Evergreen, Colorado area history

[EG Bound Road Crew]

Looking back . . .

All the beauty that surrounds us in the Colorado foothills is underpinned with the stewardship of generations past.
From the earliest of times as Indian hunting grounds to settlers who worked their ranches to Denver aristocrats with summer retreats, the wildlife and natural beauty endures.

Source: Jefferson County Historical Society http://jchscolorado.org/

Homesteader Thomas Cunningham Bergen arrived in 1859, establishing a ranch and stage stop north of present-day downtown Evergreen. He built a cabin in the valley known as Elk Park, in the middle of the summer hunting grounds for the Ute and Sioux bands. The Bergen Park settlement was situated along the Mount Vernon toll road to the mining districts. The Bergen home was expanded and provided a meal and night’s lodging for $1.00 for weary travelers and freighters.

When the Evergreen Township survey was completed in 1861, the government’s land became available for homesteading in 160-acre parcels and settlers were required to file their homestead with Jefferson County.

In 1862 Amos Post built a general store near Bergen’s lodging house, and, with Bergen, built Evergreen’s first school. By 1877, Post opened a trading post, called “The Post,” along the banks of Bear Creek. A number of stage stops and lodging houses sprang up in Bear Creek Canyon and in the area now known as Evergreen.

Subsequent settlers homesteaded south of Bergen along Bear Creek Canyon and the downtown area grew around the confluence of Cub Creek and Bear Creek.

Photo credit Pinterest/scontent-b-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net



The Evergreen Dam was built in 1925-1926 which created Evergreen Lake.


Photo credit Pinterest/digital.denverlibrary.org

In 1943 Darst Buchanan bought 1,000 acres from Ted Johnson. Buchanan was the owner of Hiwan Ranch, including what is now the Hiwan Homestead Museum. Buchanan gradually amassed a ranching property of 10,000 acres and bred prize-winning Hereford cattle on his Hiwan Ranch.

In 1945, Buchanan bought Hamrick’s ranch, and the 200 acres at its southwest corner completed the property that is now Elk Meadow Park. In 1949, Cole A. Means and his brother, Robert, purchased the northern portion of the meadow for summer grazing for their Texas herds.

Rather than pursuing a proposed commercial development, the Means family decided to keep the entire meadow as open space, selling their 1,140 acres of Means Meadow to Open Space in September, 1975. 1

25 known floods have occurred in the Bear Creek basin that collectively caused 45 deaths and considerable property damage. These floods occurred in 1866, two in 1878, 1885, 1886, 1893, 1894, 1896, 1903, 1907, 1908, two in 1921, 1923, 1925, 1933, 1934, 1938, 1946, two in 1957, 1965, 1969, 1973 and more recently 2013.

Fire destroyed 7 businesses and 4 homes in the early hours of November 10, 1926. Residents formed a bucket brigade but wind fanned the flames, destroying a pharmacy, butcher shop, barber shop, restaurant, four homes and 2 vacant buildings.

City & Mountain Views of Jefferson County is an excellent resource for the history of our area.
Follow the links below to discover when your neighborhood and others hit the map.

Evergreen
http://www.citymtnviews.com/neighborhoo ... index.html

Heart Of Evergreen
http://www.citymtnviews.com/neighborhoo ... green.html"

Upper Bear Creek Road
http://www.citymtnviews.com/neighborhoo ... creek.html

Greenwood
http://www.citymtnviews.com/neighborhoo ... nwood.html

Hiwan
http://www.citymtnviews.com/neighborhoo ... hiwan.html

I-70 Corridor Neighborhoods
http://www.citymtnviews.com/neighborhoo ... index.html

Genesee
http://www.citymtnviews.com/neighborhoo ... nesee.html

Mount Vernon Country Club
http://www.citymtnviews.com/neighborhoo ... ernon.html

Panorama Estates
http://www.citymtnviews.com/neighborhoo ... tates.html

Paradise Hills
http://www.citymtnviews.com/neighborhoo ... hills.html


http://www.citymtnviews.com/index.html

1 http://jeffco.us/open-space/parks/elk-m ... k/history/

[EG Bound Road Crew]

"The Foreman" sculpture. Photo credit Hiwan History Museum

Hiwan Homestead Museum

The museum's restored 1890 - 1930 era rooms are a step back in time, to the days of a "summer cottage" in the mountains.

In the 1890's Civil War widow Mary Neosho Williams and her daughter were among the aristocratic society of Denver who camped at Evergreen. They acquired a simple log structure and hired a Scottish carpenter to convert it into a summer cottage. The property was named Camp Neosho, where overnight guests stayed in comfortably equipped tents with wood floors, stoves and double canvas walls.

Hiwan Homestead was a cherished mountain retreat for six generations of notable families lived in this rustic mountain lodge before it was developed as a museum by Jefferson County Open Space in 1974.

Admission is free.

Hiwan Homestead Museum
4208 S. Timbervale Drive, Evergreen, CO 80439
720-497-7650

For large group tours contact
the museum at 720-497-7650

Museum Hours:
Open Tuesday - Sunday
September-May Noon - 5:00 pm
June-August 11:00 am - 5:00 pm

Hiwan Homestead Museum Staff
Telephone number: 720-497-7650

St. Joseph's Chapel



This beautiful and intimate chapel was completed in 1918 for the Douglas family's private use.
The chapel, with its soaring arched ceiling and hand-leaded windows set in rosewood, is located on the second floor of the Hiwan Homestead Museum.
The chapel is non-denomenational.

