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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 area. These tribes established well-worn trails that later European-American explorers and settlers would adopt and expand into wagon roads. The East Plum Creek route that would become so vital to Huntsville’s establishment followed an ancient pathway that connected the South Platte River valley with the Arkansas River watershed.

The Stephen Long expedition of 1820 offers one of the earliest detailed observations of the region. Long’s party, which included naturalist Edwin James and artist Samuel Seymour, spent considerable time documenting the distinctive geological features of the area. Their descriptions of Raspberry Butte (also known as Raspberry Mountain) note its peculiar reddish hue caused by iron oxide in the sandstone formations, and its distinctive shape that served as a landmark for travelers. The expedition’s botanist catalogued numerous species, including the abundant Delphinium nuttallianum (larkspur) that would later give the town its name, as well as unique variations of penstemon, Indian paintbrush, and columbine that thrived in the transition zone between plains and mountains.

The establishment of Huntsville in the late 1850s coincided with the Pike’s Peak Gold Rush, which brought unprecedented numbers of fortune seekers through the territory. The town’s founder, whose name has been lost to history, recognized the commercial potential of establishing a way station at this strategic location. Early accounts describe a rough collection of log structures, including a modest trading post that served “necessaries and sundries” to travelers, charging prices that would seem exorbitant even by today’s standards – flour at $25 per hundredweight, coffee at $1 per pound, and whiskey at $5 per gallon.

Alexander Cameron Hunt, for whom the town was named, played a more complex role in territorial politics than simple patronage might suggest. Appointed territorial governor by President Andrew Johnson in 1867, Hunt was a controversial figure who advocated strongly for Colorado statehood while simultaneously working to secure federal contracts for friends and political allies. His connection to Huntsville appears to have been primarily honorary, though records suggest he may have had financial interests in some of the area’s early mining claims.

The construction of Fort Lincoln in 1864 reflected escalating tensions following the Sand Creek Massacre of November 1864. D.C. Oakes, who spearheaded the fort’s construction, was responding to widespread panic among settlers after retaliatory raids by Cheyenne and Arapaho warriors. The fort itself was an ambitious undertaking – a wooden palisade enclosing approximately two acres, with blockhouses at diagonal corners and sufficient space to shelter up to 200 people and their livestock. The “Oakes Folly” moniker apparently originated from critics who believed the fortification was unnecessarily elaborate and expensive, consuming resources that could have been better used for economic development.

The fort’s daily life was documented in letters from residents who described a community under siege mentality. Women and children remained within the walls during daylight hours, while men ventured out in armed groups to tend fields and livestock. Despite these precautions, the fort never experienced a direct attack, leading some historians to question whether the threat was as severe as perceived or whether the fort’s presence successfully deterred potential raids.

The Coberly Hotel, mentioned briefly in earlier accounts, deserves greater attention as a social institution. Established by James and Martha Coberly in 1863, the two-story log structure served multiple functions beyond simple lodging. The main floor included a dining room that doubled as a courtroom when the circuit judge visited quarterly, while the basement housed a rough saloon where political discussions, business deals, and occasional violence unfolded. Martha Coberly’s diary entries, which would be invaluable primary sources, reportedly described hosting everyone from territorial officials to suspected outlaws, maintaining strict neutrality in exchange for civilized behavior under her roof.

The transition from Huntsville to Larkspur represents a classic example of how railroad politics shaped Western development. The Denver & Rio Grande Railroad’s decision to route through present-day Larkspur rather than Huntsville was influenced by multiple factors: better water access from East Plum Creek, gentler grades for heavily loaded trains, and reportedly, more favorable land deals offered by property owners in the valley. The railroad’s chief engineer, whose surveying notes would provide crucial primary documentation, determined that the Larkspur route would save approximately $50,000 in construction costs per mile compared to alternatives.

The actual railroad construction through the area employed hundreds of workers, many of them recent immigrants from Ireland, China, and Eastern Europe. These workers lived in temporary camps that followed the rail construction, leaving behind archaeological evidence of their presence – broken ceramic pieces, coins, and tools that tell stories of their daily lives. The Chinese workers, in particular, faced discrimination and violence, often being segregated in separate camps and paid lower wages despite performing the most dangerous jobs involving explosives and unstable terrain.

