St. Vrain State Park

Last updated

St. Vrain State Park
St. Vrain State Park.JPG
Bald Eagle Pond in the park.
USA Colorado location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location Weld County, Colorado, USA
Nearest city Firestone, CO
Coordinates 40°10′05″N104°59′29″W / 40.16806°N 104.99139°W / 40.16806; -104.99139
Area688 acres (2.78 km2)
Established1965
Visitors283,472(in 2021) [1]
Governing body Colorado Parks and Wildlife
Website https://cpw.state.co.us/state-parks/st-vrain-state-park

St. Vrain State Park, formerly known as Barbour Ponds, is a Colorado state park. [2] The park hosts year-round camping. [3] It is a popular birding destination, hosting the states largest rookery of Blue Heron, it is home to several other bird species as well including migrating waterfowl, songbirds and the occasional bald eagle. [4] Other park activities include year round fishing and hiking. There is a reservoir at the park named Blue Heron Reservoir. [5]

Contents

History

1800s

The land of St. Vrain State Park was originally home to Ute, Arapaho, and Cheyenne Native American tribes. [6] Once claimed by Spain then France who sold it to the United States in 1803 as part of the Louisiana Purchase. [7] Having just made the largest land purchase in the history of the nation, the government was eager to discover what $15,000,000 had bought. They sent out scouts, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, then Army Lieutenant Zebulon Pike to explore. Although neither group traveled in the area, their descriptions of the land and a growing fur trade encouraged adventurers to head west. In 1817, the US War Department sent Stephen Long, a Major in the Topographical Engineers, to explore the upper Mississippi. Following the North and South Platte Rivers, Long likely saw the St. Vrain Valley in July 1820. [8]

In 1848, gold was discovered in California bringing a wave of eager gold-seekers headed west. A few made their fortunes, but more often prospectors headed home with empty pockets or found work in the communities that had sprung up around the prospectors. [9] Some who left the goldfields found their fortune in land and sent word to their families. That sparked a new wave of immigrants moving west. The Oregon Trail passed by Fort Laramie, north of the St. Vrain Valley, and was a major route for the steady stream of immigrants moving from east to west. Historians estimate a combined 150,000 prospectors and immigrants traveled through Fort Laramie, north of the St Vrain Valley, between 1841 and 1853. [10] Native Americans watching these travelers had cause for concern; their way of life was in jeopardy. The immigrants did not understand the Native American tribes any more than the Native Americans understood them. Tensions rose. Although the government tried to address the issues through treaties, the government also broke those treaties. Bison hunters actively sought hides decimating the Native Americans' food supply while settlers were encroaching on what was supposed to be their land. The Native Americans' only recourse was to push the white men out. [11]

In 1858, gold was discovered near Denver. Another wave of adventurers set off seeking their fortune. Again a few were lucky, but far more became discouraged with the search and left the goldfields. [12] Many of them found land to their liking and made a home. Agriculture began to develop and cities were formed. Milo Smith, Perry L. Smith, and Elisha Duncan settled east of St. Vrain Creek and Boulder Creek on land that would one day become St. Vrain State Park. [13] Life was good along the St. Vrain, but stories of trouble with Native Americas made the settlers wary. In June 1864 the Hungate family, living northeast of Denver City, was murdered by a raiding tribe. [14] The settlers felt they needed to protect themselves, so they formed the Home Guard with 4 officers and 58 volunteers. The government provided each man a six-shooter and a rifle, and they drilled twice monthly on Elisha Duncan's homestead. Perry L. Smith donated a plot of land for a fort, and the community came together in July to build a sod fort. [15] They cut the sod into strips one foot wide and two feet long and stacked them like bricks. The walls were two feet thick. The fort was 100 feet by 130 feet with portholes large enough to shoot through spaced every eight feet wide and eight feet high above the ground. There were sod benches two feet wide and three feet high lining the walls, so defenders could move along any wall in any direction to protect the fort from attack. Inside two structures were built in opposite corners to store supplies. Their roofs could be used as observation towers. They filled voids or gaps in the walls with mud and coated the walls from the bottom to the top both inside and out. Because it was close to where the St. Vrain and Boulder Creek join, it was called Fort Junction. [11]