[EG Bound Road Crew]

Humphrey History Park and Museum

The allure of the mountains has always been powerful as it's a throwback to a simpler way of life, in a setting that's more serene and quiet than our daily lives. Add to that a living history experience on a 1930s ranch complete with goats and chickens, classes on the life ways of the period, an art gallery, antique store, hiking trails, and special events, and you have a place to remember.

The Kinnikinnick Ranch was established in 1920 by the Humphrey family to be just that place. Today it is run by the nonprofit, Humphrey History Park and Museum. The ranch sits on 35 acres nestled in the foothills of Evergreen, Colorado.

Humphrey History Park and Museum Mission

Our mission is to tell the story of the life and times of the Humphrey family and their home, the Kinnikinnick Ranch.

Humphrey History Park and Museum Vision

The Humphrey History Park and Museum’s goal is to preserve and interpret the mountain heritage of Colorado to a diverse public. Our vision is to present living history experiences that engage, entertain and educate our visitors on the history and challenges our mountain founders faced through the story of the Humphrey family

The Museum began in 1995 through a bequest of Hazel Lou Humphrey. The bequest specified that the property would be used “to preserve the history of the Humphrey family and the natural aspects of the grounds to provide an area for the use and pleasure of the public.” The Museum Board struggled for years to obtain these goals and ultimately closed the Museum in September 2009. In early 2011, the remaining two members of the Board conducted a facilitated retreat. The result reorganized the Museum’s mission, operating plan, internal structure, board composition, and hired a museum professional as the executive director.

Today, visitors interact with daily activities following the “Manual of Housekeeping,” (Monday is wash day, Tuesday is ironing day, Wednesday is mending, Thursday is gardening, Friday is cleaning, and Saturday is baking) in the original Humphrey home set in the 1930s and 40s, garage, cattery, play house, teacherage and visitors cottage; reconstructed barn; restored flower and vegetable gardens; and numerous outdoor activity stations.

The Park is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm year round. Classes on the life ways of the 1930s and 40s are offered on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

[EG Bound Road Crew]

Medlen School



Medlen School is a circa 1890 school house restored to the 1920's era on its original location on South Turkey Creek Road. The school was restored in 1999 through a grant from the State Historical Fund and JCHS. Historical "Medlen Schools Days" programs are offered during the summer months; public tours by appointment. For more information, contact 303-670-0784.

[EG Bound Road Crew]

The Sacred Heart of Jesus Statue

Mother Cabrini Shrine
20189 Cabrini Shrine Blvd., Golden, CO 80401
(303) 526-0758

Mother Cabrini Shrine has many peaceful areas for our visitors to enjoy and take time for personal reflection. Some of the highlights of Mother Cabrini Shrine include: our Main Chapel, Grotto Chapel, Stairway of Prayer, Walking Rosary, Meditation Walkway, Ten Commandments, Mysteries of the Rosary, Stations of the Cross, our Natural Spring, Gift Shop, Cabrini Museum, Stained Glass Windows and our Heart of Stones.

The Retreat, Main Building


The Grotto Chapel

Stairway of Prayer
In 1954 a twenty-two foot statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, carved by an Italian artist was mounted on an eleven foot base and erected above the Heart of Stones with 373 steps leading to the top of the Mount of the Sacred Heart. The stairway follows the path Mother Cabrini, the sisters and the children took to the top of the mountain. This stairway following the Saint’s footsteps is also symbolic of the pathway Christ took on His sorrowful way to His crucifixion and death, through the stations of the Cross.

353 steps leading to the statue of Jesus


Mother Cabrini was naturalized as a US citizen in 1909, and was the first U.S. citizen to be canonized
by the Roman Catholic Church, beatified on November 13, 1938, and canonized on July 7, 1946, by Pope Pius XII.
She loved the foothills west of Denver and the Colorado mountains. Frances X. Cabrini negotiated the purchase of land on the east slope of Lookout Mountain from the town of Golden for a summer camp for her charges at the Queen of Heaven Orphanage in Denver. No reliable source of water was known to exist on the property at that time.


THE SPRING
The only water was in a small pond next to the spring house. All of the water needed for drinking and cooking had to be brought up to the summer camp from the stream at the bottom of Mt. Vernon Canyon. In September 1912, the sisters complained to Mother Cabrini that they were dying of thirst and there was no water to be had. She answered, “Lift that rock over there and start to dig. You will find water fresh enough to drink and clean enough to wash.” The spring, which is housed in an 8,000 gallon tank, has never stopped running. Many pilgrims, through their faith, believe the water has brought healing and peace to their lives.

The winding road leading to the shrine climbs to stunning views as far as the eye can see overlooking Denver and points far north, south and west. Wildlife in this peaceful place will likely greet you on your journey.

Directions:
Take I-70 West to exit #259 to Hwy 40, follow the signs to the Shrine.
Take I-70 East to exit #256 to Hwy 40, follow the signs to the Shrine.


For more information visit http://www.mothercabrinishrine.org/

[EG Bound Road Crew]

Historical Sites of Idaho Springs


The Charlie Tayler Waterwheel has long been
a tourist attraction and popular landmark in Idaho Springs.


The Jackson Monument honors the spot George Jackson
discovered gold in Chicago Creek bed just below the monument.
Jackson’s discovery began the Colorado Gold Rush in 1859.


In Pioneer Cemetery the earliest grave marker dates from 1874.
Many of the early pioneers to Idaho Springs were laid to rest here.

More -
http://historicidahosprings.com/histori ... o-springs/

The Underhill Museum
1416 Miner St. Idaho Springs, CO 80452 303-567-4709

Heritage Museum
2060 Miner St., PO Box 1318, Idaho Springs, CO 80452