Denver, Colorado was founded in 1858. It is located at the intersection of the plains and the mountains. It is the state’s political capital and largest city.
Denver began as a mining settlement. However, the gold deposits were quickly exhausted. Rich gold deposits were discovered in the mountains west of Denver. Once the gold rush began there was a great need for materials that couldn't be produced locally, which assured Denver's future as a supply hub for the new mines. The American Civil War, fires, and floods provided significant challenges to the city during its time as part of Colorado Territory. Following the war, mining infrastructure grew more sophisticated, more people moved to Denver, and infrastructure such as railroads and schools, grew along with the town.
Pike's Peak Gold Rush and first settlements The Denver area, part of the Territory of Kansas, was primarily occupied by Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians with only a few white settlers until 1859. Occasional parties of prospectors came looking for gold, then moved on. In July 1858, Green Russell and Sam Bates found a small placer deposit near the mouth of Little Dry Creek (in the present-day suburb of Englewood) that yielded about of gold, the first significant gold discovery in the Rocky Mountain region. News spread rapidly and by autumn, hundreds of men were working along the South Platte River. By spring 1859, teams of thousands of gold seekers arrived and the Pike's Peak Gold Rush was under way. In the following two years, about 100,000 gold seekers flocked to the region.
In the summer of 1858 a group from Lawrence, Kansas, arrived and established Montana City on the banks of the South Platte River (modern-day Grant-Frontier Park). This was the first settlement in what would become the Denver Metropolitan Area. The site faded quickly due to poor findings by miners and most of the settlers and some structures moved north to the confluence of the South Platte River and Cherry Creek and formed a new settlement named St. Charles. The location was accessible to existing trails and had previously been the site of seasonal encampments of the Cheyenne and Arapaho.
In October 1858, five weeks after the founding of St. Charles, the town of Auraria was founded by William Greeneberry Russell and party of fellow settlers from Georgia on the south side of Cherry Creek. The town, named for the gold mining settlement of Auraria, Georgia, was formed in response to the high cost of land in St. Charles and gave away lots to anyone willing to build and live there. A post office was opened in Auraria in January 1859 serving the 50 cabins that had already been constructed.
Larimer Party
In November 1858, General William Larimer and Captain Jonathan Cox, Esquire, two of the land speculators from eastern Kansas Territory who had met with the Territorial Governor James W. Denver (who honorarily gave them appointments such as commissioner, judge and sheriff) unpacked their wagons and divided up the supplies. Larimer looked over the Auraria landscape and was not satisfied with the first area chosen. He moved to a new area where he set up a campfire and four cottonwood poles crossed together, creating the first "Larimer Square"Gallagher, p. 2 to stake a square-mile claim on the site of the St. Charles claim, across the creek from the existing mining settlement of Auraria. The majority of the settlers in St. Charles had returned to Kansas for the winter and left only a small number of people behind to guard their claim, including one of their leaders named Charles Nichols. Larimer and his followers gave the representatives whiskey, promises, and the threat of a noose,Gallagher, pp.2 whereby the St. Charles claim was surrendered.
The name of the site was changed to "Denver City" after Kansas Territorial Governor James W. Denver, in an attempt to ensure that the city would become the county seat of then Arapaho County, Kansas. However, Denver had already resigned as governor and become Commissioner of Indian Affairs about a month before Denver City was founded.
1859
A short time later a third town, called Highland was founded on the west side of the South Platte River. Surrounded by steep bluffs and separated from the other two settlements by the river, it was slow to develop.
The Denver City Land Company, laid out the roads parallel to the creek and sold parcels in the town to merchants and miners, with the intention of creating a major city that would cater to new immigrants. In the early years, land parcels were often traded for grubstakes or gambled away by miners in Auraria. However, the prospectors discovered that the gold deposits in these streams were discouragingly poor and quickly exhausted.
Denver, Auraria and the land west to the Continental Divide were part of Arapahoe County which encompassed the entire western portion of the Kansas Territory. With no county government and the leaders of the Kansas Territory preoccupied with the violent events of Bleeding Kansas, little time or attention was given to those in Arapahoe County even by the United States Congress who were preoccupied with threats of secession by the slave states. In addition the gold fields were beginning to move beyond the borders of the Kansas Territory and because of their importance and ties to mining activity closer to Denver, calls began for a new territory or state.
Auraria v Denver Auraria and Denver began to compete for businesses that could cater to the new immigrants and for domination of the area. Auraria began to take an early lead with the first saloon, smithery, and carpentry shop. However, in May 1859, Denver City donated 53 lots to the Leavenworth and Pike's Peak Express in order to secure the region's first overland wagon route. Offering daily service for "passengers, mail, freight, and gold," the Express reached Denver on a trail that trimmed westward travel time to six days. With supplies being delivered to the Denver side of Cherry Creek, businesses began to move there as well. By June Auraria had 250 buildings compared to Denver's 150 buildings, and both cities were growing quickly. With this growth came a need for a wider government.
