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 John
D. "Colonel Jack" Henderson built a ranch,
trading post, and hotel on Henderson Island in the
South Platte River in Arapaho County, Kansas Territory.
Henderson sold meat and provisions to gold seekers
on their way up the South Platte River Trail to
the gold fields during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush.
Henderson Island was the first permanent settlement
in the South Platte River Valley between Fort Saint
Vrain in the Nebraska Territory and the Cherry Creek
Diggings in the Kansas Territory. Henderson Island
is today the site of the Adams County Regional Park
and Fairgrounds.
Among
the first establishments in the modern Commerce
City were cemeteries. Riverside Cemetery, founded
in 1876, is located in the city's southwest corner
at East 52nd Avenue and Brighton Boulevard. Rose
Hill Cemetery, in the heart of historic Commerce
City, was established in 1892 on what at the time
was an open plain by the United Hebrew Cemetery
Association.
The
first school in the area began in 1871 as a one-room
schoolhouse, with other schools added in 1899 and
later in 1907. This latter school is now part of
the North Building at today's Adams City High School.
Several
towns were founded in this part of Adams County
in the 19th century. Derby, a Burlington Railroad
station in 1887, was laid out as a town in 1889,
although it was largely vacated by 1891. Irondale
was first settled in 1889, named after a foundry
that was opened that year. It was incorporated as
the Town of Irondale in 1924, but unincorporated
in the 1930s due to increasing vacancy. Meanwhile,
Adams City was laid out in 1903, with developers
hoping the county seat would be established there;
however, Brighton was elected county seat in 1904
and Adams City was vacated in 1922.
Until
the late 1920s, the area was devoted to agriculture,
including wheat fields, dairies, and pig farms.
Industry moved in, with a refinery established in
1930 and grain elevators built in the late 1930s.
Rocky Mountain Arsenal was founded in 1942 due east
of the growing community.
In
1946 and 1947, Adams County School District 14 was
formed from surrounding schools, and Adams City
was redeveloped about that time. In 1951, as Denver
was considering annexing the area, a plan to incorporate
all of southern Adams County was developed. On 1952-07-08,
area residents voted 251 to 24 to incorporate Commerce
Town, comprising neighorhoods such as Rose Hill
and southern Adams City. Commerce Town annexed part
of Derby in 1962, increasing the poulation over
fourfold, enough for the town to gain the status
of a city. The city name was duly changed to Commerce
City.
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