Many came to Colorado for the prospect of gold during the Pikes Peak Gold Rush. Gold was first discovered in the state in 1858 at Little Dry Creek, in the Englewood area. In the next year 100,000 people rushed into the Denver area and settlements sprang up. The railroad also came through Douglas County in the early 1900s, but flooding along Cherry Creek continued to plague the track, and much of it was discontinued by 1935.
When the hope for gold had lost its luster, settlers turned to their previous occupations. They combined farming and ranching to make it in a new life. Many pioneers in the area were Swedish, Danish, or Norwegian, and began to establish dairy farms. Hard work and many hours of milking were part of their regular routine.
The Littleton Creamery, built in 1884, collected milk and cream from dairy farms in the area and turned them into cheese, butter, and ice cream! By 1888, the creamery processed milk from about 1000 cows. The building was later used for high school and church classes. It is still standing at 2675 West Alamo in Littleton and is an antique shop. The Parker Creamery, also known as the Littleton Creamery at Parker, was built in 1897 on land donated by George Parker. It was one of many milk separation stations adjoining railroad lines up and down the Front Range and east into Kansas and Nebraska. It was located on Pilgrim’s Place Road in Parker.
The Sedalia Creamery, built in the late 1800s, was located south of the railroad tracks and near East Plum Creek. It was made of stone on the bottom floor, with two floors above that were made of wood. A huge pulley system was attached to the ceiling and machinery. Wagons full of milk cans would come to the creamery for services. This photo of the Castle Rock Creamery was taken in the early 1900s, showing automobiles in place of wagons bringing milk cans to the creamery. It still stands at 407 Jerry Street in Castle Rock and now serves as a funeral home.
At one point there were seven successful creameries in Douglas County: Castle Rock, Hill Top, Sedalia, Parker, Larkspur, Spring Valley, and Franktown. They provided dairy products for Denver and the surrounding areas. The Welte Cheese Ranch was a famous cheese factory in the Highlands Ranch area. Even at the end of the 1900s, there were still close to 200 dairies in Douglas County. Last year that number was down to
61. Times and towns have changed over the decades, but the dairy tradition is a part of our county’s history and culture.
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