.....Lake Gulch School District #12 was formed out of District 2 (Franktown) in 1871 by the County Superintendent of Schools, George Lord, at the urging of Frederick Doepke and a few other families. Mr. Doepke was the first president of the school board,. The school house sat between the Misner and Winkler (George Engl) Ranches on the west side of Castlewood Canyon Road, about 2 miles south of the Castlewood Canyon Dam. The district is also sometimes referred to as Lower Lake Gulch, as it covered an area downstream of Upper Lake Gulch.

.....Like many other schools in Douglas County, Lake Gulch served as both a church and a community center for the predominantly German Catholic community in the area. The school never had more than 10 students. A photo of the students in 1946 shows 8 little girls. When the school was closed in 1949 it was decided that, rather than see the building fall apart, the materials could be used elsewhere. The school board paid a Castle Rock resident to tear the building down and haul it away. The materials were used in several other buildings, and the furniture was sent to other small schools in the area.