Daniels Park, a former working ranch in

Douglas County, Colorado Douglas County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 357,978. The county seat is Castle Rock. Douglas County is part of the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, Colorado, metropolitan statistica ...

near

Sedalia, Colorado Sedalia is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated town, a post office, and a Census-designated place, census-designated place (CDP) located in and governed by Douglas County, Colorado, Douglas County, Colorado, United States. The CDP is a part of ...

, was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1995. The park is one of the

Denver Mountain Parks The Denver Mountain Parks system contains more than of parklands in the mountains and foothills of Jefferson, Clear Creek, Douglas, and Grand counties in Colorado, west and south of Denver. Owned and maintained by the City and County of Denver ...

. A herd of

bison Bison are large bovines in the genus ''Bison'' (Greek: "wild ox" (bison)) within the tribe Bovini. Two extant and numerous extinct species are recognised. Of the two surviving species, the American bison, ''B. bison'', found only in North Ame ...

lives in the park, and the bison graze on the prairie grass in the park's upper elevations. Because of the presence of the Bison, most of the park is not open to the public. It is located along Douglas County Road 67 northeast of Sedalia. The listing included four clusters of structures, including a total of 10

contributing buildings In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distric ...

, nine

contributing structures In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distric ...

, and three

contributing sites In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distric ...

. With The ranch is rumored to have been the site of

Kit Carson Christopher Houston Carson (December 24, 1809 – May 23, 1868) was an American frontiersman. He was a fur trapper, wilderness guide, Indian agent, and U.S. Army officer. He became a frontier legend in his own lifetime by biographies and n ...

's last campfire. It includes some construction dating from 1920, and work by architect

Jules Jacques Benoit Benedict Jules Jacques Benois Benedict (April 22, 1879 – January 16, 1948) was one of the most prominent architects in Colorado history, whose works include a number of well-known landmarks and buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Place ...

. It also includes rustic architecture, and parts or whole have had names Florence Martin Ranch, Riley Hill, and Wild Cat Point. Florence Martin was an Australian-American philanthropist who donated the ranch's to establish Daniels Park.

History

In June 2022, Douglas County's commissioners issued a proposal to take over Daniels Park in retaliation against Denver following a May vote by Denver city council to prohibit concealed carrying weapons in city parks.

References

National Register of Historic Places in Douglas County, Colorado Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Colorado Ranches in Colorado Buildings and structures completed in 1920 Denver Mountain Parks {{Colorado-NRHP-stub