Crown Hill Park is a recreation area operated by Jefferson County Open Space in unincorporated

Jefferson County, Colorado Jefferson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 582,910, making it the fourth-most populous county in Colorado. The county seat is Golden, and the most populous city is Lakewood. ...

. The park is located between the cities of

Wheat Ridge The City of Wheat Ridge is a home rule municipality located in Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. Wheat Ridge is located immediately west of Denver and is a part of the Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area. The ...

and Lakewood. Within the borders of the park is a National Urban Wildlife Refuge. Activities at the park include picnicking, hiking, biking, horseback riding, wildlife viewing, walking, roller blading, jogging, and fishing.

Accessibility

Crown Hill Park is located in a highly developed region of Jefferson County in close proximity to Denver, Colorado. It is convenient to many of the transportation networks in the metro area, including

RTD (Regional Transportation District)

* Bus # 76 runs along Wadsworth Boulevard, from the park's eastern border. * Bus # 100 runs along Kipling Parkway, on the park's western border. * Bus # 28 and # 32 run along W 26th and W 32nd Avenues respectively, but end at Wadsworth, now making them no closer than the 76. (The 28 and 32 bus routes previous to COVID-19 service reductions both continued west of Wadsworth, but in 2021 they don't.)

Automobile

Crown Hill Park is located south of I70 at exit 267, and east of I70 at exit 264. Denver and I25 are located east, and may be conveniently reached via Colfax Avenue/Business Route 70. The park lies along 2 major thoroughfares, Kipling Parkway and Wadsworth Boulevard. For those arriving by car, the park features 6 ADA accessible parking spaces.

Bicycle

The cities of Lakewood and Wheat Ridge maintain 2 on-street bike routes, along the southern border of the park on West 26th Avenue, and along the park's western border on Kipling Parkway

Horseback

Signs are posted along West 26th Avenue advising motorists to exercise caution for those visiting the park by horse. The park features a horse arena beside the dedicated parking lot for equestrian activities.

Facilities

* of natural surface trail * of hard surface trail * Flush restroom and drinking fountain, ADA accessible * 2 small picnic shelters, each with one ADA accessible picnic table; 1 at main parking lot, 1 overlooking Kestrel Pond * 18 park benches * 8 picnic tables, 1 ADA accessible in each picnic shelter * Horse hitching rail near restroom * Horse exercise arena maintained by the City of Lakewood * ADA accessible fishing pier * Fitness trail; Wells Fargo Gamefield course installed with the support of the East Jeffco Kiwanis * 2 asphalt parking lots; 1 lot with 103 parking spaces plus 5 ADA accessible, equestrian parking lot with 13 parking spaces plus 1 ADA accessible and 2 horse trailer spaces

Ecology

Flora

Crown Hill Park's general lack of vegetative diversity is the legacy of its agricultural past. 85% of the cover is non-native grasslands; the remaining 15% are wetland/riparian.

Graminoids

(Grasses, grass-like plants) * Canada bluegrass ('' oa compressa') * Canada wildrye ('' Elymus canadensis'') - native * cheatgrass (''

Bromus tectorum ''Bromus tectorum'', known as downy brome, drooping brome or cheatgrass, is a winter annual grass native to Europe, southwestern Asia, and northern Africa, but has become invasive in many other areas. It now is present in most of Europe, southe ...

'') * crested wheatgrass (''

Agropyron cristatum ''Agropyron cristatum'', the crested wheat grass, crested wheatgrass, fairway crested wheat grass, is a species in the family Poaceae. This plant is often used as Fodder, forage and erosion control. It is well known as a widespread introduced sp ...

'') * fescue (''

Festuca ''Festuca'' (fescue) is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the grass family Poaceae (subfamily Pooideae). They are evergreen or herbaceous perennial tufted grasses with a height range of and a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring on ever ...

'' sp.) * foxtail barley (''

Hordeum jubatum ''Hordeum jubatum'', with common names foxtail barley, bobtail barley, squirreltail barley, and intermediate barley, is a perennial plant species in the grass family Poaceae. It occurs wild mainly in northern North America and adjacent northeast ...

'') - native * goatgrass (''

Aegilops cylindrica ''Aegilops cylindrica'', also known as jointed goatgrass. is an annual grass seed that is part of the tribe Triticeae, along with wheat and some other cereals. It is not native to North America, however it has become a serious issue as a weed si ...

