Welcome!

My family came to what is now Boulder, Colorado, arriving when Boulder was three months old. My Great-great-grandfather was Carson W. Arbuthnot and with him, he brought his four sons and a son-in-law. Since a little child I have loved the history of this beautiful mountain area, the legacy's of the Natives who were here when my family arrived, and the way our community has grown to what it is today. My blog is dedicated to seeking evidence of all that happened. The good, the bad and the ugly, I will share the evidence of what I find.

I also share Boulder County and Colorado History through entertaining storytelling. Dressed as one of my early Boulder County ancestors, I will make you laugh, smile and sometimes cry as I share the stories of the people who came before us and who established these communities that we enjoy today. Please visit my storytelling and events pages for information on performances.

Welcome to my blog, I hope you enjoy your time here.

Sincerely,
Donlyn Arbuthnot

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

How they came - Gold Miner's Maps of '59

How they came...

In 1859 there were no trains to the Pike's Peak gold fields.  There were no roads, only trails that followed along the rivers.  With the exciting reports coming out of the west, many opportunists  published guide books and maps for getting to the Pike's Peak gold fields.  The entire region along the Rocky Mountain front range was considered Pike's Peak, including Boulder City.  These men had to be careful which guidebook they choose.  Sometimes a route was depicted shorter by the map maker, encouraging the potential miner that this guide book offered the best route.  (Anything to make a sale!)

There were basically three routes to the area that is today Denver.  To the north was the Platte River route, to the south the Smokey Hill route, and through the center of the area, the Republican route, all named for the corresponding rivers.  Of these three, the Smokey Hill was the most dangerous.  After the river ended, there was still a long way to travel without water and good grass.  While it was the shortest route, it was the riskiest too.  A fourth route came up from the south from the Sante Fe Trail, which had been a very old and well used trading route.  

The majority of those who came would have traveled along the Platte River which had been established as the route earlier to California and Oregon, also the Mormon's took this route to Utah.  While they continued on along the North Platte River, those headed to Pike's Peak broke off to the south and followed the South Platte River.  This is the route that the Arbuthnot men took.  Traveling roughly 75 days to get from their home in Tama County, Iowa, to arriving in Boulder City, Nebraska Territory on June 22, 1895.

Here are a couple of maps indicating the various route the "Argonauts" would have taken.

6.  Routes to the Gold Regions 1859
Pike's Peak Gold Rush Guidebooks of 1859.
From the collection by Editor, LeRoy R. Hafen,
State Historical Society of Colorado, 1941

7.  Map of the Gold Regions, 1850-1861
Colorado Gold Rush: Contemporary Letters & Reports, 1858-1959.
From the collection edited by LeRoy Hafen
State Historical Society of Colorado, 1941

The 40th parallel on these maps would be the same as Baseline Road today.  Some communities have been renamed, such as the town of Montana is now Golden.

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Thank you for your comment. It will be reviewed for approval to appear on our blog. Thank you for taking time to read our posts. -- Donlyn