1,100,000,000 BC
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All: Pike's Peak Granite, from which the Rampart Range is composed, is formed. (Bauer: Colorado Post Offices, 1858-1989.: p.27) |
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54,000,000 BC
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All: The area around Castle Rock is a rain forest, receiving up to 100 inches of precipitation per year. (: Douglas County News Press.) |
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13,000 BC
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All: Mammoth, horse, camel, and bison frequent the Lamb Spring area (Heckendorn) |
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5500 BC - 1300 AD
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All: Paleo-Indians live in Douglas County. (Noel: p.43) |
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1050 AD
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All: High plains indians of the Upper Republican Phase settle in the Franktown vicinity as well as lower Jarre Creek. This culture is marked by nacent horticulture and cord-marked creamic jars. IT also seems likely that several sever droughts occured during this period. (Gunnerson: p.65-67) |
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1500 AD
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All: Ute Indians settle in Rocky Mountain Region of Colorado, including Western Douglas County. (Colorado State Archives) |
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1682 AD
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All: Robert Cavalier, Sieur de La Salle claims Mississippi River drainage for France. He names the area Louisiana for Louis XVI. (Stone: History of Colorado.: p.34) |
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1741 AD
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All: Pierre and Paul Mallet follow the Platte River to the Rocky Mountains. This would have put them in Douglas County. (Wisconsin Historical Society) |
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1763 AD
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All: The Treaty of Paris is signed, ending of French and Indian War. France cedes Louisiana to Spain. (Stone: History of Colorado.: p.35) |
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1801 AD
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All: The Treaty of Madrid forces Spain to relinquish the Louisiana Territory to France. (Stone: History of Colorado.: p.35) |
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1803 AD
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All: April 30: Napoleon sells the Louisiana Territory to United States for $15 Million. (Magill: p.445) |
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All: May 9: Negotiations completed for the Louisiana Purchase. |
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1820 AD
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All: Numerous Native American tribes live in the Colorado area. The Utes live in the mountains, the Cheyenne and Arapahoe reside on the plains from the Arkansas to the Platte Rivers. (Colorado State Archives) |
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All: July 7: Major Stephen Long and the Long Expedition enters Douglas County near the area where the South Platte River flows from the mountains. (Bell: p.148-159) |
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All: July 9: Long and another ascend a high butte, probably Dawson Butte, to get their bearings. (Bell: p.148-159) |
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All: July 10: The Long Expedition exits Douglas County to the south. (Bell: p.148-159) |
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1831 AD
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All: Thomas Fitzpatrick, founder of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company, surveys what is now I-25 through Douglas County. (: Douglas County News.) |
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1843 AD
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All: John C. Fremont's second expedition takes Fremont and thirty-eight companions through Douglas County. Among members of the company are Kit Carson, and future territorial governor William Gilpin. (Stone: History of Colorado.: p.58) |
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1846 AD
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All: August: Francis Parkman travels through future Douglas County on his exploration of the American West. His travels are recounted in his book "The Oregon Trail." (Parkman: p.305-306) |
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1849 AD
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All: The Trappers Trail is renamed the Cherokee Trail. (Sanford: p.30) |
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All: Parties of miners, including Green Russell travel the Trapper's Trail on the way to the California Gold Rush. They discover a little gold along Cherry Creek, possibly in future Douglas County. (Hall: History of the State of Colorado, Vol. III.: p.333Spencer) |
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1858 AD
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All: Spring: Green Russell leads a more in depth gold hunting expedition through Douglas County which eventually leads to the settlement of Denver and Auraria at the confluence of Cherry Creek and the Platte River. (Spencer) |
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1861 AD
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All: United States Civil War begins. Colorado, as part of the Kansas Territory, remains in the Union. |
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All: Colorado Territory established. Douglas County, named in honor of famed 19th century orator Stephen Douglas, is one of the originial 17 counties. The county stretches to the Kansas border, with Frankstown as the county seat. (Stone: History of Colorado.: p.172) |
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1862 AD
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All: The first county commissioners elected in Douglas County. They are John L. Boggs, Sylvester Richardson, and Joseph Hipley. The first sheriff is Charles Parkinson; clerk and recorder, J.F. Gardner; treasurer, Noel Webber. (Hall: History of the State of Colorado, Vol. III.: p.333) |
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All: United States government passes the Homestead Act to encourage settlement in the West. (National Park Service) |
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1863 AD
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All: Telegraph line links Denver with the East: ten words to New York cost $9.10, the equivalent of about $136 in 2003. (Colorado State Archives) |
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1864 AD
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All: The massacre of the Hungate Family in Douglas County sparks increased tension between settlers and Native Americans. This tension culminated in Col. John Chivington's Sand Creek Massacre north of Fort Lyon on the Arkansas River. (: Douglas County News Press.) |
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1865 AD
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All: United States Civil War Ends. |
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All: Douglas County has three school districts with a total enrollment of 70 students. (Chamblin: Historical Encyclopedia of Colorado.: p.185) |
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1866 AD
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All: President Andrew Johnson vetoes bill for Colorado Statehood. Among his reasons are the Sand Creek Massacre, the doubtful legality of the proposed state's constitution, and the shrinking population caused by lessening of gold strikes. (: Encyclopedia of Colorado.: p.92) |
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1870 AD
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All: Kansas Pacific Railroad completes first rail line in Douglas County near present day Limon, linking Denver to Kansas City. (Chamblin: Historical Encyclopedia of Colorado.: p.184) |
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1871 AD
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All: Colorado Springs is founded by General William J. Palmer. Denver and Rio Grande Railroad is built southward from Denver by Palmer, bringing the railroad through Douglas County. (Colorado State Archives: Encyclopedia of Colorado.: p.92) |