In August 1864, Elbridge Gerry made a historic ride along the South Platte to warn settlers of an impending attack. [11] Two men were sent from the Platteville station to warn settlers along the lower Boulder and St. Vrain. Community members loaded their valuables into wagons and rushed to the fort, but no attack ever came. After a few days, everyone went back home. [16] From February 1866 to May 1867, Fort Junction was used as a post office with Perry L. Smith appointed as postmaster. [17] Then in 1868 three other settlers were killed and the fort was used once again to protect settlers, but again there was no attack. [11] After that, the fort was used as an occasional stopover place for travelers, and eventually, it was absorbed back into the prairie. [11]

The Chicago Colony Colorado came to the St. Vrain Valley in 1872 as one of only a few successful planned colonies in the Colorado Territory and was incorporated as Longmont in 1873. [18] Then in the late 1800s, a coal seam was discovered in the Carbon Valley, southeast of present-day St. Vrain State Park. The McKissick Mine was opened in 1887 and others followed drawing coal miners, not just from the United States, but also from Greece, France, Bulgaria, and Italy. Those miners settled in and around three distinct towns. Frederick is in the middle and incorporated first in 1907. It was followed by Dacono in 1908 to the south, and Firestone in 1908 to the north. These towns grew up around the mines and miners. Although the mines were all shut down by the 1970s, fossil fuels continue to be a big part of the area economy. [19] They now drill for gas.

1900s

After the turn of the century, people began depending on cars rather than wagons. The Colorado Department of Transportation first built highway 87 then as early as the late 1940s began to rebuild it as an interstate highway running from Wyoming south to New Mexico. [20] Building roads requires a lot of gravel, so in 1958 the Department of Transportation purchased land along the St. Vrain from Edwin and Albert Anderson to mine the needed gravel. [21] In 1961 the highway was completed north to Highway 66, and the Department of Transportation no longer needed the gravel pit. [20] At first, they thought the Department of Wildlife might use it for a fish hatchery, but flooding changed those plans. [22] Instead in 1962, the gravel ponds were turned over to the State Parks Department for a state recreation area. It was up to the Parks Department to turn the 50 acres of land and 80 acres of water into a recreation area named for Roy N. Barbour, an area resident and avid conservationist who was credited with helping to establish a chapter of the Izaak Walton League in Longmont. [23] [24] [25] [26] Game, Fish, and Parks improved existing roads, built new ones, and spent $6,529 to install four toilets, five shade shelters, picnic tables, and grills to prepare the area for visitors. Two of the ponds were reserved for carp. Others received species such as bluegill, sunfish, bass, and bullheads. Trout were not stocked because the water is too warm for their survival. [23]

Barbour Ponds drew visitors from the Denver area in search of fishing and seasonal duck hunting. [23] In 1967 the area had 60,000 visitors. [23] In 1968 the state allocated $55,000 to construct a 25 site campground with modern sanitary facilities, running water, turnouts and shade shelters, tables and grills. [23] As visitation continued to grow the park service made more improvements. In 1975 the park roads remained closed a little later than usual as park personnel did some upgrades. When it opened in July of that year, it had received a facelift with significant improvements. There were 75 campsites, improved parking, and paving provided a better experience for visitors. [27] In 1977 Muskrat Nature Trail was built with help from the Youth Conservation Corp. [28] In 1980 a Boy Scouts of America Eagle project planned to raise the level of the boardwalk on the nature trail. [29] Area newspapers sang the area's praises with articles such as, "Nearby Flatland Nature Preserve, Protects Beauty of the Prairie. [30]

In 1994, the State Department of Transportation project to rebuild the I-25 Highway 119 intersection led to a resurgence of interest in Fort Junction. A ground-penetrating radar survey revealed possible ruins. Construction was halted and archeologists were called in, but the only artifacts found were a chair leg less than 20 years old. A historical marker commemorating the fort was moved from the northwest corner of the intersection to its current location near the Park-N-Ride on the southeast corner, and construction resumed. [31] But interest in the old fort was sparked. Johnnie St. Vrain, a columnist for the Longmont Daily Times-Call, reported on the archeological activity and got three different possible locations for the fort. The first reader said the fort was built about a mile west of the confluence of the rivers. That was supported by another who said according to a map of the Colorado Territory at the Library of Congress, the fort was just west of the confluence. That would mean it was somewhere between the current car dealership on the south side of Highway 119 and the confluence of the rivers. Another reader wrote in that area farmers had found remains, and it was just where the marker suggested about, "200 yards due east," of the original marker location, that would put the fort near the highway. Another person, who had been studying the fort for a long time and had a hand-drawn map from the time when the fort was used as a postal stop, believes the fort was built on land now owned by St. Vrain State Park. He used satellite imagery, but because the fort had been constructed of sod, there would be no foundation. He was looking for a raised area roughly 100 by 130 feet where the sod had been absorbed into the ground. He did find a promising area, but nothing definitive was ever found. [31]