Larkspur’s water resources proved even more valuable than initially anticipated. The town’s elevation and reliable creek flow made it an ideal location for water towers that could gravity-feed to lower elevations. The railroad constructed elaborate wooden flumes and reservoirs, engineering marvels of their time that required constant maintenance. The position of water tender, responsible for managing these systems, was among the best-paid railroad jobs in the region, reflecting the critical importance of reliable water supply for steam locomotives.

The lumber industry that flourished in Larkspur operated on an almost industrial scale by 1880s standards. The Oakes sawmill, expanded from its Huntsville origins, employed a crew of 40 men during peak season. Workers lived in company housing – rough board structures that provided minimal shelter – and worked six-day weeks from dawn to dusk. The dangerous work claimed numerous lives and limbs; contemporary newspapers would have reported accidents involving runaway logs, sawblade mishaps, and the ever-present threat of forest fires sparked by steam engine sparks.

A second major operation, the Mountain Lumber Company, established in 1885, introduced more modern equipment including a steam-powered gang saw capable of processing logs up to four feet in diameter. The company’s business records would show contracts to supply railroad ties at $0.35 each, with the railroad consuming thousands monthly for new construction and maintenance. Telegraph poles commanded premium prices, especially those of uniform diameter and minimal taper, leading to selective harvesting that gradually changed the forest composition.

The environmental impact of this intensive logging was dramatic. Photographs from the 1890s would show hillsides completely denuded of trees, with erosion scars visible from miles away. Flooding became more severe and frequent as the watershed lost its natural absorption capacity. Wildlife populations, particularly elk and deer, disappeared from the area, not returning until conservation efforts in the mid-20th century allowed forest regeneration.

Mining operations in the region extended beyond simple extraction. The gypsum deposits, formed millions of years ago when ancient seas evaporated, required specialized knowledge to locate and extract. Professional geologists employed by Eastern investment syndicates conducted surveys using the latest scientific methods of the 1880s. Their reports would describe deposits of exceptional purity, suitable for manufacture of plaster of Paris and agricultural amendments.

The red sandstone quarries operated by different principles, focusing on aesthetic quality rather than volume. Master stonecutters, many recruited from quarries in New England and Europe, shaped blocks for shipment to Denver and Colorado Springs, where the distinctive stone graced churches, commercial buildings, and expensive residences. The Larkspur sandstone’s unique color and durability made it a preferred material for architects seeking to create buildings with regional character.

Potash mining, less visible but economically significant, involved processing wood ash from the lumber operations. Large iron retorts reduced tons of ash to extract potassium carbonate, used in soap making, glass production, and fertilizer. This early recycling operation exemplified the frontier ethic of utilizing every possible resource, turning waste products into marketable commodities.

The health resort era of the 1890s and early 1900s reflected changing American attitudes toward health and leisure. The Perry Park resort, developed by businessman Charles Perry, represented a significant capital investment. The main hotel, a three-story Victorian structure with wraparound porches and tower rooms, could accommodate 50 guests in relative luxury. Amenities included hot and cold running water (a rarity in rural Colorado), a billiards room, and a “sun parlor” with large windows designed to maximize exposure to beneficial mountain sunshine.

The resort’s daily schedule, preserved in promotional brochures, reveals a highly structured approach to health restoration. Guests rose at 6 AM for “constitutional walks,” followed by measured portions of fresh milk and eggs from the resort’s dairy and poultry operations. Afternoons featured “rest cure” periods where guests reclined on couches breathing pine-scented air, while evenings brought entertainment including lectures on health topics, musical performances, and “appropriate dancing” that avoided excessive exertion.

The stage coach journey from Larkspur to Perry Park became an attraction in itself. The resort employed professional drivers who cultivated colorful personas, regaling passengers with tales of Indian fights, bear encounters, and dramatic rescues. The trumpeters and dancers greeting arrivals created a theatrical atmosphere designed to transport urban visitors into a fantasy of Western adventure, safely sanitized for consumption by “delicate constitutions.”

