|
<br />AACKGRQUND l~jFOR~TION
<br />
<br />Oou'll as ('nunty "'ao; n~tahl i ~h"M in IAlil. The hi story of
<br />the count v i; much II~e that 01 Arapa~oc Countv. A lar~ portion
<br />01 the county's la~d is Gralin~ lan~ th~t IS u~~1 for Ilv~stock
<br />ruisinq, Ao,tcul~urul pu,~uit.. include rai~inc of cattle, oo,ses,
<br />a~d poultry; 1airyln~; anD wh~~t ~rowl~q. Douglas County has
<br />bonet i tted trom eon~id(}r~bID DXDan~ion ot nonagricultural industry
<br />since World W,3r II. ::1 ~y ",in In<:, stone ouarryil><l, oxp losives ma~u-
<br />taeturl~g, a~d a missi Ie plant provide employment In'll zeable
<br />establlshrnonts, Dou<)lasCountyhasan increaslnqpopulationand
<br />an eXDandln<) ec:onorny due oosically to Its locatlononthelrlnqe
<br />01 t~e Denver metropolitan ar"a,
<br />
<br />SETTLEM!:NT
<br />
<br />T~e settlerr>ent 01 ('",lorl:!dn essentl ~ Ily ho;'!an in 154,)
<br />when Do~ Francesc:o De Coronado and hIs ~~rty entered the reqlon,
<br />The'loSpanlardsloundmanytrlbBsollndlans. TheU1e,ArupahOl>,
<br />and Cheyenne Indian Trib~s resided In the ~unt~i~ ~reas and o~
<br />the plains to the east. later, In 1806"nd In 1820,r'espectively,
<br />Zebulon Pike ~nd Steph~n H. Long eXfllore<J 1he arM, ","ch discovor.
<br />ing a mount"ln peak th~t today bears their n~me. Fur tr~ders ~nd
<br />moun1ain man also ~xplored the area in the early 1800'5 contribut-
<br />ingtotheeventu(ll seHlaman1oftheare". The se"rCh lor wealth
<br />andstetus, tlowever. brought on by thegoldrushot 1858 <:ontrlbu-
<br />ted most to settlement of Colorado, This rush bnou~ht not only
<br />gol d seekers bu1 mer<:ha,.,ts, fannors, and r~nchers who establ ished
<br />permanent settlements,
<br />
<br />The ,,",In davelool''''' ,'re,;>s "'o~g the reach 01 Cherry Creek
<br />$tudied iro this rcpo,tar" franklown and Park"r. Franktownwas
<br />~ett I e,1 in 186), The IOCdt I on of Twenty-tJi Ie House, a hote I at
<br />th" junction of Ch"rry Creek RO,1M and the Smokey I-fi II St"'~e LIne,
<br />..~s n<l(OOd ['arker In I i!'l I . ,~q, leul tu,e Is th" rr1mary oconomic
<br />('let I v I ~ y I n I he f ran" town to Pa rkcr a rea.
<br />
<br />Arllfl"hn.. County w~s th.. 1 ir"iT rj..~i'ln"t..rj C<1Unty in
<br />Colorado. From then, i858.until April of 1903, theCountyc:hllnged
<br />$hapeand $Ilernany times. Durinq the aarly days of expansion
<br />a~d oxploration, the cou~ty was only visited by exolorers ~nd
<br />trappers. When gold was discovered at the mout~ of li1tle Dry
<br />Creek, extensive growth occurred throughout the raoion. Arapahoe
<br />County became known as one ot the ~reatest cattle ranch areas in
<br />
<br />THE SmEA'1 ,~~iJ 11S VALLE"':.
<br />GherrvCreekisari'll,t-bankplainstribut"ryol the
<br />South PI ~tte Hi ve~, enterin'l thll river In a hiqhl Ii ~Ilv"loP"d busi-
<br />nllSS and industrial arCa of Denvllr. Tnll Cherry Creek b~sln Is
<br /><ltxmt '>, miles. lonq and averaqes 101'111105 wide. The crBek +Iows
<br />
<br />"!"~e ,,~s"!" .:'!~~!s s"!"!I! b.:'!sl<::" I IV :!~ :!,;~!c~lt~~a! c=~~!"!"'1.
<br />
<br />!~ ti',<l
<br />
<br />',u,ji,-"u,:i",,,.,.i
<br />
<br />r,,,,,ih"Ul,,:.,,,,,,,,,':.-,r II,,;
<br />
<br />".-,-
<br />,,.,',,,,
<br />
<br />'--,+-"-".... ....
<br />"...,u'ou u~~, 'v
<br />
<br />past 15 years, ~wevBr, the county has experIenced a rapid growth
<br />in population because of the Denver metropol11an area yrbanilation
<br />and the subsequent extens[~a ~uburban development. ~bst 01 the
<br /><:ounty popula110n Is c:oncen1rated In 1he westArn one-third ot thll
<br />county.
<br />
<br />mi 105 northeast '11 Colo,1ldo Sori nS~, to its cDnl1 uenCe wi th thn
<br />Soute i'lalre lliv"r.
<br />
<br />The Cherry Creek basi~ up5tr!lam fr~ franktown has
<br />~I(jt-,!,Iy to ,'>odHrat"ry rail In') tDpoqr,~phy wi th ~clnd"ro~a pin" ~row-
<br />inn nn t h. ~; n~"r r i ,jc:es. 1~" Chc~rv Cree' va I Iryy Is, in 'len"rll!,
<br />
<br />".."
<br />
<br />'C""l'cc.
<br />
<br />!~ I !,:;; r~~ch
<br />
<br />,,,"~ ~"dr
<br />
<br />"r.,~I<."'~~ 'c' ".~~" ";,r<pr
<br />
<br />,
<br />
|