Travel to Evergreen - Colorado - USA - History

Evergreen - Colorado - History

The first visitors to the area were the Arapahoe, Ute, and Cheyenne tribes who sought the protection of the mountain valleys of the Front Range to avoid the severe winters of the plains. The Arapahoes use of the Bear Creek Basin's maze of feeder streams intensified when they sought safety from the other plains tribes who had gained dominance by adopting the use of horses. The Native American tribes shared these valleys and stream beds with early explorers and trappers until the mid-l800's, when the first white settlers arrived. John Eberhart is thought to have been the first resident to leave a permanent mark in the area when he built a one-room log cabin, west of Lone Peak, prior to the Civil War. Others followed John's trail up Turkey Creek to Parmalee Gulch and then up Giant Gulch to the meadowlands along the southeast ridge of Bear Mountain By 1859, Thomas C. Bergen had built his first house and had started a way station serving travelers en route to the mining camps along Clear Creek. Bergen's son-in-law soon started a general store on Bear Creek, in what is now downtown Evergreen. John D. Parmalee arrived in the area in l860 and by l866 had started construction on the Turkey Creek Canyon toll road, which connected to the existing Bradford toll road. In l868, Antoine F. Roy homesteaded in the upper part of the Buffalo Park Creek and D. P. Wilmot settled in 1875 along the creek that bears his name.

By 1870, Samuel Hendershott, John Meyers, and Martin V. Luther homesteaded in the Kittredge area and operated lumber mill sites. The railroad reached Golden in 1870 and extended into Morrison by 1874. By 1880, the names of Herzman, Simmons, Berrien, Blakeslee, Hester, Eden, Ralph, Hager, Schneider, Johnson, and Vezina appeared on area homestead patents.

These homesteaders, in addition to raising hay, oats, potatoes, peas, and lettuce, sold posts and poles, and operated small sawmills that served both Denver and the mining communities. Logging continued as a companion industry with agriculture in the Bear Creek Basin into the 1950's.

Jock Spence was hired by Mrs. Mary Williams in 1885 and worked ten years building the Homestead, which is now a County museum. Before the turn of the century, the families of Blair, Bellemy, Evans, Davis, Dodge, Douglas, and Phipps had started a long tradition of summering in the mountain area. Also at this time, Stewart's Hotel was converted into an Episcopal Church. The Evergreen Conference Center was established in 1904, and began to attract celebrants from all parts of the nation.

Mountain life changed more rapidly when, in 1911, conversion of the Bear Creek toll road into a highway began with labor supplied by the state penitentiary. Then in 1912, Denver passed a charter amendment establishing the Denver Mountain Park system that included 27 parks, 24 wilderness sites, 100 miles of road and park improvements, funded by a $1.75 million appropriation from the Works Progress Administration. It provided a year's work for a thousand men

The change from the horse and toll roads to cars and highways made it easier for summer residents to get to the Bear Creek Basin. The population increased ten-fold every summer for the next 40 years. The summer visitors supported the growth of resorts in the area. Brook Forest Inn was built in 1918 by Edwin Welz and Troutdale was started in 1920 by H. E. Sidels. Lodges appeared in Marshdale, Lazy Valley, and Beaver Brook and the city of Denver opened lodges at Chief Hosa and Echo Lake.

In 1923, George Olinger christened Arrowhead park and promoted the development of Indian Hills. Small weekend cabins and tent sites started to dot the hillsides with the platting of WahKeenery Park, Apache springs, Wilmot Woods, Hy Glen, Mountain Park Homes, Pearson Addition, and other early subdivisions.

Evergreen changed still more when many original structures, which had survived the 1896 Cub Creek flood, burned on November 8, 1926. The damming of the Dedisee hay meadow in 1927 provided flood protection and the newly-created Evergreen Lake increased the area's recreational attractiveness for regional residents.

Over the years as the homesteads enlarged, truck farming evolved into larger cattle operations. In addition to logging, fox farming became another source of income. Darst Buchanan, in 1938, bought the William-Douglas Homestead. He combined it with other ranches and created the Hiwan Ranch, said to stretch from Evergreen to Central City

World War II and gas rationing brought to a close the era of Bear Creek's days of tea rooms, dancing at Brewer's by the Lake, stables, and summer camps. The post-war years ushered in a new era of subdivisions, year-around residents, and commuters. D. E. Buchanan and family developed Hiwan Hills in 1947. This started a development push which would see Evergreen quickly grow away from its neighboring villages of Kittredge, Marshdale, and until recently, Bergen Park

1960's were the beginning of a transformation of Evergreen that continues today. Likely the best way to describe this transformation is that the high school graduating class of 1957 (including kids from Conifer and surrounding areas of Clear Creek County that now have their own high schools) consisted of 31 students. The class of '97 at Evergreen High School numbers 348 kids.
By the 1970's, the growth of Evergreen was meeting resistance. The newcomers wanted the gate closed behind them. Districts were formed to provide sanitation and water. The newcomers still wanted the gate closed behind them. Small shopping areas were built and more districts were formed to accommodate the growth. The newcomers still wanted the gate closed, and that hasn't changed in 1997.
The newcomers, however, didn't bring just more need for facilities. They added their numbers to the hard working community servants that put in long hours with no pay for the benefit of the town. The unincorporated town of Evergreen has had to "take care of itself" and indeed its citizens (recognizing there is no gate to close) have become involved to protect the very things that brought them here.
Environmental concerns have changed from strictly appreciating the environment of Evergreen to having a say in how the growth affects the environment. From volunteer organizations that work with Jefferson County toward appropriate planning, to educational or participation activities, there is "something for everyone" interested in enjoying and protecting our precious way of life and our environment.
In the 1970's a pine beetle infestation was killing our pine trees and our citizens formed an organization to educate and assist in controlling the beetle and curtail the damage. Left unchecked, the ultimate damage caused would have been devastation not only to the appearance of the area, but to the natural habitat for many wildlife species.

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