Site History, Historic Maps & Aerial Imagery | Fort Chambers/Poor Farm Site Information

Fort Chambers / Poor Farm Site Information

Overall Site History, Historic Maps & Aerial Imagery

Indigenous People lived in the place that became known as Boulder, long before it got that name.

The City of Boulder acknowledges the city and the Fort Chambers / Poor Farm property are on the homelands and unceded territory of Indigenous Peoples who have traversed, lived in and stewarded lands in the Boulder Valley since time immemorial. Those Indigenous Nations include the: Di De’i (Apache), Hinono’eiteen (Arapaho), Tsétsėhéstȧhese (Cheyenne), Numunuu (Comanche), Kiowa (Caiugu), Čariks i Čariks (Pawnee), Sosonih (Shoshone), Oc'eti S'akowin (Sioux) and Núuchiu (Ute).

A legacy of oppression led up to the construction of Fort Chambers northeast of Boulder, including these critical and important elements:

1800s

The westward expansion of Euro-American population and culture in the 19th century caused extensive hunger and diseases that devastated Indigenous Peoples’ way of life.

1858

In October 1858, Hinono’ei neecee ("Arapaho Chief") Nowoo3 (“Niwot," "Lefthand") and other Hinono’eino’ (“Arapaho”) Peoples told a party of gold-seekers camped in what is now known as Boulder that they could not remain on Indigenous land as defined by the 1851 Treaty of Fort Laramie (Coel, 1981, p. 66-67).

1859 (early winter)

After gold was found west of Boulder in January 1859, many of those same gold-seekers helped found the Boulder Town Company on Feb. 10, 1859, in violation of the 1851 Treaty of Fort Laramie (Coel, 1981, p. 80, 83) (NPS, Web., 2016).

1859 (summer)

By the summer of 1859, thousands of gold seekers were in the Boulder area, and many squatted on Indigenous lands, continuing the dramatic expansion of Euro-American occupation of Indigenous lands that soon exiled Indigenous peoples from the Boulder area.

1861

The Fort Wise Treaty, which only a small fraction of Arapaho and Cheyenne chiefs signed, ceded Indigenous lands in the Boulder area to the U.S. government. Histories recognize U.S. interpreters twisted the words of Cheyenne and Arapaho peace chiefs and the treaty was later repudiated by Arapaho and Cheyenne Peoples, including Nowoo3 (Kelman, 2013, p. 118) (Coel, 1981, p. 121).

1864

Exaggerated claims of Indigenous violence fanned anti-Indigenous hatred among settlers in the Boulder area (Crifasi, 2015, p. 134) and that “a war of [Indigenous] extermination” should be waged, sparing neither sex nor age (Crifasi, 2015, p. 140).

Also read the City of Boulder staff land acknowledgement, which is based on the city’s Indigenous Peoples Day Resolution and guidance from Tribal Nations and the Boulder community.

Historical Map and Aerial Viewer

The maps below illustrate how the property has changed since late 1863/early 1864 (prior to the construction of Fort Chambers).

Explore how the land uses have changed over time by viewing this series of historic maps and aerial imagery. Use the arrows to manually toggle through the various maps/images, or press the "play" button to watch the graphics change automatically from 1863 to 2020.

1863-1864

This map is one of the earliest maps of the area. Note the historic road (dashed line) and irrigation ditch (solid line) through the Fort Chambers / Poor Farm property area, as well as the historic alignment of Boulder Creek prior to gravel mining.

1904

This map shows early development in the area, including the house on the Fort Chambers / Poor Farm property, the historic town of Valmont and the Union Pacific Railroad. Brown topographic/contour lines indicate elevations and illustrate gentle slopes across the property with steeper slopes along the bluffs.

1914

The property’s Queen Anne Victorian home was in use as the Boulder County Poor House, as noted on this map. Also shown here is “Ruins of old Indian Fort,” referring to Fort Chambers. The historic travel route we see on the 1864 map is still shown here in 1914 (labeled E-19).

1937

This aerial photograph shows agricultural structures and hay fields on the western portion of the Fort Chambers / Poor Farm property, with another structure or residence in the northeast field. Across the southern portion of the site are patterns indicative of past channel migration from Boulder Creek. East of the property, gravel mining has started.

1966

In this aerial photograph, gravel mining appears prevalent in the area, including the southern portion of the Fort Chambers / Poor Farm property. The structure shown in the 1937 aerial is gone and the northern fields appear to be used for hay production. Airport runways are shown southwest of the property.

1971

This aerial photograph shows gravel mining operations across the eastern portion of the Fort Chambers / Poor Farm property and along Boulder Creek to the south. A structure and/or service area is visible in the center of the property. The airport runways to the southwest have been enlarged and the municipal water resource recovery facility is visible to the northeast.

2000

In this aerial photograph, open water ponds remain from past gravel mining operations and a mix of trees and other vegetation is evident between the ponds and across the eastern portion of the Fort Chambers / Poor Farm property. The western fields continue to be used for hay production and the structure and/or service area in the center of the property is visible. Boat piers can also be seen on the two larger ponds. North of the property, residential neighborhoods have been established.

2013

This aerial photograph shows that gravel mining operations continue in the area but are less prevalent. The western fields continue to be used for hay production and the structure and/or service area in the center of the property has several vehicles and equipment. There are multiple boats on the pond banks near the boat piers.

2020

This aerial photograph shows the Fort Chambers / Poor Farm property similar to today. A small irrigation pond was constructed south of the main house on the property and a portion of the western field was converted to vegetable production. The remaining agricultural fields are used for grazing and hay production. A concrete pad remains in the center of the property.

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