Arapahoe, Jefferson County, Colorado facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Arapahoe, Colorado
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 Arapahoe, Colorado
Location in Colorado
Arapahoe, Colorado
Location in the United States
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Colorado |
| Counties | Jefferson County |
| Founded | November 29, 1858 |
| Elevation | 5,585 ft (1,702 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
Arapahoe (also spelled Arrapahoe) was one of the very first towns built in what is now the state of Colorado. Today, nothing is left of this old "ghost town" in Jefferson County. You can only find a historical marker on the south side of 44th Avenue, between the towns of Golden and Wheat Ridge.
Contents
History of Arapahoe City
How Arapahoe City Started
Gold seekers founded Arapahoe City on November 29, 1858. This happened during the exciting time of the Pikes Peak gold rush. George B. Allen planned the town's layout. Thomas L. Golden, one of the founders, wrote that the town was named after the Arapaho tribe. Their chiefs had told the settlers to leave their land.
Arapahoe City was a base camp for miners. They were looking for "placer gold" in nearby Clear Creek. Placer gold is gold found in loose bits, often in riverbeds. The "Arapahoe Bar" was a spot in the creek where gold had been found. People had been mining there seriously since 1858. Arapahoe City was the fourth town founded in northern Colorado. At that time, it was part of the western Kansas Territory.
Life in Early Arapahoe
In 1860, a count showed 80 people living in "Arrapahoe City." This included 17 females. The town even had its own Post Office. It was open from January 17, 1860, until October 12, 1861. Arapahoe had about fifty homes. These ranged from simple tents to log cabins and other buildings.
Why Arapahoe City Disappeared
The easy-to-reach gold in the creek quickly ran out. Also, the nearby town of Golden grew very fast. Many people in Arapahoe decided to move their log buildings to Golden. By the end of 1860, Arapahoe City had only a few cabins left. By 1867, the town was completely gone.
Later, people tried to mine the Arapahoe Bar again. They used special methods like hydraulic mining in the 1880s. This uses strong jets of water to wash away dirt and find gold. From 1904 to 1907, they used dredge mining. This involved large machines called dredges that scooped up riverbed material to find gold. Two of the first electric mining dredges in the West were used here.
The companies used the last remaining buildings of Arapahoe City for their workers. But soon, all signs of the town disappeared. Today, the original site of Arapahoe City is mostly destroyed. No buildings from Arapahoe City are known to still exist. Some might have been moved to nearby Golden or Fairmount. The two dredges were taken apart. One went to French Gulch near Breckenridge, Colorado. The other went to the American River near Sacramento, California. The dredge near Breckenridge, now called the Reiling Dredge, is being preserved.
Notable People from Arapahoe
- Thomas L. Golden: The town of Golden, Colorado is named after him.
- John Hamilton Gregory: He discovered gold near what is now Central City, Colorado.
- George Andrew Jackson: He also discovered gold near what is now Idaho Springs, Colorado.
Where to Find Arapahoe Today
You can find the historical marker for Arapahoe on the south side of 44th Avenue. It is about 1,000 feet (300 meters) west of the intersection with McIntyre Boulevard. The location is 39°46′30″N 105°10′42″W / 39.7750°N 105.1783°W. It is at an elevation of 5,585 feet (1,702 meters).