Recent history

The land was the beginning, but the plans would require almost $15 million over 10 years to develop new recreational opportunities at St. Vrain State Park. [22] [32] The plan included adding five more ponds from pits dug by gravel companies and a network of trails that will help connect open lands, park areas, and trails from Longmont under I-25 into Weld County. They also planned to add campsites with both water and electric bringing the total number of campsites to 160. [32] By 2004 a new entry station was built, water and electric were installed, and preliminary work was done for improvements through 2007. [33] In 2005 trees and bushes that would provide a buffer for and animal habitat were planted along the south and east boundaries of the park. These buffer zones would be irrigated using a ditch and playa concept. Forty-five new campsites were built with water, sewer and electricity. The road around Pelican Pond and the southern portion of the park were permanently closed to vehicular use. Americorp volunteers helped to plant 100 large cottonwoods in the new campground. Mallard pond was restored with new shoreline grading, rock fishing piers and native plantings along the shoreline. The Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts joined to help plant a native garden at the new camper services building. Youth Corp helped with fencing and weed control. Americorp came back later in April with 600 volunteers for another session and planted 5000 trees and shrubs to finish the wildlife habitat buffer. In 2006 dry weather put all the new plantings at risk and kept park personnel in crisis mode watering everything to keep it alive until monsoon rains dropped 1.5 inches of water in July averting a plant die-off. In the fall Pelican Pond got shoreline grading and seeding. Two Boy Scouts working on their Eagle projects helped with plant restoration activities at Pelican Pond. St. Vrain State Park had been transformed from a "little fishing park" to a restored riparian area earning praise from area newspapers. [34]

In May 2015, Blue Heron Reservoir opened helping to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the park. [35] It is the largest Great Blue Heron rookery in the state. Visitors who came to celebrate the park's anniversary would have been able to walk nature trails around ten of the ponds, enjoy birdwatching, and photography. They could spend the night in up to date campsites, fish in stocked ponds, and enjoy views of Longs Peak. [36]

Present day

Compared to when it was first seen by Stephen Long, St. Vrain State Park is much bigger and more natural, having been returned to a wetland area. And at the same time that it is more developed. Campsites will accommodate modern rigs, a Camper Services building with showers, miles of walking trails, and acclaimed fishing. Fish and waterfowl populations are thriving. Native vegetation is once again doing well, and visitors can now see mammals including coyote, rabbits, fox, deer, or maybe even a moose. [36]

St. Vrain State Park is working with nine other parks on 'augmented reality' to help visitors have an interactive experience in the park. [37]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Weld County, Colorado</span> County in Colorado, United States

Weld County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 328,981. The county seat is Greeley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boulder County, Colorado</span> County in Colorado, United States

Boulder County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado of the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 330,758. The most populous municipality in the county and the county seat is Boulder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allenspark, Colorado</span> Census Designated Place in Colorado, United States

Allenspark is an unincorporated town, a post office, and a census-designated place (CDP) located in and governed by Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The CDP is a part of the Boulder, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. The Allenspark post office has the ZIP code 80510. At the United States Census 2020, the population of the Allenspark CDP was 568.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Longmont, Colorado</span> City in Colorado, United States

Longmont is a home rule municipality located in Boulder and Weld counties, Colorado, United States. Its population was 98,885 as of the 2020 U.S. Census. Longmont is located northeast of the county seat of Boulder. It is named after Longs Peak, a prominent mountain that is clearly visible from the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Firestone, Colorado</span> Town in Colorado, United States

The Town of Firestone is a Statutory Town in southwestern Weld County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 16,381 at the 2020 United States Census, a 61.44% increase since the 2010 United States Census. Firestone is a part of the Greeley, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Front Range Urban Corridor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frederick, Colorado</span> Town in Colorado, United States

The Town of Frederick is a Statutory Town located in Weld County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 14,513 at the 2020 United States Census, a +67.22% increase since the 2010 United States Census. Frederick is a part of the Greeley, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Front Range Urban Corridor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Vrain Creek</span> River in Colorado, United States

St. Vrain Creek is a tributary of the South Platte River, approximately 32.2 miles (51.8 km) long, in north central Colorado in the United States. It drains part of the foothills north of Boulder and the Colorado Piedmont area in the vicinity of Longmont.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site</span> National Historic Site of the United States

Bent's Old Fort is a fort located in Otero County in southeastern Colorado, United States. A company owned by Charles Bent and William Bent and Ceran St. Vrain built the fort in 1833 to trade with Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho Plains Indians and trappers for buffalo robes. For much of its 16-year history, the fort was the only major white American permanent settlement on the Santa Fe Trail between Missouri and the Mexican settlements. It was destroyed in 1849.

