Roberta Depp

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The Broomcorn Express, Quarterly Publication of the Broomfield Historical Society
Vol. 4, No. 3, July–September 2024

RAILROADS AND THE HOMESTEAD ACT
By 1869, the plains Indian tribes had been forcibly removed from their native lands, and the absence of conflict opened the way for a land rush by white settlers and town builders. The United States government purposely facilitated new settlement in the West by the Land Grant Act in 1850, which granted sections of public land on either side of rail lines to the railroads that could then be sold, and also by the Homestead Act of 1862 that gave free land to applicants who could “prove” their claim. The Civil War had delayed the building of railroads, but between 1870 and 1880, Colorado Eastern Slope railroad construction was in high gear.

The Colorado Central Railroad, built in 1873, was the first railroad in what is now Broomfield. Its plan was to run from Golden to Cheyenne, Wyoming, but it only got as far as Lyons. It was located approximately along the current south US-36 frontage road route. A strong impetus for these early railroads was to get to the mining districts to bring out ore more efficiently than by wagon train and then connect to the transcontinental railroad terminus in Cheyenne. A significant source of revenue for the railroads, however, was the sale of land from their government-issued land grants, which consisted of a strip of land from two to ten miles wide on either side of the tracts in alternate sections. The remaining sections retained by the government (some were given first to the state) were required to be sold at double the established minimum price of $1.25 per acre that had been in practice for government lands. That way, the government received the same revenue it would have if it had not made any grants to the railroads. Since they were priced as “double-minimum” lands, they were limited to 80 acres. The Gay family, mentioned in Part I, is an example of local settlers who acquired 80-acre parcels. Susan Gay received hers under the conditions of the Homestead Act. Her son, Albert, purchased his land outright.

While there had been various versions of government land programs before, the Homestead Act, signed by President Lincoln on May 27, 1862, answered the call of western pioneers who felt that the heavy cost of clearing and improving land should not be further burdened by having to pay $1.25 an acre. Proslavery southern states had resisted efforts to encourage Western growth in fear that new states would not support their interests. When the southern states withdrew from the Union, Congress could adopt a truly free land program. The Homestead Act allowed any citizen or intended citizen over 21 years of age to select any surveyed but unclaimed tract of public land up to 160 acres. The citizen then had five years to meet the required conditions before gaining title to the land. Proscribed improvements included living continuously on the property for five years, building a house, and cultivating the land. A small registration fee was also required. A homesteader could decide to purchase the land after six months for the minimum price of $1.25 an acre.

1880s BROOMFIELD AREA SETTLEMENT
William Brown, originally from England, came to Colorado in the late 1870s and worked in the Louisville, Colorado mines. Like many other miners, he decided that farming would be a better option. In 1881, he filed a “Certificate of Filing Declaration,” and then in November of 1884, he filed the formal homesteading application on 160 acres in what was to become Broomfield. The filing fee was $22.00. His farm was located in quarter section 34 at the current intersection of Wadsworth and US 36 and parts of Industrial Lane along the railroad tracts. The eastern boundary paralleled the old Denver- Cheyenne wagon road, now Hwy 287. Along with his wife, Hattie, he cultivated various crops and planted an apple orchard. By 1890, he had completed his residency requirements, and in June 1891, he submitted final proof to the regional land office.

Several of William’s neighbors acted as witnesses and provided references for his Homestead application. Frank Brown, who may have been a brother, was one. Thomas Burton (wife Sarah), also from England and a homesteader, was another. Franz Brechman (wife Anna) homesteaded the SW quarter of Section 34 immediately to the west of Brown’s farm and acted as a witness for him. In turn, Brown and Burton vouched in 1885 for Peter Scheum (wife Anna), who homesteaded 160 acres on the NE quarter of Section 34 just north of Brown’s near what is the present-day Broomfield Depot Museum. The Scheums grew oats, corn, wheat, alfalfa, clover, and garden vegetables. They also had eight horses, sixteen horned cattle, and about forty chickens. He received his title in 1891. Another neighbor who acted as a witness for Brown was August Nissen (wife Anna), who had purchased some of the land in Section 34 from the state and some in Section 25 from the railroad. His property included parts of what was to become Old Broomfield and Broomfield Heights. He raised livestock on his farm. An interesting legend about William Brown is that when the Denver, Utah & Pacific Railroad laid track through his farm in 1881,he was asked for a name for the station. Allegedly, Brown looked at the nearby fields and said, “Why not name it Broomfield?” Thus, Section 34 became Broomfield!

