Topic Pages
Mining
Geology
Geologic Map of the Larkspur Area The area is characterized by a rich geological landscape that includes a variety of rock formations and structures. The western portion features Precambrian metamorphic and igneous rocks, while the eastern region comprises Mesozoic sedimentary layers, including sandstone, shale, and limestone. A prominent feature in the area is the Perry…
Native Americans
Please Help Review Or Replace This AI-Generated Placehold… Native Americans at the arrival of Europeans (Editor’s note: There is no great term for the people who were here OR for the people who came. Populations are always on the move for a variety of reasons, especially in borderlands. (see the Frontier). The Utes were not happy when…
Historic Events
Historic Events 1868 Indian Raid Forts, Circa 1868 Fort Washington, Huntsville The Peoples Fort (Oakes Folly) Spring Valley Fort 1944 B-17 Crash 1965 Flood 1979 Town of Larkspur Incorporated 2002 Hayman Fire
Transportation
Please Help Review Or Replace This AI-Generated Placeholder… The Colorado Front Range has served as one of North America’s most significant natural transportation corridors for thousands of years, forming a north-south pathway between the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains that has channeled movement from the Ice Age to the present day. Pleistocene Corridor During the Pleistocene…
Prehistory
Please Help Review Or Replace This AI-Generated Placehold… Prehistoric Natural History of Douglas County, from the Pleistocene to the archaic period Ice Age Douglas County (Pleistocene Epoch, 2.6 million – 11,700 years ago) While the massive continental ice sheets never reached as far south as Douglas County, the area experienced profound effects from the Ice Age. The…
Pre-European
Pre-European Inhabitants Paleoindian populations are known to have been in the Colorado Front Range as early as 12,000 to 8,000 years ago. These hunter-gatherers are known for their distinct stone tools, such as fluted points, which were used for hunting large game like mammoths (Clovis points) and bison (Folsom points). Evidence of much earlier habitation…
Frontier
Please Help Review Or Replace This AI-Generated Placehold… The frontier era of what would become Colorado, particularly the region encompassing modern Douglas County, represents a complex tapestry of cultural encounters, territorial shifts, and environmental misunderstandings that shaped the American West between 1750 and 1860. In the mid-18th century, this high plains region existed as a contested borderland…
Settlement
PLease Help Review Or Replace This AI-Generated Placeholder… Settlement The pre-settlement era of southern Douglas County provides crucial context for understanding later development. The Plum Creek drainage system, which would become the lifeline of these communities, had been used for millennia by indigenous peoples, particularly the Arapaho and Cheyenne tribes who followed seasonal hunting patterns through the…