by A.N. Carter

Created on: November 30, 2008   Last Updated: April 06, 2011

Overview.

Denver, Colorado was a city whose citizens fought for affluence, economic stability, and recognition. The struggle for the capitalization began with the city's birth, and continued for twenty three-years.

Early History.

In 1858, William Greeneberry "Green" Russell and a band of fellow Georgians founded and established a mining settlement on the banks of Cherry Creek within the Kansas territory. They named their new settlement Auraria. With the discovery of gold in the area, 300 residents lived in the camp by December of 1858.

That same year, a prospecting clan from Lawrence, Kansas, led by Charles Nichols, arrived in the settlement. On September 24, 1858, they moved to an area where the South Platte River joined Cherry Creek. They claimed a new settlement to be named St. Charles. Directly across from each other, the camps were bitter rivals, despite the lack of prosperity of the new settlement.

On November 22, 1858, a land speculator from eastern Kansas, General William Larimer, Jr., and a group of well-armed friends from Auraria, stormed the St. Charles site, threatening Nichols with hanging if he chose to object.

Aware that his actions were unlawful, Larimer hoped to curry favor with the Kansas Territorial Governor, James W. Denver, and therefore renamed the site Denver City. He further hoped that Denver would help make the settlement the County Seat of Arapaho, but, ironically, Governor Denver had already resigned.

Denver City Growth.

Despite their lack of political favor, General Larimer and town founders resolved to make the Denver site successful. Larimer and associates from the St. Charles City Land Company began selling parcels of land to merchants and miners in order to cater to immigrants and gold prospectors. Denver City soon built a healthy economy from gambling, saloons, livestock, and trading goods. Many of the land parcels were lost or gained in card games for the next few years. The site exploded during the 1859 "Pike's Peak or Bust" gold rush. In December of 1859, a city government was formed to legislate and run the town.

In contention with Auraria, Denver City established a stagecoach depot. This move economically stabilized the Denver settlement, and ensured the demise of Auraria. In 1860, the two settlements consolidated, and the population swelled to 34,231.

Colorado Territory Capital.

On February 2, 1861, the Colorado Territory was created and recognized. Months later, on November 1, 1861, Arapaho County was formed, and Denver

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