'') * green needlegrass ('' Nassella viridula'') - native * intermediate wheatgrass ('' Elytrigia intermedia'') * intermediate wheatgrass (''Elytrigia intermedia'' v. ''trichophorum'') * Japanese brome (''

Bromus ''Bromus'' is a large genus of grasses, classified in its own tribe Bromeae. They are commonly known as bromes, brome grasses, cheat grasses or chess grasses. Estimates in the scientific literature of the number of species have ranged from 100 ...

japonicus'') * Kentucky bluegrass (''

Poa pratensis ''Poa pratensis'', commonly known as Kentucky bluegrass (or blue grass), smooth meadow-grass, or common meadow-grass, is a perennial species of grass native to practically all of Europe, North Asia and the mountains of Algeria and Morocco. Altho ...

'') * orchardgrass (''

Dactylis glomerata ''Dactylis Glomerata'' is the sixth studio album by Swedish doom metal band Candlemass, released in 1998. This was their first album released since their split in 1994. The album was originally destined to be the second release by Candlemass m ...

'') * quackgrass (''

Agropyron repens ''Elymus repens'', commonly known as couch grass, is a very common perennial species of grass native to most of Europe, Asia, the Arctic biome, and northwest Africa. It has been brought into other mild northern climates for forage or erosion cont ...

'') * rye (''

Secale cereale Rye (''Secale cereale'') is a grass grown extensively as a grain, a cover crop and a forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe (Triticeae) and is closely related to both wheat (''Triticum'') and barley (genus ''Hordeum''). Rye grain is ...

'') * sand dropseed ('' Sporobolus cryptandrus'') - native * slender wheatgrass ('' Elymus trachycaulus'') - native * smooth brome ('' Bromus inermis'') * sedge (''

Carex ''Carex'' is a vast genus of more than 2,000 species of grass-like plants in the family Cyperaceae, commonly known as sedges (or seg, in older books). Other members of the family Cyperaceae are also called sedges, however those of genus ''Carex'' ...

'' sp.) - native * spikerush (''

Eleocharis ''Eleocharis'' is a virtually cosmopolitan genus of 250 or more species of flowering plants in the sedge family, Cyperaceae. The name is derived from the Greek words ἕλειος (''heleios''), meaning "marsh dweller," and χάρις (''charis'' ...

'' sp.) - native * tall wheatgrass (''Elytrigia elongata'') * timothy ('' Phleum pratense'') * western wheatgrass (''

Agropyron smithii ''Pascopyrum'' is a monotypic genus of grass containing the sole species ''Pascopyrum smithii'', which is known by the common names western wheatgrass and red-joint wheatgrass, after the red coloration of the nodes. It is native to North America. ...

'') - native * wild oats (''

Avena fatua ''Avena'' is a genus of Eurasian and African plants in the grass family. Collectively known as the oats, they include some species which have been cultivated for thousands of years as a food source for humans and livestock. They are widesprea ...

'' ssp. ''sativa'')

Forbs

(Non-woody flowering plant that is not a grass) * alfalfa (''

Medicago sativa Alfalfa () (''Medicago sativa''), also called lucerne, is a perennial flowering plant in the legume family Fabaceae. It is cultivated as an important forage crop in many countries around the world. It is used for grazing, hay, and silage, as w ...

'') * alyssum ('' Alyssum minus'') * asparagus (''

Asparagus officinalis Asparagus, or garden asparagus, folk name sparrow grass, scientific name ''Asparagus officinalis'', is a perennial flowering plant species in the genus ''Asparagus''. Its young shoots are used as a spring vegetable. It was once classified in ...

'') * aster ('' Aster'' sp.) - native * bindweed (''

Convolvulus arvensis ''Convolvulus arvensis'', the field bindweed, is a species of bindweed that is rhizomatous and is in the morning glory family (Convolvulaceae), native to Europe and Asia. It is a climbing or creeping herbaceous perennial plant with stems growing ...

'') * black medic (''

Medicago lupulina ''Medicago lupulina'', commonly known as black medick, nonesuch, or hop clover, is a plant of dry grassland belonging to the legume or clover family. Plants of the genus '' Medicago'', or bur clovers, are closely related to the true clovers ('' ...

