The History of The
Pinery
Several Newsletter Articles by Author and Historian Alan
Kania and others.
Pinery History
Newsletter Articles by local
Columnist
and Historian Ruth L.
Miller.
Pinery
Recollections
From the November 1997 Newsletter
Reminiscing
From the November 2001 Newsletter by Ruth L. Miller.
NOTE:
The PHA would be happy to have other
early residents send in their recollections so they can become a
documented part of the Pinery history.
Pinery
Recollections
From the November 1997 Newsletter
The lure of gold brought the first settlers to our immediate area. In fact, gold was first discovered in Colorado just down the road by Levi, Oliver and William Russell, for whom Russellville is named. Their discovery was heralded in the Kansas City Journal of Commerce in 1858 and sparked the stampede of one hundred fifty thousand 59'ers along the Smoky Hill Trail (Hilltop Road), the Overland Trail, and the Cherokee Trail (Parker Road) to the Pikes Peak Gold Region. Russellville has often been called the "Birthplace of Colorado". Lack of water caused the miners to quickly vacate the Russellville site and move on to more promising finds along Little Dry Creek, Cherry Creek and the South Platte Rivers, from whence Auraria and Denver were born, and to the Pikes Peak Region.
As the miners moved on to the gold-rich mountains to the west, farming, ranching, cattle, and timber industries sprang up in their wake. It was from the vast "pineries" of the Cherry Creek and Plum Creek Valleys that the first homes in Denver were built. Some of the lumber came from our "Pinery" and the Black Forest pinery immediately to the south. If one looks closely at our surrounding land, it appears that only the largest ponderosas were harvested back in the 1860's and 70's. Most of our largest trees in The Pinery today are about 170 to 180 years old. These trees were only about 60 years old back in the 1860's and apparently were not considered worthy of harvesting. The majestic ponderosas within our "Pinery" today were spared the ax of the settlers and stand in tribute to our neighborhood's name.
REMINISCING
From the November 2001 Newsletter.
by Ruth L. Miller
Don and Ann Andersen moved to the Pinery in August, 1973. They recalled that there was no school bus; the children were picked up in a Pinery van by early resident Pat Thomas, and taken to Northeast Elementary, the only school in the Pinery. Older children, if any, would have gone to Douglas County High School in Castle Rock; there was no middle school at that time.
The unpaved roads in the Pinery were very slippery when wet, so there was little speeding during rain or snow storms. The Andersen's had no phone service for several months after their arrival; then they had an 8-party line, which later improved to become a 4-party line. When the few residents had a get-together, everyone came. On New Year's Eve parents took children to one home and hired a babysitter for them all so the adults could go out to celebrate the holiday.
In July, 1974, Helen and Charlie Kendall became residents - They said the homeowners' group had no dues or office at that date. They met in the gym at Northeast Elementary, taking up a collection at each meeting to cover the cost of gym rental and incidentals.
No mail was delivered to individual houses. Mailboxes were set up at the intersection of Hillside and Hillpark Roads. Newspapers were delivered there each evening as well. About 1976, there was a grasshopper invasion. The insects ate holes in screens and devoured young spruce the homeowners had planted. Everyone organized a control program, spreading poison in their yards and in vacant lots.
It took three months to get phone service when the Kendalls moved to the Pinery, and then only part of the area had phones. To make calls, the unlucky ones had to go to the Clubhouse or the Pinery Maintenance Office on the west side of Rte. 83.
Betty and John Robbins were among the earliest to select a lot in the Pinery. When they bought their lot on Lakepoint Place in 1969, there was no lake; prairie, foothills, and mountains supplied the view. Terracor, the first developer, loaned motor bikes to prospective buyers so they could ride around the dirt roads and choose a lot. When their house was finished in 1976, the Robbins moved to it from their temporary home in the townhouses on Pinery Parkway. They recalled that there was only one traffic light in Douglas County - in Castle Rock. Everyone shopped at Hills', the only grocery store in the Parker area. By the time they moved in, party phone lines were gone and private lines were available. Mailboxes in front of homes were allowed only after a street had at least six houses.