William Larimer Jr. (October 24, 1809 – May 16, 1875) was an American businessman, investor, militia general, and politician who is best known as the founder of

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

, in 1858. Larimer often went by "General Larimer", having acquired the title in the Pennsylvania Militia.

Biography

Larimer was born in

Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania Westmoreland County is a county in the state of Pennsylvania, United States, in the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census the population was 354,663. The county seat is Greensburg and the most populous community is ...

, and made his first fortune in the railroad industry in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

. He became a land speculator in the 1850s in the

Kansas Territory The Territory of Kansas was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 30, 1854, until January 29, 1861, when the eastern portion of the territory was admitted to the United States, Union as the Slave and ...

, founding a homestead in Leavenworth where he lived with his wife and nine children. In 1858, Larimer helped found the Denver City Land Company with the intention of creating a new city in the western part of the territory. On November 22, 1858, Larimer arrived at a hill overlooking the confluence of Cherry Creek and the

South Platte River The South Platte River is one of the two principal tributaries of the Platte River. Flowing through the U.S. states of Colorado and Nebraska, it is itself a major river of the American Midwestern United States, Midwest and the American Sou ...

. The site was across Cherry Creek from the existing settlement of Auraria, founded by William Greenburry Russell who is credited with starting the Pike's Peak Gold Rush. Larimer staked his claim by laying cottonwood logs along a square-mile parcel of land on the hill. Larimer chose the name "Denver City" to honor the governor of the Kansas Territory, James W. Denver, with the intention that the city would become the county seat of Arapaho County. In a letter dated February 1859, he had declared that "I am Denver City." Larimer planned the site and aggressively sold tracts to miners and other migrants traveling through the

Rocky Mountains The Rocky Mountains, also known as the Rockies, are a major mountain range and the largest mountain system in North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch in great-circle distance, straight-line distance from the northernmost part of Western Can ...

. In the first years, tracts were often traded for grubstakes and in gambling. In 1860, all of the stockholders of Denver City merged with their rivals in Auraria, forming one city under the name Denver. Larimer was instrumental in the formation of the

Colorado Territory The Territory of Colorado was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 28, 1861, until August 1, 1876, when it was admitted to the Union as the 38th State of Colorado. The territory was organized ...

in 1861, and in making Denver its capital. He anticipated being named the first governor of the territory, but was disappointed when

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

gave the appointment to William Gilpin of

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

, in part as a favor to the governor of the state. After this unexpected turn of events, Larimer became a United States commissioner and a judge of probate for the First Judicial District of Colorado. During the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, he became a colonel for the Third Regiment of Colorado Volunteers, and after returned to Kansas. After serving as a Kansas state senator from 1867 until 1870, Larimer retired to his family farm in Leavenworth, Kansas, where he died in 1875. He is commemorated in the city he helped found by Larimer Street in downtown, as well as Larimer Square. He is also commemorated by

Larimer County, Colorado Larimer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 359,066. The county seat and most populous city is Fort Collins. The county was named for William Larimer, Jr., the founder of Denve ...

, in the northern part of the state, and by the Larimer neighborhood in

References

Bibliography

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Larimer, William 1809 births 1875 deaths 19th-century American businesspeople American city founders American militia generals Burials at Allegheny Cemetery Businesspeople from Denver Businesspeople from Pittsburgh History of Denver Kansas state senators Military personnel from Colorado Politicians from Denver 19th-century members of the Kansas Legislature