On Grandview Avenue, on the right when traveling east.
Arvada Celebrates
In the fall of 1925, Arvada prepared to celebrate two major events: The bountiful harvest and the completion of the last section of the “paved” road from Denver to Grandview (part of early Colorado Highway 72).
. . . — — Map (db m289296) HM
On Olde Wadsworth Boulevard, on the right when traveling north.
The Old Mill
Flour was the staple for pioneers and settlers. Before the First World War, horses and wagons pulled Arvada’s wheat to flour mills in Denver. These trips added hours to the wheat harvests.
An Easier Harvest . . . — — Map (db m289377) HM
On Olde Wadsworth Boulevard, on the right when traveling north.
Arvada Retail Historic Restoration
This re-creation of the 1882 Arvada primary school* was designed to pay tribute to Arvada’s rich history and its early beginnings as a town. The original schoolhouse, funded by B.F. Wadsworth, held 125 . . . — — Map (db m292629) HM
On Wadsworth Boulevard, on the left when traveling north.
Water Tower
Water For Everyone
Clean water was crucial to Arvada’s early growth. The ditch irrigation system that first provided Arvada’s drinking water was replaced in 1870 with the first well, hand-dug to 90 feet. This shallow . . . — — Map (db m289306) HM
On Upham Street at Grant Place, on the right when traveling north on Upham Street.
“…no intoxicating liquors be manufactured, sold or otherwise disposed of as a beverage on the premises.” This was Clemency Mellvoy’s condition for donating this three acre property to the Town of Arvada for a park in 1920. Two years later she . . . — — Map (db m289374) HM
On Grandview Avenue, on the left when traveling west.
Dual Purpose Tracks
In 1901, the Denver City Tramway Company built a coal-fired electric plant in Denver to power its trolley system.
Cheap, plentiful coal was shipped from Leyden (Li-Den) to Denver over the 42-inch narrow gauge tracks . . . — — Map (db m289376) HM
On Olde Wadsworth Boulevard, on the left when traveling north.
Bountiful Harvest
Rich Land
First settlers, like John Juchem (Yõcŭm) in 1859, farmed the Ralston and Clear Creek river valleys, where they could turn the soft soil with a spade fork. John Reno claimed a 160 acre homestead . . . — — Map (db m292588) HM
On Olde Wadsworth Boulevard, on the right when traveling north.
Building Community
In addition to church activities, Arvada citizens formed ties by organizing service clubs, school activities, literary societies and political, commercial and farm groups such as the Grange. Lectures, concerts, spelling . . . — — Map (db m289473) HM
Near West 56th Avenue just south of Ralston Road, on the right when traveling east.
The route followed by the McNair party of 1850 has been named the Cherokee Trail, in honor of the members of the Cherokee tribes and their families who were among the first to travel the area. Sections of the trail may have been established by . . . — — Map (db m289341) HM
On Olde Wadsworth Boulevard, on the right when traveling north. Reported damaged.
Discovering Historic Olde Town: A Step Back in Time
Historic Old Town is a Special Place
It is the oldest part of Arvada and was the focal point of commercial, social, religious and cultural activities in the early 20th century. . . . — — Map (db m289472) HM
On Grandview Avenue, on the right when traveling east.
Doctor’s Office 7401 Grandview
Frontier towns needed the skills of trained physicians. In an age before antibiotics, epidemics raged through a community killing victims, especially children, in a few hours. Diphtheria, whooping cough, . . . — — Map (db m292586) HM
On Olde Wadsworth Boulevard, on the right when traveling north. Reported damaged.
Early Commerce
By the early 1900s, thriving Arvada stood apart as a community, providing goods and services for its citizens and serving as a supply center for the local area.
Flourishing Arvada
In the early 1900s, Arvada . . . — — Map (db m289474) HM
On Olde Wadsworth Boulevard, on the right when traveling north.
Fire, Fire!
May 14, 1960, 5:19 pm: The alarm sounded.
The Metz Lumber Company was ablaze at this site in downtown Arvada! Sparks flew and roofs of most downtown buildings began to burn. The fire was so hot; 1,000 feet of fire . . . — — Map (db m289477) HM
Near West 56th Avenue just south of Ralston Road, on the right when traveling east.
This 1857 map of the United States shows Colorado as part of Kansas Territory. Colorado did not become a state until 1876. The white line marks the long journey of Ralston's party, starting at Auraria, Georgia and ending at Sutter's Mill, . . . — — Map (db m289348) HM
On Grandview Avenue, on the left when traveling west.
