Laserfiche WebLink
Douglas County History <br />hnp://www. douglas.co.us/DC/history. htm <br />• ABOUT DOUGLAS COUNTY <br />History of the Area <br />Eons ago, the azea that is now Douglas County was temperate and moist, containing such unlikely <br />vegetation as palms, magnolias, and fig trees. Fossil palm trees found near Parker lend credibility <br />to the concept of the Tertiary Period of geological history. Dinosaur fossils have been found near <br />Perry Park and other large animal fossils exist near Louviers. <br />French and Spanish explorers entered Douglas County in the early 1700s. They were followed by <br />trappers and traders in the ] 800s. However, these were mere visitors compazed with the thousands <br />of'S9ers who responded to the tales of gold in the small settlement of Russellville. This initial gold <br />discovery triggered the Pikes Peak Gold Rush, the greatest migration in our country's history. <br />Those initially drawn by the lure of gold were enchanted by the relatively mild climate, the many <br />days of sunshine, and the wooded hills and mountains of what was to become Douglas County. <br />The woodlands provided the basis for a thriving lumber industry, while the railroads created the <br />demand and the transportation. Coal was discovered at three outcroppings, and the mines that <br />opened at Archer, Wakeman, and Lehigh continued to operate for nearly 40 years. <br />In 1861, the Colorado Territorial Session Laws created Douglas County, named after Stephen A. <br />Douglas. Known as the "Little Giant," Douglas battled his own Democratic Party, as well as the <br />• Republican Abraham Lincoln, over issues of slavery, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and popular <br />sovereignty. Douglas County originally stretched from the Rockies to the State of Kansas border. <br />Douglas County Offices <br />(303)660-7400 <br />OfTice Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. <br />[About Dou¢las Countv] [History of the Area] [Mans] [Facts and Statistics] <br />[Towns] [County Officials] [Growth] <br />~~~~~~~© <br />DEC 2 0 20DD <br />Division of fainerals and Geolopn <br />• <br />I of 1 9/ 15/00 8:04 AM <br />