It's hard to imagine that Douglas County's breathtaking vistas--now occupied by expanding suburbs and quiet, open spaces--were once the home to dinosaur herds and, later on, nomadic Indian tribes. The nation's second gold rush brought those seeking great fortunes to central Colorado, but it was the untapped potential of the area and a dream of taming the land that appealed most to early settlers of Douglas County. Pioneers like General Bela Hughes and John D. Perry (whose agreement led to the railroad connection across Kansas to Denver) and Martin Henry Goddard (who, along with his wife, Nellie, ran the Rhode Island Hotel) were among the first of many settlers to establish roots here. Join the Castle Rock Writers for a journey through the history of this land and the diverse legacy left behind by those who made it their home.

The age of “hard copy” documents and books is almost a thing of the past. A few die-hards, such as myself, still cherish holding a book in their hands. This book is one that you can carry with you as you walk the streets of a Castle Rock that is nearly forgotten. It is an attempt to look back and capture some of the magic that helped create Castle Rock, Colorado. I hope I have provided some interesting images and text on the history and a little of the architecture of this fascinating community.

Paleo-Indians hunted Ice Age mammoths and ancestral bison in what is now Roxborough, Colorado. In 1820, Stephen A. Long's expedition traveled west across the plains into America's western frontier and camped along the South Platte River where water rushed into the Platte Valley from Rocky Mountain peaks. They discovered an area described by their geologist as "a range of naked and almost perpendicular rocks . . . resembling a vast wall, parallel to the base of the mountain . . . the whole scenery truly picturesque and romantic." During the next 200 years, Roxborough has been home to Native Americans, mountain men, homesteaders, farmers, miners, dam builders, ranchers, railroad men, cowboys, and rocket scientists. Families live in sight of hogback formations, soaring red rocks, foothills, and mountains. Thousands arrive each year to hike trails in Roxborough State Park, Waterton Canyon, Colorado Trail, and Highline Canal. Roxborough's history, geologic wonders, and wilderness is a story of those whose eyes reached toward the stars.