Closing the Frontier
Era Menu Precolumbian Era: 1 Billion BC - 1500 AD Exploration: 1500 - 1854 Kansas Territory: 1858 - 1861 Douglas County Infancy: 1862 - 1874 Closing the Frontier: 1875 - 1881 Building Douglas County: 1882 - 1899 Agriculture and Ranching: 1900 - 1918 Boom and Bust: 1920 - 1939 Small Town USA: 1940 - 1959 Destruction and Recovery: 1960 - 1979 Growth and Prosperity: 1980 - 2000   Location Menu All Castle Rock Franktown Highlands Ranch and Lone Tree Larkspur Louviers Mountains Parker Roxborough Sedalia Spring Valley, Cherry Valley & Greenland	1875 AD     Spring Valley, Cherry Valley & Greenland: Greenland was named by Helen Hunt Jackson. (Johnson: p.1)     Spring Valley, Cherry Valley & Greenland: The town of Greenland is established by Fred Z. Salmon. (Hall: History of the State of Colorado, Vol. III.: p.336)     Castle Rock: A wooden-frame school is built on the current day site of Cantril. (Douglas County Historical Society: Our Heritage: People of Douglas County.: p.368)     Castle Rock: Denver and Rio Grande Railroad Station built at Castle Rock (now Castle Rock Museum. (Douglas County History Research Center: Castle Rock Clippings Notebook)     Castle Rock: Cedar Hill Cemetery established in Castle Rock (Appleby: Fading Past: The Story of Douglas County, Colorado.: p.21)     Franktown: January 20: California Ranch burns down south of Franktown for the last time, and is not rebuilt. (Appleby: Fading Past: The Story of Douglas County, Colorado.: p.49) 1876 AD     All: Colorado becomes a state.     Larkspur: The Plum Creek Toll Road company establishes a toll road south of Larkspur. (Cannon: A Brief History of Huntsville, Larkspur, Hunt Ranch and Nickson Ranch.: p.4) 1877 AD     All: Ferdinand Hayden completes his Atlas of Colorado, the first detailed survey of the state.     Mountains: October 11: Platte Canyon post office opens. (Bauer: Colorado Post Offices, 1859-1989.: p.115)     Spring Valley, Cherry Valley & Greenland: Pratt or Cherry School (District 20) is built on West Cherry Creek. (Marr: Douglas County: A Historical Journey.: p.53) 1879 AD     Parker: Brick school building constructed on Allison Ranch. (Miller: Parker Colorado: A Historical Narrative.: p.66)     Louviers: Kelly/Gann School constructed. (Douglas County Historical Society: Our Heritage: People of Douglas County.: p.372)     Highlands Ranch and Lone Tree: Big Dry Creek Cheese Ranch established in northern Douglas County by Johann Welte. (Appleby: Fading Past: The Story of Douglas County, Colorado.: p.69)     Castle Rock: The Owens House opens as a hotel in Castle Rock. (Appleby: Fading Past: The Story of Douglas County, Colorado.: p.27) 1880 - 1887 AD     Spring Valley, Cherry Valley & Greenland: East Cherry Creek School opens. (Everest. Christie: "Douglas County Schools.": p.10)     Castle Rock: The town of Douglas is platted by the National Land and Improvement Company. The town serves a shipping point for rhyolite. (Chamblin: Historical Encyclopedia of Colorado.: p.185)     Mountains: The John Mouat Lumber Company opens the first sawmill on the banks of the Platte River at the site of the current town of Trumbul. (Appleby: Fading Past: The Story of Douglas County, Colorado.: p.33)     Castle Rock: Castle Rock ditch system built to provide irrigation water for the town. (: Douglas County News-Press.) 1881 AD     All: Ute tribes are moved onto reservations. (Colorado State Archives)     Sedalia: The Denver Coal Company starts shipments of coal from the town of Lehigh, located west of Sedalia. (Marr: Douglas County: A Historical Journey.: p.106)     Castle Rock: O'Brien Quarry starts operations southeast of Castle Rock.     Castle Rock: The town of Castle Rock is incorporated. Irving S. Morse is the mayor, George Triplett is the clerk and recorder. Members of the town council are John G. Baldwin, David Owens, Thomas King, and Dr. A Johnson. (Chamblin: Historical Encyclopedia of Colorado.: p.185Appleby: Fading Past: The Story of Douglas County, Colorado.: p.8)     Highlands Ranch and Lone Tree: The town of Acequia is established by the National Land and Improvement Company. (Chamblin: Historical Encyclopedia of Colorado.: p.185)     All: George Crofutt's Grip Sack Guide to Colorado is published. Thousands of people come west as tourists. (Appleby: Fading Past: The Story of Douglas County, Colorado.: p.104)	The Cedar Hill Cemetery was established outside Castle Rock in 1875, this photo was taken by M. King, January 31, 1935, Photo courtesy of the Denver Public Library Western History Collection The wooden Castle Rock School was built in 1875. It burned down in 1896, reportedly due to a defective flue. It was built on "Schoolhouse hill," Cantril School is built on the location of the wooden school on Cantril Street between Third and Fourth Streets in Castle Rock. Photo from Douglas County News, May 11, 1972. Castle Rock's Denver and Rio Grande Depot was built in 1875. The depot originally sat next to the railroad tracks in downtown Castle Rock, but it was moved to Elbert Street in the 1970's. The building now houses the Castle Rock Museum. Douglas County History Research Center #678.04 The Owens House opened in Castle Rock in 1879, it was one of the major businesses in town through the 19th century. Douglas County History Research Center #1997.032 George Crofutt's Grip Sack Guide to Colorado, published in 1881, encouraged people to travel west.