Douglas County, Colorado
GenWeb Project


Douglas County, Colorado was created in 1861
The County seat is Castle Rock

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Douglas 1861-1874 Douglas 1874-Today

1861 Douglas County is one of the original Colorado counties.
In 1870 a very small part of the Cheyenne & Arapahoe Reservation was added to Douglas County.
In 1874 the eastern part was split off to form part of Elbert County.
In 1889 Lincoln & Kit Carson Counties were added by taking the eastern part of Elbert County.

NEW try our new search feature, enter a name that you are searching for, it will point you to the file that contains that name. If you are searching for a surname, enter only the surname, a full name should be entered as surname, first name. for alternate spellings it is probably best to use the browse features on each data base.

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My name is Jan Herman and I am the new Douglas County GenWeb coordinator. I will be adding information as I locate it or it is donated to the GenWeb.

Douglas County was first organized in 1861 by the Territorial Assembly for Colorado. Douglas County was named for Stephen A. Douglas. Originally, it extended to the Kansas state line.

Franktown was the first town established in Douglas County. Franktown was founded by Frank Gardner in 1860, and it served as a temporary county seat. The first county officials were: John L. Boggs, Sylvester Richardson, and Joseph Hipley, Commissioners; Charles Perkinson Sheriff; Frank Gardner Clerk and Recorder; and Noel Webber, Treasurer.

From 1861 to 1867, there was very little increase in Douglas County's population because of the Civil War and the Indian Wars, which were fought on the plains of Kansas and Colorado. In this period, though, several new towns were established in Douglas County:

  •               Sedalia was founded by Mr. Craig in 1865 and was first called "Round Corral". About 1870, the name "Round Corral" was changed to "Plum Station". Later still, the settlement was renamed to its current name of "Sedalia", in honor of the hometown of Mr. H. M. Clay.

  •               The town of Parker had its beginnings as a hotel named the Twenty-Mile House. The hotel was located at the junction of Cherry Creek Road and Smoky Hills Stage Line to Denver. In 1881, it was renamed Parker in honor of George Parker.

  •               The town of New Memphis was founded about 1864 and was located about two miles north of Castle Rock. It was founded by a land company based in Memphis, Tennessee. When Castle Rock was founded a few years later, the residents of New Memphis relocated there.

  •               In 1906, the DuPont Powder Company began manufacturing gunpowder at a site four miles north of Sedalia. A number of houses, stores, and a school were soon built near this plant, giving rise to the town of Louviers.

    As recently as 1970, Douglas County's population was quite small. Today, however, with rapid expansion from Arapahoe County and other southern suburbs of Denver, Douglas County is one of the fastest-growing counties in the country.

    UPDATES TO THIS SITE
    March 2002 - New County Coordinator

    Old Queries- Misc. 1998-2001

    GEN CONNECT BOARDS -

    June 27, 2002:  The RootsWeb/GenConnect Boards (Query, Bible Records, Biographies, Deeds, Obituaries, Pensions, and Wills) have been replaced by Ancestry/RootsWeb with a new message system that combines all the categories.  All the messages that were formerly on the GenConnect system are still in place on the new system.  Read and submit messages to the Douglas County Message Boards.  To return to this page click on "Links & Announcements" found at the right hand end of the row of links just under Douglas.

    • DOUGLAS COUNTY PAGES -

    STATE RESOURCES -

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    LINKS TO SURROUNDING COUNTIES -

    To the north: Arapahoe County
    To the east: Elbert County
    To the west: Jefferson County
    To the south :  El Paso County
    To the southwest:   Teller County

    DOUGLAS COUNTY MAILING LIST -

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    If you have any suggestions, problems or questions please e-mail Jan Herman

    If you would be interested in becoming a County Coordinator for the COGenWeb Project:
    Please contact the State Coordinator: Sundee Maynez the Assistant State Coordinator:  Gail Meyer Kilgore

    © 2008 Douglas County, COGenWeb Project


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