'') * Canada thistle (''

Cirsium arvense ''Cirsium arvense'' is a perennial species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native throughout Europe and western Asia, northern Africa and widely introduced elsewhere.Joint Nature Conservation Committee''Cirsium arvense'' The standa ...

'') * cattails ('' Typha'' sp.) - native * cf. coreopsis (''

Coreopsis tinctoria Plains coreopsis, garden tickseed, golden tickseed, or calliopsis, ''Coreopsis tinctoria'', is an annual forb. The plant is common in Canada (from Quebec to British Columbia), northeast Mexico (Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas), and much of th ...

'') - native * clasping peppergrass (''

Lepidium perfoliatum ''Lepidium perfoliatum'' is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by the common names clasping pepperweed and perfoliate pepperwort. It is native to Europe and Asia and it can be found in other parts of the world as an introdu ...

'') * copper mallow ('' Sphaeralcea coccinea'') - native * curly dock ('' Rumex crispus'') * Dalmatian toadflax (''

Linaria dalmatica ''Linaria dalmatica'' is a herbaceous, short-lived perennial plant native to western Asia and southeastern Europe that has become a weed in other areas. The family this plant now belongs to is the Plantaginaceae Family. Previously, it belonged t ...

'') * dandelion (''

Taraxacum officinale ''Taraxacum officinale'', the dandelion or common dandelion, is a flowering Herbaceous plant, herbaceous perennial plant of the Dandelion, dandelion genus in the family Asteraceae (syn. Compositae). The common dandelion is well known for its yell ...

'') * false flax (''

Camelina microcarpa ''Camelina microcarpa'' is a species of flowering plant in the mustard family known by several common names, including littlepod false flax lesser gold-of-pleasure and small seed false flax. It is native to Europe and Asia, and it is common acros ...

'') * false salsify (''

Scorzonera ''Scorzonera'' is a genus of flowering plants in the tribe Cichorieae within the family Asteraceae.Podospermum'') ''laciniatum'') * fieldcress ('' Neolepia campestre'') * fleabane ('' Erigeron divergens'') - native * fogfruit ('' Phyla'' (''Lippia'') ''cuneifolia'') - native * giant ragweed ('' Ambrosia trifida'') * goosefoot (''

Chenopodium ''Chenopodium'' is a genus of numerous species of perennial or annual herbaceous flowering plants known as the goosefoots, which occur almost anywhere in the world. It is placed in the family Amaranthaceae in the APG II system; older classific ...

'' sp.) * groundcherry (''

Physalis ''Physalis'' (, , , , from φυσαλλίς ''phusallís'' "bladder") is a genus of approximately 75 to 90 flowering plants in the nightshade family (Solanaceae), which are native to the Americas and Australasia. At least 46 species are endemic ...

'' sp.) - native * gumweed ('' Grindelia squarrosa'') - native * hairy evening-primrose ('' Oenothera villosa'') - native * hairy vetch (''

Vicia villosa ''Vicia villosa'', known as the hairy vetch, fodder vetch or winter vetch, is a plant native to some of Europe and western Asia. It is a legume, grown as a forage crop, fodder crop, cover crop, and green manure. Although non-native, it occurs in ...

'') * horseweed ('' Conyza canadensis'') * Jimm Hill mustard ('' Sisymbrium altissimum'') * kochia (''

Kochia scoparia ''Bassia scoparia'' is a large annual herb in the family Amaranthaceae (''sensu lato'') native to Eurasia. It has been introduced to many parts of North America,

'') * mallow (''

Malva neglecta ''Malva neglecta'' is an annual growing to 0.6 m (2 ft). It is known as common mallow in the United States and also as buttonweed, cheeseplant, cheeseweed, dwarf mallow, and roundleaf mallow. This plant is often consumed as a food, wit ...

'') * mullein (''

Verbascum thapsus ''Verbascum thapsus'', the great mullein, greater mullein or common mullein is a species of mullein native to Europe, northern Africa, and Asia, and introduced in the Americas and Australia. It is a hairy biennial plant that can grow to 2 m tal ...

'') * musk thistle ('' Carduus nutans'') * narrow-leaf plantain ('' Plantago lanceolata'') * oyster plant (''

Tragopogon porrifolius ''Tragopogon porrifolius'' is a plant cultivated for its ornamental flower and edible root. It also grows wild in many places and is one of the most widely known species of the salsify genus, '' Tragopogon''. It is commonly known as purple or ...

