City of Boulder History
By IntraDenver Staff Writer

It was the gold in the hills surrounding Boulder that brought the first European settlers to the pristine valley and the beauty that kept them there long after the mining industry dried up. Like the Rocky Mountains, which the town nestles itself in the foothills of, Boulder derives its name from the plethora of rocks found throughout the community.

In 1858 a Missouri farmer by the name of Capt. Thomas Aikins led an expedition of farmers in search of gold into the area. He wrote upon first setting eyes on the Boulder Valley, " . . .that it was the loveliest of all the valleys . . .a landscape exceedingly beautiful . . ."

Aikins and his party were able to flatter local Arapaho Chief Niwot after a threatening introduction by the chief, and the two groups eventually agreed to live together in peace. This peaceful agreement lasted until the mid eighteen-sixties when reports of Indian attacks spread like wildfire through local papers and the "100 Day Volunteers" led the "Sand Creek Massacre." Hundreds of men, women and children including Chief Niwot were brutally slaughtered and the days of peaceful coexistence were over.

With the successful prospecting for gold in the mountains, the Boulder area was teeming with over 2,000 inhabitants in one year’s time. Much like Denver at the same time, Boulder was able to thrive over the next couple of decades by functioning as a supply outpost and transportation center, while many other mining communities were "busting."

Boulder’s claim to educational fame began at nearly the same time as the town itself. In 1860 Boulder opened the state’s first schoolhouse, and citizens began lobbying strongly to bring the territorial university to the town. Their lobbying efforts paid off and once again the town worked together to raise funds to match those appropriated by the state legislature to begin construction of what would soon be known as the University of Colorado. School was officially in session in September of 1877 with a president, one instructor and 44 students.

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