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All: Hayden Expedition passes through Douglas County. William Henry Jackson takes earliest photographs of the area. (PBS Interactive) |
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1874 AD
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All: February: Douglas County borders redrawn by the territorial legislature, eastern section becomes Elbert County. |
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1876 AD
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All: Colorado becomes a state. |
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1877 AD
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All: Ferdinand Hayden completes his Atlas of Colorado, the first detailed survey of the state. |
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1881 AD
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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) |
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1887 AD
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All: The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe rail line is built through Douglas County. (Chamblin: Historical Encyclopedia of Colorado.: p.185) |
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1890 AD
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All: Douglas County has 28 school districts, with an enrollment of 612 students. (Chamblin: Historical Encyclopedia of Colorado.: p.185) |
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All: July: Douglas County courthouse completed at a cost of $24,000. (Hall: History of the State of Colorado, Vol. III.: p.336) |
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1892 AD
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All: Douglas County native Elias Ammons is elected to the Colorado State House of Representatives. He represents Douglas County. (Monnett: p.229) |
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1893 AD
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All: July: Repeal of the Sherman Silver Purchase Act causes Colorado economy to collapse. Many banks and businesses closed in the ensuing panic, including the John Mouat Lumber Company. (Colorado State Archives) |
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1899 AD
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All: Denver and New Orleans Railroad name changed to Colorado and Southern Railway. |
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1900 AD
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All: The population of Douglas County reaches 3120. (Chamblin: Historical Encyclopedia of Colorado.: p.185) |
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1910 AD
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All: First long distance phone call from Denver to New York. First airplane leaves Denver. (Colorado State Archives) |
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1912 AD
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All: July: A rain and hail storm kills one in Douglas and wipes out the trestle bridge in Parker. (Miller: Parker Colorado: A Historical Narrative.: p.84) |
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1913 AD
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All: Major snowstorm along the front range, everything closes for 11 days. (Miller: Parker Colorado: A Historical Narrative.: p.84) |
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All: Douglas County resident Elias Ammons is governor of Colorado. (: Encyclopedia of Colorado.: p.97) |
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1914 AD
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1916 AD
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All: Colorado adopts prohibition. |
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1918 AD
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1925 AD
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All: Newly paved Highway 85 links Denver and Colorado Springs. |
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All: Ku Klux Klan at the height of its power in Colorado, local Klan holds a meeting in the district courtroom of Douglas County. (: Douglas County News.) |
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1932 - 1937 AD
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All: Great Depression and Dust Bowl strike Douglas County. (: Encyclopedia of Colorado.: p.99) |
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1937 AD
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All: Colorado and Southern Railroad abandons their Platte Canyon Rail Line. Parker depot dismantled. |
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All: Douglas County High School graduate Teller Ammons is governor of Colorado. (: Encyclopedia of Colorado.: p.100) |
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1945 AD
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All: Major flood hits Parker and Franktown. (Miller: Parker Colorado: A Historical Narrative.: p.84) |
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1949 - 1956 AD
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All: Douglas County's small schools begin to close and consolidate. Eventually, Douglas County RE-1 School District is founded in 1956. |
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1965 AD
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All: June 16: Flood causes major destruction in Douglas County and Denver. The flood started as a cloudburst near Larkspur, and spread northward along Plum and Cherry Creeks. (Roudebush p. 23) Plum Creek was impassable for weeks after the storm and newly completed sections of I-25 near Castle Rock were destroyed. Residents were airlifted across the creek for several days after the flood. |
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1966 AD
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All: Douglas County Library Board established, Douglas County Commissioners contribute money to the library for the first time, establishing the first "Public" library. (Maguire) |
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1967 AD
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All: Budget for all Douglas County operations reaches $306, 089. |
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1971 AD
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All: The total assessed valuation of Douglas County is $27,569,450. (Chamblin: Historical Encyclopedia of Colorado.: p.394) |
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1972 AD
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All: The population of Douglas County reaches 9,989. (Chamblin: Historical Encyclopedia of Colorado.: p.185) |
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1975 AD
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All: Douglas County Master Planning begins. |
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1980 - 1990 AD
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All: Douglas County has the highest percentage of new housing units in the country. |
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All: Douglas County's population is 25,042 |
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1982 AD
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All: December 22-24: Major Christmas snowstorm paralyzes Douglas County and the Front Range. |
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1990 AD
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All: Douglas County Libraries is formed as an independent taxing district. (Maguire) |
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1995 AD
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All: Douglas County becomes the fastest growing county in the State of Colorado. (: Douglas County Trail.) |
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1997 AD
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All: Douglas County is the fastest growing county in the Unted States. 30 car pileup on Surrey Ridge Road, 55 car accident near Castle Rock on I-25. |
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All: Median household income in Douglas County is $63,570. (: Douglas County News-Press.) |
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1999 AD
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All: Douglas County has grown 160% since 1990. (: Highlands Ranch Herald.) |
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All: Douglas County has highest median income of any county in the United States, with average household earning over $77,000 per year. (: Douglas County News-Press.) |
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