'') * pennycress (''

Thlaspi arvense ''Thlaspi arvense'', known by the common name field pennycress, is a flowering plant in the cabbage family Brassicaceae. It is native to Eurasia, and is a common weed throughout much of North America and its home. Description ''Thlaspi arvense' ...

'') * poison hemlock ('' Conium maculatum'') * prickly lettuce ('' Lactuca serriola'') * ragweed ('' Ambrosia'' sp.) * red clover (''

Trifolium pratense ''Trifolium pratense'', the red clover, is a herbaceous species of flowering plant in the bean family Fabaceae, native to Europe, Western Asia, and northwest Africa, but planted and naturalized in many other regions. Description Red clove ...

'') * salsify (''

Tragopogon dubius ''Tragopogon dubius'' (yellow salsify, western salsify, western goat's-beard, wild oysterplant, yellow goat's beard, goat's beard, goatsbeard, common salsify, salsify) is a species of salsify native to southern and central Europe and western As ...

'') * scarlet gaura ('' Gaura coccinea'') - native * showy milkweed ('' Asclepias speciosa'') - native * slim-flowered scurfpea ('' Psoralea tenuiflora'') - native * tansy mustard (''

Descurainia ''Descurainia'' is a genus of plants in the family Brassicaceae which are known commonly as the tansymustards. The genus name commemorates French botanist and herbalist François Descurain (1658–1749). The plants are similar in appearance to o ...

'' sp.) * thistle (''Cirsium'' cf. '' undulatum'') - native * tumble knapweed (''

Centaurea diffusa ''Centaurea diffusa'', also known as diffuse knapweed, white knapweed or tumble knapweed, is a member of the genus ''Centaurea'' in the family Asteraceae. This species is common throughout western North America but is not actually native to the ...

'') * velvety gaura ('' Gaura parviflora'') - native * white heath aster ('' Aster ericoides'') - native * white sweetclover ('' Melilotus alba'') * whitetop ('' Cardaria chalapense'') * whitetop ('' Cardaria draba'') * wintercress ('' Cardaria chalepensis'') * yellow sweetclover ('' Melilotus officinalis'') * wild licorice (''

Glycyrrhiza lepidota ''Glycyrrhiza lepidota'' (American licorice) is a species of ''Glycyrrhiza'' (a genus in the pea/bean family, Fabaceae) native to most of North America, from central Canada south through the United States to California, Texas and Virginia, but ...

'') - native

Trees and shrubs

green ash ''Fraxinus pennsylvanica'', the green ash or red ash, is a species of ash native to eastern and central North America, from Nova Scotia west to southeastern Alberta and eastern Colorado, south to northern Florida, and southwest to Oklahoma and e ...

(''Fraxinus pensylvanica'') *

black locust ''Robinia pseudoacacia'', commonly known in its native territory as black locust, is a medium-sized hardwood deciduous tree, belonging to the tribe Robinieae of the legume family Fabaceae. It is endemic to a few small areas of the United States ...

(''Robinia'' sp.) * peachleaf willow (''Salix amygdaloides'') - native * plains cottonwood (''Populus deltoides'' ssp. ''monolifera'') - native * rabbitbrush ('' Chrysothamnus nauseosus'' ssp. ''graveolens'') - native * Rocky Mountain juniper (''

Juniperus scopulorum ''Juniperus scopulorum'', the Rocky Mountain juniper, is a species of juniper native to western North America, from southwest Canada to the Great Plains of the United States. Description ''Juniperus scopulorum'' is a small evergreen conifer ...

'') *

Russian olive ''Elaeagnus angustifolia'', commonly called Russian olive, silver berry, oleaster, or wild olive, is a species of ''Elaeagnus'', native to western and central Asia, Iran, from southern Russia and Kazakhstan to Turkey, parts of Pakistan and parts of ...

(''Eleagnus angustifolia'') * sandbar willow (''Salix exigua'') - native *

Siberian elm ''Ulmus pumila'', the Siberian elm, is a tree native to Asia. It is also known as the Asiatic elm and dwarf elm, but sometimes miscalled the 'Chinese Elm' (''Ulmus parvifolia''). ''U. pumila'' has been widely cultivated throughout Asia, Nor ...

