The town's historic county courthouse, which was built in 1889–1890, burned down on March 11, 1978, the result of arson. It has been lit every year since around the same time. On December 7, 1945, the star was lit for the holiday season. On August 14, 1945, shortly after V-J Day, the star was modified into a V-for-victory symbol. After World War II began, the star was left unlit as a symbol of sacrifice in support of the war effort. The star was lit every year from 1936 to 1941. Men employed by the Works Progress Administration constructed a star atop the butte shortly after Castle Rock received that donation. In 1936, the town received a donation of land that included its namesake geographical feature. Many immigrants arrived in the area to work in the quarries. The courthouse square was defined and about 77 lots, each 50 by 112 feet (34 m), were auctioned off for a total profit of US$3,400.Ī new train depot brought the Denver and Rio Grande Railway to the area.ĭuring the late 1800s and early 1900s, Castle Rock had a very active rhyolite quarrying industry. Six streets named Elbert, Jerry, Wilcox, Perry, Castle, and Front were laid out to build the actual town of Castle Rock. In 1874, Gould donated 120 acres (0.49 km 2) to the new town, which was also now home to the Douglas County government. He owned about 160 acres (0.65 km 2) to the south of "the (Castle) Rock." At that time, the settlement consisted of just a few buildings for prospectors, workers, and cowboys. One of the first homesteaders in the area near today's Castle Rock was Jeremiah Gould. Castle Rock was chosen as the county seat because of its central location. However, the discovery of rhyolite stone, not gold, ultimately led to the settlement of Castle Rock.Ĭastle Rock was founded in 1874 when the eastern Douglas County border was redrawn to its present location. White settlers were drawn to the area by rumors of gold and by land opened through the Homestead Act of 1862. They occupied the land between the Arkansas and South Platte Rivers. The region in and around Castle Rock was originally home to the Arapaho and Cheyenne peoples. The Denver and Rio Grande Railway's Castle Rock depot (1917)
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