber operations scattered across Open Space and Mountain Parks. Another early operation was stone quarrying, particularly for Lyons sandstone, in such areas as Woods-Bergheim and Anderson Quarries, the Third Flatiron, and Settlers Park. Quarrying operations probably began as early as the 1880's, and a variety of historic buildings in the Boulder area made use of sandstone from Mountain Parks quarries. Water resources were a part of Open Space and Mountain Parks history also, thanks to the presence of Boulder Creek. The city's first reservoir was built in 1876 at Red Rocks, and was later replaced by Sunshine Reservoir to the north. Silver Lake Ditch runs through Open Space and Mountain Parks property, and was constructed in 1888.

Even before the turn of the century, it was clear to early Boulder residents that the mountain backdrop was a special place, and the city began to acquire Mountain Parks property through the purchase, donation, and lease of parcels from a variety of landowners, including the federal government, the state of Colorado, and private citizens. In 1898, 40 years after the Euro-American settlement of the Boulder Valley, the first acquisition of land for Open Space and Mountain Parks was made when the City of Boulder agreed to purchase the Bachelder Ranch property for the use of the Chautauqua Association. The Texas-Colorado Chautauqua initially provided an inspirational summer school retreat for Texas teachers, and its history has been strongly entwined with that of Open Space and Mountain Parks. Chautauquans continue to utilize Open Space and Mountain Parks for recreation and enjoyment to this day.

Recreation has historically been the most important land use on Open Space and Mountain Parks. The city's protected land has supported a wide variety of activities, from hiking and camping to community steak fries and family picnics. Community involvement has always been critical to the development of recreational facilities, and several organized groups have played a significant role in the history of Open Space and Mountain Parks. The Lions Club has constructed several Mountain Parks shelters over the years, including the original Panorama Park shelter in 1919, the Bluebell Picnic Shelter in 1923, and the Flagstaff Summit Shelter House (Stone Shelter) in 1933. During the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps (C.C.C.) contributed heavily to parks improvements, including the construction of the Sunrise Amphitheater, Green Mountain Lodge, the "new" Panorama Park Shelter (Halfway House), Chapman Drive, and numerous hiking and bridle trails. The Jaycees provided a Flagstaff picnic shelter as well.

Private climbing and hiking organizations were involved in the development and improvement of Open Space and Mountain Parks recreational facilities and trails, including the Rotarians, the Rocky Mountain Climbers Club (formerly known as the Chautauqua Pedestrian Club and Colorado Chautauqua Climbers Club), the Colorado Mountain Club, the University of Colorado Hiking Club, and the Boulder Chamber of Commerce.

Although many volunteers and early rangers (including A.T. Wheeler and Mart Parsons) patrolled and protected Open Space and Mountain Parks over the years, the protected land that exists today resulted from the concerns of citizens who felt that increasing use and expansion of the park system warranted a more active management program. The first full-time park ranger was hired in 1970, with approximately 25 additional staff members added since that time.

Marshall Mesa History

Marshall Mesa is located on City Open Space & Mountain Parks near the town of Marshall and is the site of some of the oldest coal mines in Colorado. Coal was discovered in Marshall in 1859. During the 1860's and 1870's coal mining prospered and Marshall's population exceeded that of Boulder. for more information on this area, download a copy of Joanna Sampson's Walking Through History on Marshall Mesa.

• Walking through History on Marshall Mesa (2.12 Mb)

 

Mount Sanitas History

Mount Sanitas was named after the sanitarium which was located just east of the present trailhead. The word sanitarium was derived from the Latin term sanitas meaning health. Seventh Day Adventists established the Colorado Sanitarium (also known as the Boulder Sanitarium) here in 1895. The Sanitarium provided general medical care as well as treatment for tuberculosis. Unlike the medical costs of today, rates were from $1.00 to $3.00 per day, including medical treatment, room and board.

The Seventh Day Adventists also grazed cattle in this area and provided dairy products to the Sanitarium. Other early settlers also recognized the value of this area as rangeland. The Wittemyer family owned the majority of the land west of the Sanitarium and patented one of the last homesteads in the Four-Mile/Sunshine area. They ran cattle in this valley during the winter months and moved them to the high country above Nederland during the summer.

Rock quarries also played a significant role in the history of Mount Sanitas. The quarries were owned and operated by the University of Colorado during the 1920's. Many of the early campus buildings, including Helms and Sewell Hall, were constructed of the Lyons sandstone taken from these quarries. The quarries were soon abandoned because of the dangers and high operating costs involved in removing the sandstone. The City of Boulder purchased the quarries in 1969 and later purchased the surrounding land in 1974. These lands are now protected from future disturbance and are part of Boulder's Open Space & Mountain Parks system.

Doudy-DeBacker-Dunn History

Numerous cabins and homesites may be seen throughout the area of the South Trailhead of the Mesa Trail. The stone building located on the north side of South Boulder Creek is all that remains of the historic homesite known as the Doudy-DeBacker-Dunn house. Sylvester (Andrew) Doudy was the first settler in this area and built the original wooden portion of the house sometime around 1858. Doudy raised cattle and operated both a sawmill and a gristmill.

In 1869 John DeBacker purchased the house and surrounding land for $500. DeBacker was a successful farmer and found a lucrative produce market in the nearby mining communities. In 1874 DeBacker built the two-story stone addition to the house.

John DeBacker retired in 1901 and turned the property over to his daughter Emma and her husband John Dunn. The Dunn family raised dairy cattle and remained in the house until John's death in 1953.

The rock walls in this area extend for miles and were constructed mostly by drifters when the mining boom broke. These unemployed miners would clear the fields and construct the walls in return for food and lodging.

To find the South Trailhead of the Mesa Trail take Highway 93 (Broadway) south from Boulder and turn right on Eldorado Springs Drive. The trailhead is 1.7 miles from this intersection on the right side of the road.

Learn More - Take a Self-guided Hike!

OSMP staff have researched and prepared a number of hikes to introduce you to the rich history of the land. Put on your hiking shoes and go see for yourself!

Flagstaff Mountain Cultural History Self-guided Hike

Goshawk Ridge Cultural History Self-guided Hike

Doudy Draw Cultural History Self-guided Hike

South Mesa Trail Cultural History Self-guided Hike

Last Updated on Thursday, 03 December 2009 11:55