Mr. Sedivy's
History Classes:

More Features:

- Colorado History -
The History of Littleton, Colorado

Littleton in the 1950s and 1960s:
Building Boom, New Industry, Flood

1950
The population of Littleton reached 3370. C.A. Norgren Company moved to Littleton from Englewood, manufacturing pneumatic valves and filters. Heckethorne began making "rocket motors" for army ordinance.

July 4, 1950
Centennial Race Track opened. The race track operated until 1984.

1952
The Chatfield Dam was proposed for the South Platte River, but there was little local interest. West Elementary School was completed at a cost of $275,000. Littleton residents toyed with the idea of setting a population limit of 6000.

January 1955
Ohio Oil Company announced plans for a major research facility in Littleton, later known as Marathon.

November 1955
The Glenn L. Martin Company announced plans to build a major defense plant southwest of Littleton. The massive plant was projected to employ 5600 the first year, and 18,000 within five years. (Later known as Martin Marietta; now known as Lockheed-Martin.) By the 1960s, the Martin Company was producing the Titan family of missles.

Lockheed-Martin remains a major employer in the Littleton area.
Click to view 2001 Mars Odyssey launch photos.

Late 1950s
A major building boom, urbanization, and influx of new residents.

July 9, 1959
The Rough and Ready Flour Mill was destroyed by a third fire. This time, the mill would not be rebuilt.

Hoola Hoops on Main Street in Downtown Littleton - Late 1950s

1959
The South Suburban Recreation District was created.

1960
Professional fire fighters replaced the Littleton volunteer fire department. Local street names and numbers were made to conform with the rest of the Denver Metropolitan area. The population had increased to 13,670.

May 4, 1965
Area voters approved the formation of a college district, which later became Arapahoe Community College.

June 16, 1965
A major flood was triggered by heavy rain storms south of Littleton. The flood caused millions of dollars of damage.

Horrific Flood of June 16, 1965

October 1965
The Bemis Public Library opens.

1967
A Federal grant allowed urban redevelopment in the Arapahoe Community College area.

1968
The Vernon Ketring property was purchased for the Littleton Historical Museum.

Littleton city codes forced the Hart Family to fix up the barn on their Windermere Street property in April 1969. The Hart's invited neighbors to bring left-over paint... The barn was painting with signs of the times.

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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