The School House
In the late 1800s, a handful of families homesteaded in the mountains of western Douglas County, Colorado. The nearest school was too far away for local children to attend, so the community banded together to solve the problem.
In 1884, the community built a one-room school house on a one acre parcel provided by William Smith. The school was deeded to the school district in 1885. Teachers were brought in from afar and boarded at local homes. Children walked and rode horses over long distances to attend school. In the winter, many traveled by two-runner sled. Most years, the school had a dozen students of various ages, but some years attendance dwindled to a single pupil.
Over the years, the school had many a name, including Brown’s School, Mountain School, Jarre Canyon School, and finally, Indian Park School. In 1959, Indian Park School House was one of the very last rural schools to close in Douglas County. In 1978, the school was listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.
Today, as yesterday, the school serves as the hub of the mountain community. This neighborly knack for collaboration finds local residents dedicated to ongoing community connection and the upkeep of the school site.
Learn more at the Douglas County History Research Center.
Hear Indian Park Student, Tom Butterfield, talk about growing up in the area (streaming audio is available here).
The Cemetery
In 1900, William Smith died in the middle of a very long and snowy winter. In defiance of the icy ground, Hannah Smith deeded one acre for a community burial ground next to the school house, and buried her husband in the hills. In addition to the Smiths, it is rumored that many of the Browns, another local pioneer family, are buried on the school house grounds. In 1984, local historian, Mary Davis, was buried in the cemetery.
In 2004, the unmarked grave of a pioneer woman was accidentally unearthed during a construction project in Castle Pines North, Colorado. The square coffin nails & glass buttons found with her indicate she lived a short, hard life in the mid to late 1800s. IPSHA volunteered to provide a resting place for the woman in the cemetery. Today, she is known as “Faith.” In 2006, the Colorado Historical Society awarded IPSHA the Hart Award for their stewardship of Faith’s remains.
Learn more about the cemetery's occupants at the USGebWeb Archives.