07/01/2023
Before 1858, East Coast inhabitants had little interest in future Colorado, until the Pike's Peak Gold Rush drew settlers, establishing Boulder. Small gold finds in Colorado from 1850 were overshadowed by California's Gold Rush. However, as California's gold depleted, attention shifted to Kansas Territory, later known as Colorado.
The Gold Rush ignited in 1858 when a Cherokee tribe found gold in the South Platte River. The news reached William Green Russell, a Georgian married to a Cherokee woman, who initially pursued California's gold but eventually ignited Colorado's Gold Rush. Denver was founded following gold discoveries in Cherry Creek and Englewood. Boulder was established a year later, supplying miners who ventured to gold-rich areas such as Clear Creek and South Park.
Between 1858 and 1861, over 100,000 fortune seekers flooded into Colorado, triggering the creation of the Colorado Territory. The newcomers, labeled '59ers, were mostly young, financially struggling East Coast men, some from as far as Ireland. Their harsh, isolating experiences often resulted in disappointment. As gold supplies dwindled, many returned home, leaving mining towns deserted. However, they discovered coal resources in Boulder, Lafayette, and Rocky Mountains' towns, providing an alternate mining opportunity.
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