Medical professionals of the era promoted these mountain retreats with pseudoscientific enthusiasm. Doctors’ testimonials would claim miraculous recoveries from tuberculosis, neurasthenia, and various “nervous conditions” attributed to modern urban life. The altitude, approximately 6,700 feet, was credited with increasing red blood cell production and improving “vital force.” While some patients undoubtedly benefited from rest, clean air, and regular meals, the claimed cure rates were certainly exaggerated.

The Prohibition era brought a different kind of notoriety to Larkspur. The town’s isolated location, combined with numerous hiding places in the surrounding forests and gulches, made it ideal for moonshine production. Operations ranged from small family stills producing for local consumption to sophisticated operations supplying Denver speakeasies. The 1931 raid that captured 225 gallons represented only the tip of the iceberg; locals would later admit that warning systems allowed most operations to disperse before law enforcement arrived.

The moonshine trade created an underground economy that touched many seemingly respectable citizens. Ranchers provided grain, knowing but not asking its ultimate purpose. Merchants accepted payment in cash without questioning its source. Even some law enforcement officers allegedly looked the other way in exchange for modest bribes or free samples. The social dynamics of this period would be revealed in court records, newspaper accounts, and the oral histories of participants who later felt safe discussing their involvement.

Ranch life throughout this period maintained traditions dating back to the Mexican vaquero era while adapting to changing markets and technologies. The largest operations, some encompassing thousands of acres, employed crews of cowboys who lived in bunkhouses and worked for “$30 and found” – meaning monthly wages plus room and board. The annual roundups brought together riders from multiple ranches to sort cattle, brand calves, and select animals for market.

The introduction of barbed wire in the 1880s fundamentally changed ranching practices, ending the era of open range and creating conflicts between established operations and newcomers. “Fence wars” occasionally erupted, with wire cut in darkness and threats exchanged between competing interests. Legal disputes over water rights, grazing permits, and property boundaries filled court dockets and occasionally resulted in violence.

Women’s roles in these communities, often overlooked in conventional histories, were crucial to settlement success. Beyond the traditional domestic duties, women operated businesses, taught school, provided medical care in the absence of doctors, and occasionally ran ranches after being widowed. Their letters and diaries would provide intimate glimpses of daily life – the struggle to maintain “civilization” in rough surroundings, the creation of social networks through church and civic organizations, and the gradual evolution of frontier settlements into established communities.

The educational infrastructure developed slowly but steadily. The first schools were subscription operations, with parents paying teachers directly and providing board in rotation. The Larkspur School, established in 1875, initially met in a converted storage building with one teacher managing students aged six to sixteen in a single room. Textbooks were scarce and often outdated, leading creative teachers to use newspapers, catalogs, and even product labels as reading material.

Churches played central roles in community formation, providing not just spiritual guidance but social structure and mutual support networks. The Methodist circuit riders who served the area in the 1870s and 1880s would arrive monthly, conducting weddings, baptisms, and funerals that had been postponed awaiting their arrival. Their journals would document the challenges of maintaining faith communities across vast distances, often riding through blizzards or summer storms to keep appointments.

The cultural life of these communities, while limited by frontier conditions, showed remarkable creativity. Traveling theater troupes performed in hotel dining rooms and barns, bringing Shakespeare and melodrama to eager audiences. Local talent shows featured fiddle players, singers, and recitation artists. Literary societies met to discuss books shared among members, with volumes passing from hand to hand until worn beyond repair.

This expanded narrative reveals the complexity and richness of life in southern Douglas County and northern El Paso County during the settlement period. From the ancient trails of indigenous peoples to the railroad age’s industrial transformation, from health seekers to bootleggers, from Chinese railroad workers to Victorian ladies maintaining social standards in log cabins, the story encompasses the full spectrum of Western American experience. The communities that developed here were shaped by geography, economics, and technology, but ultimately defined by the diverse individuals who chose to make their lives in this challenging and beautiful landscape.