(''Ulmus pumila'') *

silver maple ''Acer saccharinum'', commonly known as silver maple, creek maple, silverleaf maple, soft maple, large maple, water maple, swamp maple, or white maple, is a species of maple native to the eastern and central United States and southeastern Canad ...

(''Acer saccharinum'') * wild rose (''Rosa sayi'') - native

Fauna

Avian

In order of frequency of observations Bald Eagles at Crown Hill Park

European starling The common starling or European starling (''Sturnus vulgaris''), also known simply as the starling in Great Britain and Ireland, is a medium-sized passerine bird in the starling family, Sturnidae. It is about long and has glossy black plumage ...

* Canada goose * mallard *

red-winged blackbird The red-winged blackbird (''Agelaius phoeniceus'') is a passerine bird of the family Icteridae found in most of North America and much of Central America. It breeds from Alaska and Newfoundland south to Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, Mexico, and G ...

mourning dove The mourning dove (''Zenaida macroura'') is a member of the dove family, Columbidae. The bird is also known as the American mourning dove, the rain dove, and colloquially as the turtle dove, and was once known as the Carolina pigeon and Caroli ...

* northern flicker (common) *

house finch The house finch (''Haemorhous mexicanus'') is a bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is native to western North America and has been introduced to the eastern half of the continent and Hawaii. This species and the other two American rosefi ...

killdeer The killdeer (''Charadrius vociferus'') is a large plover found in the Americas. It was described and given its current scientific name in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of his ''Systema Naturae''. Three subspecies are described. Th ...

black-billed magpie The black-billed magpie (''Pica hudsonia''), also known as the American magpie, is a bird in the corvid family found in the western half of North America. It is black and white, with black areas on the wings and tail showing iridescent hints o ...

* house sparrow * American robin *

song sparrow The song sparrow (''Melospiza melodia'') is a medium-sized New World sparrow. Among the native sparrows in North America, it is easily one of the most abundant, variable and adaptable species. Description Adult song sparrows have brown upperp ...

* Brewer's blackbird * American tree sparrow *

black-capped chickadee The black-capped chickadee (''Poecile atricapillus'') is a small, non-migratory, North American songbird that lives in deciduous and mixed forests. It is a passerine bird in the tit family, the Paridae. It is the state bird of Massachusetts and ...

common grackle The common grackle (''Quiscalus quiscula'') is a species of large icterid bird found in large numbers through much of North America. First described in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus, the common grackle has three subspecies. Adult common grackles have a ...

green-winged teal The green-winged teal (''Anas carolinensis'') is a common and widespread duck that breeds in the northern areas of North America except on the Aleutian Islands. It was considered conspecific with the Eurasian teal (''A. crecca'') for some time, ...

northern shoveler The northern shoveler (; ''Spatula clypeata''), known simply in Britain as the shoveler, is a common and widespread duck. It breeds in northern areas of Europe and across the Palearctic and across most of North America, wintering in southern E ...

American kestrel The American kestrel (''Falco sparverius''), also called the sparrow hawk, is the smallest and most common falcon in North America. It has a roughly two-to-one range in size over subspecies and sex, varying in size from about the weight of ...

blue-winged teal The blue-winged teal (''Spatula discors'') is a species of bird in the duck, goose, and swan family Anatidae. One of the smaller members of the dabbling duck group, it occurs in North America, where it breeds from southern Alaska to Nova Scoti ...

wood duck The wood duck or Carolina duck (''Aix sponsa'') is a species of perching duck found in North America. The drake wood duck is one of the most colorful North American waterfowl. Description The wood duck is a medium-sized perching duck. A ty ...

* gadwall *

Wilson's warbler Wilson's warbler (''Cardellina pusilla'') is a small New World warbler. It is greenish above and yellow below, with rounded wings and a long, slim tail. The male has a black crown patch; depending on the subspecies, that mark is reduced or absent ...

western kingbird The western kingbird (''Tyrannus verticalis'') is a large tyrant flycatcher found throughout western environments of North America, as far south as Mexico. Description Adults are a combination of both gray and yellow plumage, along with crimson f ...

northern shrike The northern shrike (''Lanius borealis'') is a large songbird species in the shrike family ( Laniidae) native to North America and Siberia. Long considered a subspecies of the great grey shrike, it was classified as a distinct species in 2017. Si ...