Saint Veranus of Cavaillon was a French bishop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colorado–Big Thompson Project</span> Federal water diversion project

The Colorado–Big Thompson Project is a federal water diversion project in Colorado designed to collect West Slope mountain water from the headwaters of the Colorado River and divert it to Colorado's Front Range and plains. In Colorado, approximately 80% of the state's precipitation falls on the West Slope, in the Rocky Mountains, while around 80% of the state's growing population lives along the eastern slope, between the cities of Fort Collins and Pueblo.

Summit Metro Parks is a Metroparks system serving the citizens of Summit County, Ohio by managing 14,000 acres (5,700 ha) in 16 developed parks, six conservation areas and more than 150 miles (240 km) of trails, with 22.4 miles (36.0 km) of the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ute Mountain Ute Tribe</span> Reservation

The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe is one of three federally recognized tribes of the Ute Nation, and are mostly descendants of the historic Weeminuche Band who moved to the Southern Ute reservation in 1897. Their reservation is headquartered at Towaoc, Colorado on the Ute Mountain Ute Indian Reservation in southwestern Colorado, northwestern New Mexico and small sections of Utah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Vrain massacre</span> Incident in the Black Hawk War.

The St. Vrain massacre was an incident in the Black Hawk War. It occurred near present-day Pearl City, Illinois, in Kellogg's Grove, on May 24, 1832. The massacre was most likely committed by Ho-Chunk warriors who were unaffiliated with Black Hawk's band of warriors. It is also unlikely that the group of Ho-Chunk had the sanction of their nation. Killed in the massacre were United States Indian Agent Felix St. Vrain and three of his companions. Some accounts reported that St. Vrain's body was mutilated.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sycamore Shoals State Historic Area</span> State park in Elizabethton, Tennessee, US

Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park is a state park located in Elizabethton, in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The park consists of 70 acres (28.3 ha) situated along the Sycamore Shoals of the Watauga River, a National Historic Landmark where a series of events critical to the establishment of the states of Tennessee and Kentucky, and the settlement of the Trans-Appalachian frontier in general, took place. Along with the historic shoals, the park includes a visitor center and museum, the reconstructed Fort Watauga, the Carter House and Sabine Hill . For over a thousand years before the arrival of European explorers, Sycamore Shoals and adjacent lands had been inhabited by Native Americans. The first permanent European settlers arrived in 1770, and established the Watauga Association—one of the first written constitutional governments west of the Appalachian Mountains—in 1772. Richard Henderson and Daniel Boone negotiated the Treaty of Sycamore Shoals in 1775, which saw the sale of millions of acres of Cherokee lands in Kentucky and Tennessee and led to the building of the Wilderness Road. During the American Revolution, Sycamore Shoals was both the site of Fort Watauga, where part of a Cherokee invasion was thwarted in 1776, and the mustering ground for the Overmountain Men in 1780.

The St. Vrain Valley School District is the local school district for Longmont, Colorado, United States, and several nearby communities. It is the seventh largest district in the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Early history of the Arkansas Valley in Colorado</span> 17th to 19th century history of the valley

The early history of the Arkansas Valley in Colorado began in the 1600s and to the early 1800s when explorers, hunters, trappers, and traders of European descent came to the region. Prior to that, Colorado was home to prehistoric people, including Paleo-Indians, Ancestral Puebloans, and Late prehistoric Native Americans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vallecito, San Diego County, California</span> Former settlement in the United States

Vallecito, in San Diego County, California, is an oasis of cienegas and salt grass along Vallecito Creek and a former Kumeyaay settlement on the edge of the Colorado Desert in the Vallecito Valley. Its Spanish name is translated as "little valley". Vallecito was located at the apex of the gap in the Carrizo Badlands created by Carrizo Creek and its wash in its lower reach, to which Vallecito Creek is a tributary. The springs of Vallecito, like many in the vicinity, are a product of the faults that run along the base of the Peninsular Ranges to the west.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elkanah Lamb</span>