The mid-1880s was an active time period for land acquisition in the Broomfield area. As well as the farmer-settlers mentioned above, several others established local farms, including Patrick Keenan (wife Rose), another ex-Louisville coal miner originally from Ireland; Daniel Mitze (wife Margarethe), originally from Germany and then Kansas, who bought 160 acres from the railroad and farmed land located where Greenway Park is now; Watson Coleman (wife Julia) originally from Maine who established a dairy farm west of Coleman’s; and most notably, Adolph J. Zang.

Adolph’s father, Phillip Zang, had originally come to Colorado in 1870 to mine gold but quickly reverted to his original profession of brewer, working for the Rocky Mountain Brewery in Denver. After a few years, he bought out the owner and established the Zang Brewing Company. It became the largest beer producer west of the Missouri River. Adolph and his father invested in many other enterprises, such as mining, railroads, banking, and real estate. The latter included a 3,600-acre property north of Denver called the Elmwood Stock Farm. Adolph, along with some other investors, purchased most of the railroad land in Sections 25, 27, and 35 for reportedly $7.00 an acre. This Broomfield ranch supplied grain for the Zang brewery in Denver, planted orchards and elm trees, and famously raised prized Percheron horses. Large barns for the horses were located on 6th Avenue. The property along the tracks by the silos and train depot became known as “Zang’s Spur.” The name was changed in 1887 to Broomfield. Produce from the ranch and area farms would be loaded and shipped out by train from there. Some of the ranch- occupied area is now Industrial Lane, Rocky Mountain Airport and the Great Western Reservoir. The land was sold in 1947 to L.A. Biddle and then to the Turnpike Land Company for the development of Broomfield Heights.

1890s BROOMFIELD SETTLEMENT
In 1891, Harry Crawford purchased a few acres from Adolph Zang near the current intersection of US 287 and CO 121. He was a long-time beekeeper, shipping honey out by rail from his “Honey House” located along the train tracks. This structure has been restored and can be visited at the Broomfield Depot Museum site. Harry Crawford also served as Broomfield’s postmaster. At the time, approximately twenty-five families lived in the area. 1892 saw the addition of the Wright and Lonight families, who both purchased land from the Zang holdings. The Wrights operated a cheese and dairy business producing cheese, cream cheese, buttermilk, and butter. Edgar Jones, who also later became the Broomfield postmaster, arrived in 1885. Jesse and Anna Crooks, along with their children, moved into a house built for them on the Church ranch that year. Jesse worked as a foreman for the Church ranch but later moved to an 80-acre farm east of Sheridan Boulevard. He was the first to grow winter wheat. Before a grain mill was built in Broomfield, the grain was shipped to the Hungarian Mills in Denver for processing. In 1896, a farmer named Raggner homesteaded 180 acres west of US 287 and South Teller Street. It later became the Olsen place. Peter Olsen and Louise Malholm, originally from Denmark, arrived in 1899 to farm 80 acres on the corner of Main and Hwy 287. They raised cattle and planted apple, plum, and cherry orchards.

The railroads played a large part in the development of this region, actively enticing settlers to come, both as purchasers of their land grants and as future shipping customers. They advertised heavily both in the states and Europe, promising fertile land and guaranteed access to markets and other amenities. The Homestead Act offered the security of one’s own home and farm. The reality was that farming in this area was very challenging due to scarce water, extreme climate events, grasshopper swarms, and the cost of setting up a farm. It also became apparent that, unlike the East, 160 acres was not sufficient for agriculture or stock raising in this arid region. The homesteader had to purchase the materials and tools to build a house and plow the fields: a wagon, draft animals, seed, and fencing. If the first year’s crop was unsuccessful, he could find himself in serious debt, or worse, losing everything. Then there were the often extremely high shipping costs charged by the railroads. It was much easier for those like the Zangs who already had wealth and could easily afford the costs involved, including hiring others to work for them. Many who started out as homesteaders sold out and moved on. Despite the difficulties and challenges of the early years, these hardy, persistent souls and their families laid the foundation of a community that was to go on to become the successful and attractive city that Broomfield is now.

