Franktown, Colorado
Franktown, Colorado | |
|---|---|
 Franktown and the intersection of state highways 83 and 86. | |
 Location in Douglas County and the state of Colorado | |
| Coordinates: 39°23′25″N 104°45′14″W / 39.39028°N 104.75389°WCoordinates: 39°23′25″N 104°45′14″W / 39.39028°N 104.75389°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Colorado |
| County | Douglas[1] |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2.96 sq mi (7.66 km2) |
| • Land | 2.94 sq mi (7.62 km2) |
| • Water | 0.02 sq mi (0.04 km2) |
| Elevation | 6,161 ft (1,878 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 395 |
| • Density | 134/sq mi (51.8/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (MST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-6 (MDT) |
| ZIP code[2] | 80116 |
| Area code(s) | 303 and 720 |
| FIPS code | 08-28250 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0204741 |
| Primary Major Routes |   |
Franktown is an unincorporated community, a census-designated place (CDP), and a post office located in Douglas County, Colorado, United States. The population was 395 at the 2010 census.[3][4] The Franktown Post Office has the ZIP code 80116.[2]
History[edit]
Franktown is named for Hon. J. Frank Gardner, an early resident.[5][6] Franktown was the first county seat of Douglas County, serving in this role from 1861 until 1863. James Frank Gardner, a would-be gold miner who built a squatter's cabin four miles north of here in 1859. A popular rest stop on the busy Jimmy Camp Trail (which followed Cherry Creek into Denver), "Frank's Town" was designated the seat of Douglas County in 1861; the settlement moved to its current location two years later. Though railroads made the trail obsolete after 1870, and the county offices moved to Castle Rock in 1874, Franktown remained a ranching and farming hub, held together by its church, school, grange, and handful of businesses. It never incorporated, and during the twentieth century no more than a hundred people called it home, but that's how the locals liked it. Even as suburban sprawl surrounded it in the 1990s, Franktown resisted efforts to develop, maintaining a distinctly rural identity. [7]
The Grange Franktown's strong agricultural roots made it a natural fit for the grange, a cooperative farmers' movement that swept rural America in the mid-1870s. Several dozen chapters formed in Colorado, including the Fonder Grange (founded near here in 1875) and its successor, Pikes Peak Grange No. 163 (established in Franktown in 1908). Both belonged to the statewide grange organization, which set up credit unions, insurance programs, and other services, and to the national grange association, which pursued long-range political goals. But it was the local chapters that really affected farmers' lives. The dances, holiday picnics, and town meetings they sponsored helped sparsely populated communities forge a sense of identity. Still active today, Pike's Peak Grange No. 163 in Franktown is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Castlewood Dam collapse
From the day it opened, Castlewood Dam was a catastrophe waiting to happen. Built in 1890, about five miles south of here on Cherry Creek, the barrier stored enough water to irrigate 30,000 acres of farmland-or would have, if it hadn't leaked so badly. The seeping began the year the dam was completed and was serious enough that a hundred-foot section crumbled in 1897. Although its builders vouched for the structure's integrity, the dam continued to leak sporadically for decades. Finally, on August 3, 1933, the inevitable happened: Castlewood collapsed, sending a billion-gallon torrent toward Denver. Only two people drowned, thanks to a switchboard operator's life-saving calls, but the flood devastated farms in this area and tore out six bridges in Denver, thirty miles downstream. The dam's remains can still be visited in nearby Castlewood Canyon State Park.
TIMBER INDUSTRY
Frontier travelers often rejoiced upon reaching the timbered ridge just south of Franktown; it was the first woodland they encountered after hundreds of miles on the prairies. Early settlers in Colorado appreciated the forest, too-as a source of building material. Known as "the Pinery," it provided fast-growing Denver and other towns with most of their lumber during the 1860s. Several sawmills buzzed nonstop in and around Franktown, barely able to keep up with the demand. In the early 1870s, the Pinery supplied railroad ties to the Kansas Pacific and Denver & Rio Grande, both of which were laying tracks within twenty-five miles of here. Those routes eventually opened larger forests to exploitation and helped bring down this region's timber industry. By 1880, Franktown's sawmills had gone silent, but they had already left their mark: Pinery lumber built much of early Colorado.
Geography[edit]
Franktown is located in eastern Douglas County at 39°23′25″N 104°45′14″W / 39.39028°N 104.75389°W (39.390378, -104.753961).[8] Colorado State Highways 83 and 86 intersect in the center of town. SH 83 leads north 9 miles (14 km) to Parker and south 45 miles (72 km) to Colorado Springs, while SH 86 leads east 9 miles (14 km) to Elizabeth and west 7 miles (11 km) to Castle Rock, the Douglas County seat.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the Franktown CDP has a total area of 3.0 square miles (7.7 km2), of which 0.02 square miles (0.04 km2), or 0.47%, is water.[9] Franktown is in the valley of Cherry Creek, which flows north to join the South Platte River in downtown Denver.
Demographics[edit]
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[10] | |||
As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 99 people, 38 households, and 29 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 116.8 people per square mile (45.0/km2). There were 38 housing units at an average density of 44.8 per square mile (17.3/km2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 97.98% White, 1.01% from other races, and 1.01% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.01% of the population.
There were 38 households, out of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.7% were married couples living together, 2.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.1% were non-families. 21.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 21.2% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 36.4% from 45 to 64, and 8.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.7 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $60,375, and the median income for a family was $61,500. Males had a median income of $61,528 versus $30,139 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $25,744. None of the population was below the poverty line.
See also[edit]
- Outline of Colorado
- State of Colorado
- Cherry Creek Rockshelter
- Franktown Cave, prehistorical archaeological site
References[edit]
- ^ a b "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ a b "Look Up a ZIP Code". United States Postal Service. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
- ^ Colorado Trend Report 2: State and Complete Places (Sub-state 2010 Census Data). Missouri Census Data Center. Accessed 2011-02-25.
- ^ a b "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 131.
- ^ Dawson, John Frank. Place names in Colorado: why 700 communities were so named, 150 of Spanish or Indian origin. Denver, CO: The J. Frank Dawson Publishing Co. p. 22.
- ^ "History of Franktown/Granger Movement Timber, Douglas County, Co - Colorado Historical Markers on Waymarking.com". www.waymarking.com. Retrieved 2020-11-03.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
- ^ "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Franktown CDP, Colorado". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Retrieved October 16, 2015.[dead link]
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
External links[edit]
Municipalities and communities of Douglas County, Colorado, United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| Towns | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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