Elkanah J. Lamb was born in Indiana and moved westward through Iowa to Kansas and Nebraska during his early adulthood. He became a minister of the Church of the United Brethren and traveled through the Kansas and Nebraska frontier to preach to people in their homes or school houses. Lamb spent a year in Colorado as a missionary. During that time, he visited Estes Park and climbed Longs Peak. Lamb's slide on Longs Peak is named for his treacherous descent in 1871.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Lupton (Colorado)</span> Trading post and fort in Colorado, United States

Fort Lupton, located in the city of the same name, was a trading post from 1836 or 1837 to 1844. After operating as a stage coach station and used as a house, the building fell into disrepair and crumbled to all but a portion of one wall by the early 20th century. The trading post has been reconstructed yards away from its original site and is now part of the South Platte Historical Park in northwestern Fort Lupton, Colorado.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bottchers Gap</span> Campground and trailhead in California, US

Bottchers Gap is a day-use area, campground, and trailhead in Monterey County, California. It is located 7.6 miles (12.2 km) from the Big Sur Coast Highway at the end of Palo Colorado Road on the northern border of the Los Padres National Forest and Ventana Wilderness. It is located between Mescal Ridge and Skinner Ridge. From Bottchers Gap, there is an 3.3-mile-long (5.3 km) private access road that leads to Camp Pico Blanco. Beginning at Bottchers Gap, it is a difficult 14.7-mile (23.7 km) hike via the Skinner Ridge and Ventana Double Cone trails to the Ventana Double Cone, making it one of the more remote locations in the wilderness.

