Mr. Sedivy's
History Classes:

More Features:

- Colorado History -
The History of Littleton, Colorado

Littleton in the 1880s:
Avery Gallup, Littleton's First Newspaper,

1880
W. B. Vickers forecasted:
"Although Denver stands in no immediate need of a suburb to live in, the time will come, no doubt, when Littleton's wealth and population will be swelled by the overflow of Denver, and no more charming country village can be found in Colorado than cozy Littleton, nestled in its grove of trees like any new England village."

1883
By 1882, most of the students in the primary grades were being schooled at the residence of H. H. Curtis, located at Rapp and Vermont Streets. In 1883, an addition was made to the building. This school became known as the Rapp Street School and remained in use until 1953. (There was another expansion to the school building in 1904.)

The Rapp Street School

1887
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad extends its rail line to Littleton, building a depot in 1888. Train schedules of the late 1880s offered some twenty-four stops a day for Littleton passengers and freight.

1887
Avery Gallup, a Denverite, began selling real estate in a new development called Windermere. In 1887, Gallup purchased seven hundred and twenty acres on the eastern edge of the town of Littleton. This land was about 400 feet higher in elevation than Denver, providing a clear view of the Platte valley and downtown Littleton, and included a 35-acre lake and several artesian wells.

Avery Gallup and his wife, Charlotte

By 1889, another 200 acres was subdivided into single and five acre tracts and made ready for sale as Windermere Heights and Windermere Gardens. Gallup reserved a large tract for nursery development for vineyards and more fruit trees. Charlotte and Avery Gallup also planned to "...beautify some 30 acres adjoining the lake by planting trees, shrubs and lawns and erect a spacious suburban hotel with numerous cottages, with the expectation of making this a famous resort for people wishing to have a change from city to country life, where they will be supplied with all the luxuries of home, garden and dairy."

July 21, 1888
The Littleton Gazette was founded. Later this newspaper was renamed the Littleton Independent.

1888
The area's population was estimated at 200 people, living in 30 dwellings. Littleton also had numerous businesses and dozens of farms surrounding the town.

1889
A newspaper man wrote in 1889:
"Mr. Little is very proud of the pretty suburban town he founded and gave a name to. ... Mr. Little is a progressive old-timer and points with pride to the fact that his town has two churches, a number of good schoolhouses, six lines of railway with fifty trains a day, suburban trains on the Denver & Rio Grande and the Denver & South Park, abundance of good water, plenty of beautiful trees and as charming a country town as can be found anywhere."

The Richard Little Family
Left to right: Angeline Little, Mrs. Harwood, Mr. Harwood, Richard Little,
Mrs. Lute Little holding young Harwood, Lute Little.

1889
Littleton had some competition from Wynetka, just across the South Platte. In 1889, about sixty acres of John Lilley's farm near the South Park railway depot was purchased and platted by local dairyman Charles E. Hill. Joseph Bowles also contributed some land and together they promoted a new village, variously called "Lilleyville," "West Littleton," "Chapmans Corners," but the town was incorporated from 1889 until 1892 as Wynetka.

The History of Littleton, Colorado
1. | History of Littleton: Prehistory - 1859 Colorado Gold Rush |
2. | Littleton in the Early 1860s / Founding Fathers |
3. | 1860s: Lewis Ames, Littleton's First Teachers and School,
Indian Troubles and Early Buildings in Littleton |
4. | Littleton 1870 - 1879: Railroads, 1st Church, Highline Canal |
5. | Littleton in the 1880s: Avery Gallup, First Newspaper |
6. | The City of Littleton in the 1890s: First Mayor, Pickletown |
7. | 1900s: South Arapahoe County, Littleton Named County Seat |
8. | Littleton 1910 - 1920s: Town Improvements / Industry |
9. | Littleton, Colorado in the 1930s and 1940s |
10. | The Boom of the 1950s and 1960s in Littleton, Colorado |
11. | Littleton: 1970s to Present, Concrete Pods and All |
12. | Littleton Trivia and Stuff You've Always Wondered About! |

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- Colorado History In Depth -
Lecture Notes, Reading, and Information:

| The Cheyenne Migration to Colorado |
| The Gratlan Affair, Massacre, Fort Laramie Treaty |

The Cheyenne Social Club
| A Cheyenne War Story: Wolf Road, the Runner |
| Cheyenne Traditions and Beliefs, Sacred Stories |
| Horses, Warriors, War Pipe, Sweatlodge Ceremony |
| Cheyenne War Parties and Battle Tactics |
| The Scalp Dance and Other Cheyenne Dances |

Fort Union
| The Sante Fe Trail and Fort Union |
| Sumner - Ninth Military Department / The First Fort Union |
| Early Arrivals to Fort Union, Daily Life at Fort Union |
| Captain Grover - The New Fort Union, the Confederate Threat |
| Fort Union Arsenal, William Shoemaker, End of Fort Union |

Americans from the East
| Thomas Jefferson, the Louisiana Purchase |
| The Expedition of Zebulon Pike |
| Pikes Peak or Bust / Colorado Gold Rush |

Colorado's Role in the US Civil War
| The Civil War, Fort Wise / Fort Lyon |
| Mace's Hole, Colonel Canby, F.C.V.R. | Fort Weld |
| The Pet Lambs, John Chivington |
| General Henry Sibly, Battle of Valverde, Fort Union |

Cripple Creek District Labor Strikes
| The Western Federation of Miners / State Militia |
| The 1893 - 1894 Strike | The Strike of 1903 - 1904 |
| The Mine Owners Association |
| Crimes and Military Rule in the Cripple Creek District |
| Marshall Law in Cripple Creek District / End of the Strike |
Early Cripple Creek District
| Photos, Fire, and Life in Cripple Creek |
| Other Colorful Towns in the Cripple Creek District:
Gillett - Colorado's Only Bullfight, Victor, Independence |
| A Guide to the Miners' Gritty Lingo |

More Colorado History Information
| Bent's Fort Photos, Personalities, Plans, and More |
| What Was Easter Like at Bent's Fort? |
| Colorado Trivia, Miscellaneous Old Photos,
Western Personalities, Forts, and More |
| Lullabies for Jittery Cows - Cowboy Ballads |
| Heraldry of the Branding Iron |
| Project Aims to Clear Infamous Cannibal, Alferd Packer |
| Lead Gives Alferd Packer's Story More Weight |
| Legendary Colorado Love Stories: Baby Doe Tabor & More |
| Colorado Pioneer Women: Elizabeth Byers |
| Early Denver Jokes / The History of April Fools' Day |
| History of the US Memorial Day Holiday |

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