A Grand View
Grandview Avenue traces its history to early commercial property. First named Pine Bluff Road, it was a dusty, major wagon road linking Denver and Arvada.
Open For Business
Preserving the spectacular views to the . . . — — Map (db m289305) HM
On West 82nd Avenue near 3rd Avenue, on the left when traveling west.
The Leyden Mine was a major coal mine in Colorado producing coal to power industries. The tramway, warm homes, mining activity began in 1865 and the mine closed in 1950. This memorial honors the lives of eleven miners who died as a result of the . . . — — Map (db m287618) HM
On Grandview Avenue, on the left when traveling west.
Historic Olde Town’s Buildings
The buildings in Historic Olde Town record Arvada’s history, from the gold era to post-World War II. These well-preserved structures mark the changes in commercial activity from horse and buggy days to the . . . — — Map (db m289304) HM
On Grandview Avenue, on the left when traveling east.
McIlvoy House
Dennis D. and Clemency McIlvoy came from Indiana to Black Hawk, Colorado in 1859. Clemency was one of the first women to reside in Black Hawk. In 1860, Dennis helped place the boundary markers for Jefferson County. The couple . . . — — Map (db m292587) HM
On Grandview Avenue, on the left when traveling west.
Olde Town – New Town
Garden Plots and Farm Trucks
Between the late 1860s and the 1930s, agriculture was the main activity in this valley with the area south of the bluff producing most of Arvada’s crops from its garden plots and . . . — — Map (db m290931) HM
Near West 56th Avenue just south of Ralston Road, on the right when traveling east.
Gold miners in the early years recovered placer gold using equipment such as gold pans, sluice boxes, and rockers. Placer gold appeared as flakes, grains, and nuggets in gravel and sand deposits in the beds of creeks and rivers. Placer mining was . . . — — Map (db m289361) HM
Near West 56th Avenue just south of Ralston Road, on the right when traveling east.
Lewis Ralston made the first documented gold find in Colorado here on June 22, 1850. Although he stayed only a day and recovered little in the way of gold dust, his discovery paved the way for one of the largest migrations in the history of the . . . — — Map (db m289367) HM
On Grandview Avenue, on the left when traveling west.
Early Routes
Indians, Gold Seekers, Then Travelers
One of the earliest trails in Colorado was the Cherokee Trail. This route, pioneered by gold seekers, followed the Platte Rive to Clear Creek, turned west to Ralston Creek past . . . — — Map (db m290924) HM
On Grandview Avenue, on the right when traveling east.
Small Town with Big City Ties
Well Connected
From wagon trails to railroad lines, city streets to interstate highways, Arvada’s transportation network connects us to the world.
Travel by Trolley
This railroad line . . . — — Map (db m290885) HM
On Grandview Avenue, on the right when traveling east.
Sparked by Gold
This thriving community is home to Colorado’s first documented gold strike.
Riches in the Soil
Lewis Ralston struck pay dirt when he stopped to camp here in 1850. But lured by the greater riches of the California . . . — — Map (db m292554) HM
On Olde Wadsworth Boulevard, on the right when traveling south.
A Step Back in Time
“Arvada is no new architect-developer dream of perfection. The city carries the weight, imperfections, and above all the accomplishments of 114 years of history. The charm of the city lies in the patina of these years. . . . — — Map (db m292608) HM
On Grandview Avenue near Webster Street, on the left when traveling west.
Supported by Agriculture
By 1860, more than thirty land claims had been filed in the Ralston and Clear Creek Valleys. Men had come for gold but stayed to farm the land and raise their families.
Bumper Crops
Arvada’s farmers . . . — — Map (db m289574) HM
On Olde Wadsworth Boulevard, on the right when traveling north.
For 100 years, loyal, dedicated and highly trained volunteers and professional firefighters have served Arvada with one endearing mission: To protect lives and property
1907-1949 The Early Years
One Organization One Mission . . . — — Map (db m289478) HM
On Olde Wadsworth Boulevard, on the right when traveling north.
Village, Town, City
Settling the Crossroad
Pioneer settlers chose the present-day site for settlement because it was at an intersection of several early trails. It was built on the bluff to avoid the flooding along Ralston Creek . . . — — Map (db m289476) HM
On Olde Wadsworth Boulevard, on the right when traveling north.
Wadsworth Boulevard
Imagine how surprised Benjamin Wadsworth would be today if he were to travel the boulevard bearing his name! When he died in 1893, the population of Arvada was 125 and Wadsworth Boulevard was a dirt road.
. . . — — Map (db m292585) HM