* violet-green swallow *

black tern The black tern (''Chlidonias niger'') is a small tern generally found in or near inland water in Europe, Western Asia and North America. As its name suggests, it has predominantly dark plumage. In some lights it can appear blue in the breeding se ...

cinnamon teal The cinnamon teal (''Spatula cyanoptera'') is a species of duck found in western North and South America. It is a small dabbling duck, with bright reddish plumage on the male and duller brown plumage on the female. It lives in marshes and ponds ...

bullock's oriole Bullock's oriole (''Icterus bullockii'') is a small New World blackbird. At one time, this species and the Baltimore oriole were considered to be a single species, the northern oriole. This bird is named after William Bullock, an English amateur ...

spotted sandpiper The spotted sandpiper (''Actitis macularius'') is a small shorebird. Together with its sister species the common sandpiper (''A. hypoleucos''), it makes up the genus ''Actitis''. They replace each other geographically; stray birds may settle do ...

western meadowlark The western meadowlark (''Sturnella neglecta'') is a medium-sized icterid bird, about in length. It nests on the ground in open grasslands across western and central North America. It feeds mostly on bugs, but will also feed on seeds and berri ...

yellow warbler The yellow warbler (''Setophaga petechia'') is a New World warbler species. Yellow warblers are the most widespread species in the diverse genus ''Setophaga'', breeding in almost the whole of North America, the Caribbean, and down to northern S ...

* great blue heron *

downy woodpecker The downy woodpecker (''Dryobates pubescens'') is a species of woodpecker, the smallest in North America. Length ranges from . Downy woodpeckers primarily live in forested areas throughout the United States and Canada, with the exception of deser ...

red-tailed hawk The red-tailed hawk (''Buteo jamaicensis'') is a bird of prey that breeds throughout most of North America, from the interior of Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West Indies. It is one of the most common members wit ...

* sora *

Virginia rail The Virginia rail (''Rallus limicola'') is a small waterbird, of the family Rallidae. These birds remain fairly common despite continuing loss of habitat, but are secretive by nature and more often heard than seen. They are also considered a ga ...

* warbling vireo *

American coot The American coot (''Fulica americana''), also known as a mud hen or pouldeau, is a bird of the family Rallidae. Though commonly mistaken for ducks, American coots are only distantly related to ducks, belonging to a separate order. Unlike the w ...

* belted kingfisher * blue jay *

hooded merganser The hooded merganser (''Lophodytes cucullatus'') is a species of merganser. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Lophodytes''. The genus name derives from the Greek language: ''lophos'' meaning 'crest', and ''dutes'' meaning 'diver'. The ...

* merlin *

pied-billed grebe The pied-billed grebe (''Podilymbus podiceps'') is a species of the grebe family of water birds. Because the Atitlán grebe (''Podilymbus gigas'') has become extinct, the Pied-Billed Grebe is now the sole extant member of the genus ''Podilymbus'' ...

spotted towhee The spotted towhee (''Pipilo maculatus'') is a large New World sparrow. The taxonomy of the towhees has been debated in recent decades, and until 1995 this bird and the eastern towhee were considered a single species, the rufous-sided towhee. A ...

(rufous-sided) *

yellow-headed blackbird The yellow-headed blackbird (''Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus'') is a medium-sized blackbird with a yellow head. It is the only member of the genus ''Xanthocephalus''. Description Measurements: * Length: 8.3-10.2 in (21-26 cm) * Weight: ...

* yellow-rumped warbler * bald eagle

Fish

* catfish - stocked * carp - stocked * largemouth bass - stocked * sunfish * trout

History

When early settlers first came to Colorado they were often drawn by the lure of riches to be found in the towering mountains to the west. The California gold rush of 1849 brought tens of thousands of men, many of them previously farmers, to the west. Many prospected on their way through Colorado. Often their dreams of riches ended in dust, and the disappointed miners returned to the plains to resume their former way of life – farming. A number of small farming communities grew up on the rolling highlands west of pioneer

