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.
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.
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.
125 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.
Evergreenhttp://www.citymtnviews.com/neighborhoo ... index.htmlHeart Of Evergreenhttp://www.citymtnviews.com/neighborhoo ... green.html"
Upper Bear Creek Roadhttp://www.citymtnviews.com/neighborhoo ... creek.htmlGreenwoodhttp://www.citymtnviews.com/neighborhoo ... nwood.htmlHiwanhttp://www.citymtnviews.com/neighborhoo ... hiwan.htmlI-70 Corridor Neighborhoodshttp://www.citymtnviews.com/neighborhoo ... index.htmlGeneseehttp://www.citymtnviews.com/neighborhoo ... nesee.htmlMount Vernon Country Clubhttp://www.citymtnviews.com/neighborhoo ... ernon.htmlPanorama Estateshttp://www.citymtnviews.com/neighborhoo ... tates.htmlParadise Hillshttp://www.citymtnviews.com/neighborhoo ... hills.htmlhttp://www.citymtnviews.com/index.html1 http://jeffco.us/open-space/parks/elk-m ... k/history/