On April 23, 1859, William Byers printed the first issue of the Rocky Mountain News from his Cherry Creek office above a saloon, giving Auraria another early institution in its rivalry with Denver City.
Beginning the government In 1859, 27 residents formed a secret vigilante committee to punish public offenses. The committee held strong public support. Summary courts were also formed to try felonies via a tribunal and jury. Defendants were allowed council and typically punished by banishment or death. These systems may have reduced the gang violence in Denver which had become problematic over the summer and continued for years. The Arapaho County Claims Club began to hear civil suits.
On October 24, 1859, an election was held to form a provisional government for the goldfields and the formation of the Provisional Government of the Territory of Jefferson was approved.
The elected Governor of the Territory of Jefferson, Robert Williamson Steele, opened the first session of the Jefferson Territorial Legislature in Denver City on November 7, 1859. Hiram J Graham, the local delegate to Congress, had introduced a bill to establish a new territory in Pike's Peak Country. Though the bill did not pass, it nevertheless encouraged settlers to establish a separate government themselves.
The three towns were combined on December 3 as City of Denver, Auraria, and Highland. On December 12, the free white men of the new city elected John C. Moore as mayor in a 377 to 302 vote. Opposition to this government was based mainly on the fact that it was organized under the Territory of Jefferson which was not legally recognized by the United States. Samuel Beall was appointed by the Denver Town Company to lobby for Colorado's representation in Washington.
1860 Moore resigned to fight for the Confederate States of America. The Territory of Jefferson lost legitimacy and the three towns were reconstituted on October 1 as Denver City with three judges, a clerk, treasurer, marshal, and six legislators.
Colorado Territory The State of Kansas was created on January 29, 1861 formalizing the separation of the western portion of the now defunct Kansas Territory.
On February 28, 1861, outgoing U.S. President James Buchanan signed an Act of Congress organizing the free Territory of Colorado. President Abraham Lincoln appointed William Gilpin of Missouri the first Governor of the Territory of Colorado and he arrived in Denver City on May 29, 1861. On June 6, 1861, Governor Steele issued a proclamation declaring the Territory of Jefferson disbanded and urging all employees and residents to abide by the laws governing the United States.
The Colorado General Assembly first met on September 9, 1861, and created 17 counties for the territory on November 1, 1861, including a new Arapahoe County with Denver City as its seat. The legislature approved the reincorporation of the cities of Denver, Auraria, and Highland as Denver City on November 7, 1861, in order to better administer the quickly growing cities.The new charter granted Denver broad powers enacted by a city council with six members and a mayor with limited authority. The council was authorized to facilitate many improvements and maintenance to municipal infrastructure, levy property taxes, incur some debts, and regulate markets. It also affirmed the validity of law and equity prior to the formation of the territory.
Denver City served as the Arapahoe County Seat from 1861 until it became its own county in 1902. In 1867, Denver City became the Territorial Capital. With its new-found importance, Denver City shortened its name to just Denver. On August 1, 1876, Denver became the temporary state capital when Colorado was admitted to the Union, and a statewide vote in 1881 made Denver the permanent state capital.
The first public school opened in 1862 along with a school board. Several private schools were founded in the same year.
Civil war In 1861 following the beginning of the American Civil War, there were several small disputes and skirmishes between confederate supporters and union supporters. In August, Governor Gilpin organized the 1st Colorado Infantry. He encouraged the business of Denver to help outfit the new army on the belief that the federal government would provide funds. After racking up $375,000 in bills and failing to convince the federal government to pay out the Denver businesses the people called for a change in leadership. John P. Slough led the group to New Mexico Territory in February–March 1862. There they fought in the battles of Apache Canyon, Glorieta Pass and Peralta. Slough resigned in April 1862 and was replaced by Major John M. Chivington.Josephy, pp. 76–77, 82–85.
On March 26, 1862 John Evans was appointed by Abraham Lincoln as the second governor of the territory. After Evans took the governorship, many of the debts Gilpin had incurred were paid by the federal government. He promoted investment in Denver rail projects, and founded the University of Denver in 1864.
Anti-native sentiment grew during the Civil War years. Exterminationist ideology, led in Colorado by Evans and Chivington, advocated for the total eradication of all native people in the territory.Josephy, p. 306 In response to their mistreatment, many bands of natives massacred and looted settlers and travelers around the territory. Black Kettle and Roman Nose were leaders in the hostility. Chivington committed the Sand Creek Massacre and Evans was forced to resign the following spring. During the Colorado War natives succeeded in blockade which cut off communication and severely restricted food supply.