Sources:

Broomfield Historical Society. Oral History Nights (Bob Kozisek Transcript). August 18, 1987.

Lamar, Howard, ed. The Reader’s Encyclopedia of the American West. New York, Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1977.

Limerick, Patricia Nelson. The Legacy of Conquest: The Unbroken Past of the American West. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1987.

Muhn, James. Correspondence related to the Bureau of Land Management. Muhn Consulting. February & March, 2024.

Pettem, Silva. Broomfield Changes Through Time. Longmont, CO: The Book Lode, 2001.

Spitler, Laura L., and Lou Walther. Gem of the Mountain Valley: A History of Broomfield. Boulder, Broomfield Centennial—Bicentennial Commission, 1975.

Turner, Carol. Legendary Locals of Broomfield, Colorado. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2014.

Ubbelohde, Carl, Maxine Benson, and Duane A. Smith. A Colorado History, 9th ed. Boulder: Pruett Publishing Company, 2006.

Featured image: Ken1843@Pixabay.com

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The Broomcorn Express, Quarterly Publication of the Friends of Broomfield History
Vol. 4, No. 2, April–June 2024

THE LURE OF GOLD
The disparaging descriptions by early explorers (“unfit for human habitation,” “howling wilderness”), challenges of geography, and hostile native inhabitants delayed white settlement of Colorado. Midwest land was easier to till, and the gold fields of California attracted people seeking fortune in the west. However, in 1858, when Georgian William Green Russell decided to leave gold prospecting in California and try the Rocky Mountains instead, things began to change. Russell and his party joined a wagon train of Cherokees at the Arkansas River, traveling with them to the confluence of Cherry Creek and the South Platte River, where Russell planned to prospect for gold. The Cherokees had been traveling a route along the front range since 1849, going north to Laramie, where they met up with the Oregon Trail, and then west to California. A second arm of the Cherokee Trail went further west and then north, joining the original trail at Fort Collins. This route, known as the Overland Trail, roughly follows present-day Hwy 287 and passed through land which later became Broomfield. Russell’s group found enough gold to set off the great Pike’s Peak gold rush.

While many came to Colorado looking for gold, others saw an opportunity to build towns or make a living providing services or goods. Thus, Denver City and Auraria were quickly plated. In 1859, when gold was discovered at the mouth of Boulder Canyon, Boulder City also emerged. Stage stops were established to help service the miners, early town developers, and other travelers to the area. In 1864, two Overland Trail stops were situated in what was later to become Broomfield. The Rock Creek Station was located on the north along present Hwy 287. The Church’s Crossing Stage Stop was south along the east side of present-day Old Wadsworth Boulevard. Ben Halladay, the owner of the Central Overland California & Pikes Peak Express Company that operated the stops, selected the western branch of the Cherokee Trail as it was considered safer than the eastern branch from Indian attacks. Halladay also obtained a government contract to carry the mail.

Church’s Station, run by George Church and his wife Sarah, was one of a string of “regular” or “home stations” where travelers could be lodged and fed. These were generally placed in ten- or eleven-mile intervals. It was eleven miles north of Denver. The Rock Creek Station, managed by Thomas Lindey, was an intermediate “swing” station where corrals were maintained for horse changes. George Church originally came to prospect for gold but found it more profitable to provide services. His station included a twelve-room bunkhouse where stagecoach passengers could spend the night. A number of Colorado “firsts” have been attributed to his energy and ambition: first to raise Hereford beef cattle, first farm to grow dryland wheat, first to bring irrigation and build water storage reservoirs on the eastern slope. Later, he owned a ranch in Middle Park where cattle were summered and then driven back to Broomfield in the fall. The stage stop was operated until 1924.

