Roxborough, as we know it today, is made up of over 35 different parcels. Each one of these is a hard-won victory, with its own story of struggle, negotiation and fund raising. It is really a miracle that the people of Colorado have a park at Roxborough at all. Dedicated citizens, state park advocates and highly committed state park staff worked to overcome immense obstacles to achieve the preservation of this magnificent natural resource.
Please also consider visiting and supporting the Roxborough Area Historical Society, an organization dedicated to preserving the history of the area.
Ancient History of Roxborough
The lands making up Roxborough State Park have been the home of native peoples for over 15,000 years. The Mouache Band of Ute Indians consider this land part of their original territory. The Ute, Cheyenne and Arapahoe lived and hunted here until the 1880s. One of Roxborough’s most prominent rock formations at the north end of the modern day Fountain Valley trail was viewed as a sacred chief.
The Homesteading of Roxborough through Modern Day
Text credits below to Roxborough Volunteers Dorris Cruze and Susie Trumble. Photos from Roxborough State Park archives.
Early Homesteaders
People like William and Rebecca Waterhouse came west to the Roxborough area to claim their own land between 1870 and 1920. Under the Homestead Act of 1862 and various other land acts, virtually anybody, including women, people of color and immigrants pledging that they would gain citizenship, could acquire up to 160 acres of land for a $12 application fee. A settler had 5 years to make improvements to the land. Following this 5-year period and upon payment of a $6 patent fee, the land was theirs free and clear. There were 38 homesteaders in Roxborough, at one point investors bought out many of the early homesteaders with plans to build a reservoir among the rock formations, similiar to Horsetooh Reservoir near Fort Collins.
For much of this time, Roxborough was known as Washington Park, named for the prominent rock formation mentioned earlier. These homesteaders viewed the formation as a likeness of George Washington.
Henry Persse and the Persse Place
Henry Persse came to Colorado in the 1880’s from Albany, NY, and came to own much of the “Washington Park” land. He renamed it Roxborough after his family’s ancestral home in Galway, Ireland. Henry Persse had plans to develop a resort at Roxborough and began with a stone home in 1903. He invited many well known Denverites to visit his home among the red rocks. He hosted picnics and local school outings here. Henry Persse held the mineral rights to the local clay and silica resources which he leased to the nearby Silicated Brick and Clay Company. While plans for the resort died with Henry in 1918, his son John, lived in the stone house until 1937. The home and the surrounding lands were acquired by the Helmer family whose ranch grew to over 3,000 acres. The State of Colorado purchased 500 acres in 1975, as the core of Roxborough State Park. The Henry Persse Stone House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
The remains of the adjacent barn date back to early homesteader Dennis Cooper.
The Silicated Brick Company
The Silicated Brick Co. started operations in 1904 on land leased from the Roxborough Land Co., which was owned by Henry Persse. The bricks were manufactured with materials from local quarries, including sand and limestone. The bricks were used to construct the homes of three prominent homesteaders in Roxborough and several homes in Denver. The Colorado & Southern Railroad constructed the Silica Branch from Waterton Canyon in 1908 to transport bricks to Denver. The only remaining structure of the factory is the kiln near the fire station at the park entrance.
Sundance Ranch
Horace Persse, son of Henry, homesteaded what is now called the Sundance Ranch in 1908. Patenting 120 acres, Horace, his wife Florence, and son, Franklin lived there until 1920. The Persse’s sold the property, and it had several owners until it was purchased by the State of Colorado in 2002. The last of the private owners were the Brice family, Bonner and his wife LeCleta, and their son Bill. LeCleta named the ranch Sundance, after a geologic formation in Wyoming of which the rocks of Roxborough reminder her. The Brice’s dreams of a guest ranch on the property were derailed due to lack of sufficient water.
Mountain Jeannie
Ada Jean Slaton, better known as Mountain Jeannie, lived on the border of the Pike National Forest miles from the nearest town from 1946 until her death in 1987, the year the park opened to the public. She lived a solitary life with her goats, chickens, peacock, and a pet porcupine. Legend has it that she rescued the porcupine baby from its dead mother’s belly and raised it to adulthood. She was very resourceful and when she wasn’t tending her animals or digging irrigation ponds, she passed her time making rugs, painting, and talking on her beloved CB radio. Jeannie’s property has since become part of the Park’s boundaries.
George T. O’Malley Visitor Center
George T. O’Malley, Jr. was the director of Colorado State Parks from 1961-1983. During that time much of the land that is now Roxborough State Park was planned to be a residential development. Mr. O’Malley and others worked tirelessly to purchase the land to create a park for the people of Colorado. The first purchase of land was in 1975, which would become the 24th Colorado State Park. The Visitor Center was named to honor this achievement and his many other accomplishments during his time as director. The George O’Malley Visitor Center at Roxborough State Park opened in1987.
