How the City of Denver Got It's Name
Colorado had been ignored for the most part by European settlers and the gold miners who passed through as quickly as possible on their way to the gold strikes of California. In the spring of 1858 gold was discovered in the Platt river in what is now south west Denver, around the intersection of Dartmouth and Sante Fe. They began following the Platt upstream looking for more than gold dust. They established the first camp, called Montana City, at about Sante Fe and Evans (That stretch of Santa Fe follows the river).
Hearing rumors of gold a group from Lawrence, Kansas arrived in Colorado in August of 1858 looking for Gold. Expecting trouble, they were heavily armed. They discovered gold in Cherry Creek adjacent to what is now Downtown Denver. They established a camp on the west side of Cherry Creek, started laying out streets and building cabins. They named the new town St. Charles.
In October 1858 a third group settled on the east side of Cherry Creek. Naming their city Auraria after the town where their leader grew up. The 2 cams were competing for gold and NOT on friendly terms.
In late October of 1958 the territorial governor of the Kansas Territory (which included Colorado) got word that gold had been discovered at the edge of his territory. He dispatched a group of about thirty militia to establish law and order in the new towns.
W. H. Larimer and his part arrived in St. Charles to find that only one man, David Nichols, had been left to guard the town and gold claims for the winter. The rest had returned to their families in the gold camps of northern Georgia.
Larimer seized the opportunity and gave Nichols the choice of joining his group...or being shot.
Larimer seized the town and began renaming streets. Visitors and locals alike will recognize some of the names of Larimer's companions, Blake, Welton, and Williams.
Larimer returned to St. Charles Missouri to report to the territorial Governor He was understandably upset that rather than establishing law his man had stolen the town.
Larimer tried to mollify his boss by explaining that he had named the town after him, Governor Denver.
Despite reports to the contrary, Denver's daughters said in their papers that he never visited the city that bears his name.
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