EARLIEST LAND SEEKERS
When the Colorado Territorial Legislature created the original seventeen counties in September of 1861, surveyors quickly began mapping out townships. Each township contained thirty-six numbered sections of one square mile (640 acres), which were then divided into quarter sections of 160 acres. The legal descriptions were recorded in the territorial land offices and the General Land Office (later named the Bureau of Land Management) in Washington, D.C. These legal descriptions were necessary in order to transfer the land into private ownership. The Boulder County survey for the Broomfield area began in October of 1861 and was completed by September 1864. At that time Broomfield was yet to be named and was just referred to as Section 35.

The first farmers in the area were squatters, but after the surveys, they could claim right of pre-emption and, for a small fee, purchase the land they had settled. Surveyor George Pierce was one of the first farmers in Broomfield. He was joined by Willis Gregory and Stephen Goodall. All three farmed along Rock Creek and obtained legal title to their lands in 1864. Other farmers followed through the 1860s, but most moved on, selling their farms to those who came later. Lack of water and grasshopper swarms were some of the challenges for these early settlers. However, for some reason, Broomcorn was not appealing to the insects, so it became an ideal crop to grow in this area. A good market was also available for the stems that could be sewn into brooms. 

By the 1870s, the Church and Rock Creek stations were established farms. Lindsey had sold the Rock Creek station to James B. Foote in 1866. By 1870, Foote, in partnership with his sister Mary and her husband Lafayette Miller, was running a hotel and tavern called the Miller Tavern Ranch. The stagecoach line had been sold to Wells Fargo & Company in 1866, but traffic was steadily declining on the route. The Millers sold the station in 1871 to Abner Goodhue and J. A. Bates and purchased other land of their own. Another early farmer of this era was John Palmer Graves, who married Mary Ema Wadsworth in 1873. Mary was the daughter of Benjamin Franklin Wadsworth, the founding father of Arvada and namesake of Wadsworth Boulevard. John operated his farm until 1912 when he turned it over to his sons. Of the earliest settlers, the Graves and Church families were among the few to remain for several generations in the Broomfield area. 

On the eastern side of Broomfield, in Adams County, another early family set down roots that continue to the present day. The Gay family settled on land that is now known as the Metzger Farm Open Space along Big Dry Creek. Susan Gay, a widow with several children, filed in 1870 on an 80-acre piece of property. Married women were generally not allowed to make entry (apply) for a land patent under the Homestead Act. Susan built a house on what is now the corner of 120th Avenue and Lowell, improved the land and received a patent (title) six years later in 1876 from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management—a remarkable accomplishment for a woman of that era. Later, her son Albert purchased several nearby 80-acre sections, including the upper portion of the Metzger property where the house sits. The main part of the Metzger house was his original home. The Homestead Act and the federal government’s distribution of land to the railroads would have a significant impact on future Broomfield land holdings.

To be continued in the next issue

Sources:

Historic Preservation Planning Report, Metzger Farm, Westminster and Broomfield, Colorado. Fort Collins, CO, Tatanka Historical Associates, Inc., 2007.

Lamar, Howard, ed. The Reader’s Encyclopedia of the American West. New York, Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1977.

Muhn, James. Correspondence related to the Bureau of Land Management. Muhnconsulting. February and March, 2024.  

Pettem, Silva. Broomfield Changes Through Time. Longmont, Colorado, The Book Lode, 2001.

Spitler, Laura L. and Lou Walther. Gem of the Mountain Valley: A History of Broomfield. Boulder, Broomfield Centennial—Bicentennial Commission, 1975.

Turner, Carol. Legendary Locals of Broomfield, Colorado. Charleston, SC, Arcadia Publishing, 2014.

Ubbelohde, Carl, Maxine Benson and Duane A. Smith. A Colorado History, 9th ed. Boulder, Pruett Publishing Company, 2006.

Featured image: Church Ranch on Old Wadsworth, c. 1890-1950, Broomfield History Collections.

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