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

and Auraria. The area offered rich soil that, with irrigation, yielded abundant crops of wheat and vegetables. As its name reveals, the town of Wheat Ridge was built on a highland area that was soon covered with wheat farms. To its north the Clear Creek valley was soon filled with orchards and became known as Fruitdale. Further north, beyond the valley, other farmers built Arvada. Henry Lee was born in Iowa, Oct. 31, 1841, to English immigrants. He became one of the best known Denver and Colorado pioneers. Henry came to Denver in 1864 from Iowa, following his elder brother, William, who arrived in the Denver area in 1845. William Lee had acquired extensive farming property between Wheat Ridge and Golden, just south of Clear Creek. The road to William's farm later became known as Lee Street. For the first few years Henry Lee earned his living by peddling vegetables from William's farm to miners in the mining camps of Gilpin, Clear Creek and Park counties. William Lee served as a member of the First Colorado Constitutional Convention in 1859, representing Jefferson County. He also founded the first grange in Colorado and was a prominent member of the Colorado Pioneer Society. William Lee died on January 21, 1911, at the age of 74. Jennie Paul Lee was born in Iowa City, Iowa, on March 8, 1850. She married Henry Lee in 1873, and moved to Colorado in 1875, where they settled on Henry's farm. The Lee's had three children, two sons, Murray and Robert Paul, and a daughter, Jessie. Always a public-spirited citizen, Henry Lee took a great deal of interest in politics. He represented Jefferson County in the House of Representatives Third Assembly and served two terms in the State Senate for the Fifth and Sixth Assemblies. While a member of the Third General Assembly and chairman of its committee on public lands, Henry Lee introduced a bill providing for the sale to the City of Denver, at a nominal price and without competition, of two sections of school land for park purposes. One of these sections comprises what is now Denver's City Park. Lee was generally acknowledged as the father of the Denver park system, and served as Park Commissioner under both Mayors Johnson and Speer. Over time Henry Lee acquired considerable land in Jefferson County, and at one time owned a whole section of what is now known as Edgewater and a large portion of Wheat Ridge. Crown Hill Cemetery is part of his old farm. Lee sold of land to the Crown Hill Cemetery Association in 1908 for $47,000. In 1914 Henry Lee still owned of the finest land in Jefferson County. Henry Lee's involvement in irrigation and water-related problems led to the construction of Denver's first pumping station and the founding of the Agriculture Ditch Company. Henry served as secretary from the time the company was organized until his death. To support their extensive farming business, Henry and William Lee built the Lee and Brothers Lateral Irrigation Ditch, which ran along Middle Golden Road, now known as 32nd Avenue. William Lee also ran the Lee Sand and Gravel Company along Youngfield from 38th Avenue to North Golden Road (now known as 44 Avenue). Henry Lee was a partner in the Pioneer Seed Company of Denver, and also owned Henry Lee's Seed and Farm Implements, selling seeds and farm equipment, and designing and selling farm and market wagons, road carts, spring wagons, surreys, and carriages. He had originally brought farm implements and seeds from Iowa to start his prosperous business. In 1908 Crown Hill Associates also purchased land from the Union Pacific Railroad, which was adjacent to the property purchased from William and Henry Lee. With this last purchase of land, the Crown Hill Associates' total holdings included . Located on the property was the "Old Morgan House". Henry Lee had purchased the Morgan (also recorded as "Margan") Jones homestead in 1900. The portion containing the house, barns and other outbuildings, which are no longer standing, were contained in the land sold to Crown Hill in 1908. On March 11, 1914, Henry Lee was the victim of one of Denver's first auto-pedestrian accidents. Henry Lee died on March 24 from his injuries, and was buried at Crown Hill Cemetery. Jennie Lee continued to help run their farm until their son, Murray, died in 1939. Jennie Paul Lee died in November 1943 at the age of 93. The two water bodies on the park property today were natural ponds. Waters stored in Crown Hill Lake originate in Clear Creek and are transported via the Crown Hill Agricultural Ditch to Crown Hill Lake. Most of the water in Kestrel Pond is seepage from Crown Hill Lake. The farming communities of Wheat Ridge and Lakewood gradually grew. Local residents were becoming increasingly concerned about the loss of their country lands. When the citizens of Jefferson County created the Open Space Program in 1972, Crown Hill's neighbors began to urge the two cities to find a way to preserve one of the last large parcels of undeveloped land in what was then the most populous area of Jefferson County. In 1978 the Cities of Lakewood and Wheat Ridge joined the County in purchasing next to Crown Hill Cemetery and including Crown Hill Lake, creating Crown Hill Open Space Park.

External links

Jefferson County Open Space Crown Hill Park official site
{{coord, 39.75969, -105.09813, format=dms, display=title, type:landmark_region:US-CO Parks in Colorado Protected areas of Jefferson County, Colorado Urban public parks