The Discovery of Boulder
Americans were originally drawn to the city of Boulder for the promise of gold in the region. In the 19th century, explorers "Zebulon Pike, Stephan Long, and John Fremont were commissioned to explore the Boulder area. One of Fremont's men named William Gilpin, who would later become the first governor of the Colorado Territory, reported that there was gold to be found in Boulder, sparking interest in the area formerly considered unfit for settlement" (11).
Those that were seeking gold and an escape from the challenges from the Great Depression established the "first non-native settlement in Boulder County on October 17, 1858 at Red Rocks near the entrance to Boulder Canyon" (11), which is known today as Settler's Park. A.A. Brookfield, who was one of the original settlers at Red Rocks, organized the Boulder Town Company in February of 1859. This led to the formation of Boulder City, in Nebraska Territory.
The formation of the Boulder Town Company led to the formation of Boulder City, in Nebraska Territory. Through the Boulder Town Company, the land was divided between 1,280 acres and sixty shareholders down the Boulder Creek.
One year later, there was just over 300 settlers. During that same year, Boulder erected the first schoolhouse in the region known as Colorado, and also petitioned to have a state university. On February 28, 1861 the U.S. Congress established the Colorado Territory, which Boulder was now considered within. And later that year, the petition for a state university in Boulder was approved.
Boulder City became a community centered upon mining and the necessary supporting facilities. It soon developed as a "supply base for miners going into the mountains in search of gold and silver, Boulder City residents provided miners with equipment, agricultural products, housing and transport services, and gambling and drinking establishments" (11). This mining supply town was incorporated as a city on November 4, 1871 and identified by the name of just, Boulder.