Trails To Riches: A short history of
Elbert County Colorado
The Pike's Peak gold rush saw hordes of Fifty-Niners streaming
across Kansas for the gold fields of Colorado. One of the more controversial
routes was the Smoky Hill Trail. This trail ran alongside the Smoky Hill
River in Kansas and continued westward to the Divide Country, bisecting
present-day Elbert County before reaching the Cherry Creek settlements.
Although this was the shortest route to the gold fields, it was also the
riskiest, as little was known of the Smoky Hill region and beyond. Due to
several gruesome episodes and additional hardships reported by others, the
Smoky Hill Trail fell into disfavor. The route across Elbert County came to
be known as the "Starvation Trail".
It was not gold that attracted the first white settlers to the area of
Elbert county; it was the money to be made there. The large forests of
Ponderosa pine growing along the divide were quickly recognized as a source
of lumber for the mushrooming town of Denver. Several sawmills were
established within Elbert County in the early 1860's. One of these, the
Webber Mill, was the site of present-day Elizabeth. The mills drew
individuals to the area to work them and other settlers began arriving to
farm and ranch.
Come to the Elbert County Museum and learn more of the history of Elbert County . . . The Hungate Family Massacre ... The Sand Creek Massacre ... Cowpunchers and Sheepherders . . . Homesteading (today, there are several farms and ranches in Elbert County that belong to the same families who originally entered them as homesteads.) ... Crops of Elbert County ... and the history of Elbert County taking shape ... Riding the Rails (the railroad played a vital role in Elbert County's growth) ... The people of Elbert County and Living with the Elements and much more of our "Window to the Past".