History
of Niwot
By Anne Dyni
Niwot, Colorado is nestled among huge cottonwood trees in
the Left Hand Valley of eastern Boulder County. When the town
was platted in 1875, there were already many homesteads along
Left Hand Creek. Men like Jerome Gould, Sylvanus Budd, William
Caywood, and Porter Hinman were raising livestock and field
crops there when the Colorado Central Railroad laid tracks
through the valley in 1873.
Seeing
the opportunity to ship local agricultural products to distant
markets, Hinman drew up plans for a community around the section
house situated halfway between Boulder and Longmont. He borrowed
the name Niwot from that of Northern Arapaho Chief Niwot,
whose people were hunting and fishing in this valley when
gold was discovered in the foothills in 1858. "Niwot" translates
into the name "Left Hand" and for years was spelled Ni-Wot
by local residents. Once a depot and loading pens were built
and a post office was established, a small business district
began to form on the west side of the tracks.
Like many
early agricultural towns, Niwot consisted of two general stores,
a blacksmith shop and several small frame homes. Nearby, on
the outskirts of town, stood a United Brethren Church, a schoolhouse,
a grange hall, and a cemetery. Jerome Gould had donated a
portion of his land to the community so that his 13-year-old
son could be buried near his grieving family. By 1900, a more
prosperous business district had taken shape on the east side
of the tracks. More substantial buildings were built, and
it is those structures which comprise most of today's Niwot
Historic District.
Although
the train doesn't stop there anymore, it was the railroad
which secured Niwot's place in history. Niwot is no longer
a railroad town, however, and its depot was removed years
ago. It has survived only by adapting to a changing economy
while retaining its charming turn-of--the-century character.
In 1993, the Board of County Commissioners designated Old
Town Niwot the first locally-commissioned historic district
in Boulder County.
Where is Niwot, Colorado?
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