The City of Boulder purchased the Fort Chambers / Poor Farm (FCPF) property in 2018 to help preserve open space around Boulder and fulfill open space purposes in the city charter. Information was compiled for the development of a site management plan (Concept Plan) in alignment with city open space purposes and guidance from Arapaho and Cheyenne Peoples. Learn more about the planning process on the Fort Chamber / Poor Farm project webpage.
This site information provides a foundation for site planning and documents the land’s significant ecological and agricultural resources, land uses and adjacent context. It also provides a broad overview of the Fort Chambers / Poor Farm property’s historical and cultural importance in the Boulder community.
The Fort Chambers / Poor Farm property is the presumed location of Fort Chambers, where nearly 100 Boulder County residents mobilized into Company D in August 1864 and later participated in the barbaric Sand Creek Massacre on Nov. 29, 1864. It also is listed on the National Register of Historic Places because of the property's Queen Anne Victorian home, its use as a county “poor farm” between 1902 and 1908 and the property’s long-time agricultural operations.
City staff appreciate listening and learning from Arapaho and Cheyenne Representatives collaborating on this land stewardship plan and we look forward to continuing this work together.
To learn more about this unique property, use the tabs and buttons below (and menu above) to explore the existing resources, history and a new Concept Plan with future recommendations for the
Fort Chambers / Poor Farm property.