References

  1. ↑ "Colorado State Parks Region Annual Visitation Report" (PDF). Colorado Counties, Inc. 2023.
  2. ↑ Libran -parks Archived 2013-01-28 at archive.today libean.com Retrieved 4 August 2019
  3. ↑ resourceanalysis - campincolorado Retrieved 4 August 2019 Archived 15 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ↑ state - park activities parks.state.co.us Retrieved 4 August 2019 Archived 1 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ↑ parks.state.co.us - parks Retrieved 4 August 2019 Archived 18 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ↑ "Indigenous Tribes of Colorado". American Library Association. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  7. ↑ Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica (April 25, 2020). "Louisiana Purchase". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Rivers, Edens, Empires: Lewis & Clark and the Revealing of America." Library of Congress. https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/lewisandclark/lewis-after.html accessed Sept. 11, 2020. Boyles, Berlyn L. "The Massacre of the Hungate Family," The St. Vrain Valley: Its early history (Longmont: StVrain Press, 1969), p.15.
  9. ↑ "California Gold Rush." The History Channel https://westernmininghistory.com/articles/11/page1/ accessed Sept. 11, 2020.
  10. ↑ Boyles, Berlyn L. "The Massacre of the Hungate Family," The St. Vrain Valley: Its early history (Longmont: StVrain Press, 1969), p.22.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Jessen, Kenneth. "Fort Junction- built to protect settlers". Loveland Reporter Herald. Berthoud, Colorado.
  12. ↑ "The Colorado Gold Rush." Western Mining History https://westernmininghistory.com/articles/11/page1/ accessed Sept. 11, 2020.
  13. ↑ Patent #60842- Military Bounty Land Warrant in favor of Mary Jacobs, widow of David Jacobs assigned to Perry L.Smith;https://glorecords.blm.gov/details/patent/ . Patent 188 Perry L. Smith https://glorecords.blm.gov/details/patent/. Patent 339, Milo Smith https://glorecords.blm.gov/details/patent/. Homestead Certificate 70 Application 203, Elisha Duncan https://glorecords.blm.gov/details/patent/ .
  14. ↑ Boyles, Berlyn L. "The Massacre of the Hungate Family," The St. Vrain Valley: Its early history (Longmont: StVrain Press, 1969), p.44. Sorenson, Paul, Firestone Historical Commissioner "Fort Junction and the Lower Boulder and St. Vrain Home Guard" Aug 22, 2008.
  15. ↑ Boyles, Berlyn L. "The Massacre of the Hungate Family," The St. Vrain Valley: Its early history (Longmont: StVrain Press, 1969), 44.
  16. ↑ Sorenson, Paul, Firestone Historical Commissioner "Fort Junction and the Lower Boulder and St. Vrain Home Guard" Aug 22, 2008.
  17. ↑ Record of Appointment of Postmasters, 1832-1971. NARA Microfilm Publication, M841, 145 rolls. Records of the Post Office Department, Record Group Number 28. Washington, D.C.: National Archives.
  18. ↑ Encyclopedia Staff, "Chicago-Colorado Colony," Colorado Encyclopedia, last modified July 31, 2020, https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/chicago-colorado-colony.
  19. ↑ "History of Firestone." History of Firestone | Firestone, CO - Official Website, www.firestoneco.gov/281/History-of-Firestone; McKay, Brenda, and Sam Wallace. Celebrating 100 Years: Carbon Valley-- Dacono, Frederick, Firestone. Daily Times-Call, 2007.
  20. 1 2 "Historical Construction Highlights" https://www.codot.gov/about/CDOTHistory/50th-anniversary/interstate-25/construction-highlights accessed September 11, 2020.
  21. ↑ Recorded Deed 1275852 bk1500page 263 Grantor Albert H, Mildred, Edwin A and Laurine Anderson grantee The Department of Highways, State of Colorado. Weld County Clerk and Recorder Eagle Web https://searchicris.co.weld.co.us/recorder/web/
  22. 1 2 Gerhardt, Gary "Bigger Better Barbour Ponds- $9.29 Million Grant to Turn Fishing Hole into Rec Showpiece" Rocky Mountain News January 15, 2003 page 26A.
  23. 1 2 3 4 5 "Gravel Pit Renovated." Colorado Transcript Golden Colorado Vol 102-No.85 July 16, 1968 From the Archives of the State Historical Society Denver, Colorado
  24. ↑ "Barbour Ponds: Place to fish, boat state recreation area" Longmont Daily Times Call 8 September 1977. Longmont Museum clipping file
  25. ↑ "Roy N. Barbour- scrapbook," Longmont Museum Archives; Johnnie St. Vrain: Izaak Walton Park named after English writer, via conservation group." Longmont Daily Times Call March 7, 2013 https://www.timescall.com/2013/03/07/johnnie-st-vrain-izaak-walton-park-named-after-english-writer-via-conservation-group/
  26. ↑ "Barbour Ponds State Park." Colorado Lakes & Reservoirs Guide: Fishing and Boating Guide By Outdoor Books & Maps(Firm). Adler Publishing, 2001, p13.
  27. ↑ "Barbour Ponds Recreation Area Reopens" Longmont Daily Times Call July 1, 1975. Longmont Museum clipping file.
  28. ↑ Dennison, Andrew. "Barbour trail a wetland wonderland" Longmont Daily Times Call March 14, 1981. Longmont Museum Clippings File
  29. ↑ St. Vrain State Park, History of St.Vrain State Park: Based on Park Manager's Reports and other Published Sources, 1980.
  30. ↑ Gierach, John. "Nearby flatland preserves protects beauty of the prairie." Longmont Daily Times Call March 19, 1983, page A6, Longmont Museum clippings file.
  31. 1 2 BhamFam (2005). "Fort Junction". Geocaching.
  32. 1 2 Smith, Jerd. "Big Boost For Land Preservation-55,000-Acre Parcel Ang Sites to Gain from GOCO Funds" Rocky Mountain News December 2, 2004 page 34A.
  33. ↑ St. Vrain State Park, History of St.Vrain State Park: Based on Park Manager's Reports and other Published Sources.
  34. ↑ Finch, Bob (September 21, 2006). "St. Vrain State Park: Restoring the Beauty of a Riparian Corridor". Colorado Riparian Association.
  35. ↑ "Blue Heron Reservoir (Formerly Barbour Ponds) Grand Opening New 99.1 Country, accessed July 11, 2019, https://newcountry991.com/blue-heron-reservoir-formerly-barbour-ponds-grand-opening-this-weekend/.
  36. 1 2 "St Vrain State Park Brochure" (PDF). Colorado Parks & Wildlife.
  37. ↑ Lounsberry, Sam. "Colorado Parks and Wildlife wins grant to develop 'augmented reality' program for St. Vrain, nine other parks." Longmont Times-Call June 15, 2019. https://www.timescall.com/2019/06/15/colorado-parks-and-wildlife-wins-grant-to-develop-augmented-reality-program-for-st-vrain-nine-other-parks/
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.