Larkspur

The Town of Larkspur is a Home Rule Municipality in Douglas County, Colorado, United States. The population was 234 at the 2000 census. Each year on weekends in June and July, the Colorado Renaissance Festival is held in the hills just west of the town.[4] The town is served by Larkspur Elementary School, a K-6 school in the Douglas County school district.[5]





Geography
Larkspur is located at 39°13′38″N 104°53′03″W / 39.227091°N 104.884233°W / 39.227091; -104.884233.[6]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.5 km² (1.4 mi²), all land.
Demographics
As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 234 people, 92 households, and 59 families residing in the town. The population density was 173.5/mi² (66.9/km²). There were 94 housing units at an average density of 69.7/mi² (26.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.86% White, 0.85% Native American, and 1.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.71% of the population.

There were 92 households out of which 34.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.4% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.8% were non-families. 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.18.

In the town the population was spread out with 27.4% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 29.5% from 45 to 64, and 7.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 98.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $43,750, and the median income for a family was $55,625. Males had a median income of $36,528 versus $29,583 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,150. About 6.4% of families and 8.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.8% of those under the age of eighteen and 17.6% of those sixty five or over.

Larkspur is a tiny, little place with one major activity year-round. The Renaissance Festival. I think I went to it about 4 times. Very interesting each time, with everyone in period costume, and plays, tournaments, jousts, storytellers, and a genuine capturing of Renaissance England.

I also did a lot of gold panning and rock and mineral searching in the mountains. For my private collection. It was always fun and not as primitive as it might look. But, Larkspur was and probably still is , the way they want it. Small. Very small, with no need for all the attractions and amenities of a big city--like Denver.

Except for places like this:



Perry Park Ranch is a golf course community located in Larkspur, CO in Southwestern Douglas County Colorado. The Pike National Forest and Rampart Mountain Range neighbor Perry Park Ranch to the West. The majority of homes in Perry Park Ranch are situated on one acre treed sites consisting of ponderosa pine, gambel oak, Rocky Mountain juniper or Douglas-fir.

Geography
Perry Park Ranch is known for its dramatic array of hogback and "red rock" fountain formations commonly found along the Eastern edge of Colorado’s front range mountains.

History
Originally inhabited by the Ute, Kiowa, Arapaho and Cheyenne Native American tribes, the Perry Park area was primarily empty until the 1858 gold rush in the Pikes Peak area of present day Colorado Springs. After this time ranchers such as Ben Quick and George Ratcliffe began settling in the Perry Park area.

In 1870 John D. Perry, president of the Kansas Pacific Railroad, visited Colorado and purchased the 4000 acre "Pleasant Park" that would eventually be named Perry Park. Mr. Perry’s son, Charles became a permanent resident of Perry Park Ranch and raised short-horn cattle in the area until his untimely death in 1876. Charles Perry died as a result of being kicked by a horse on the Perry Park Ranch.

In 1888 John Perry, along with a number of other investors created the Red Stone Town, Land and Mining Company which would attempt to turn Pleasant Park into a resort destination. A dam was constructed on Bear Creek creating Lake Wauconda and a large hotel was built Southwest of the lake. One of the investors, Charles Roberts built one of the only homes in the new development along the shores of Lake Wauconda (even though the entire area surrounding the lake was platted for home development). The Roberts home (the Manor House) is now the clubhouse for Perry Park Country Club. Attempts to extend the railroad running through Larkspur directly into Perry Park failed and the resort did not prosper as a result. Land deed problems also contributed to the failure of the resort since many parcels of land could not be legally traced to the supposed owners. The ranch changed hands many times in the early to mid 1900’s. The hotel was eventually destroyed by fire.

In 1967, Lee Stubblefield (a retired Air Force Officer) purchased Perry Park Ranch for $2,000,000 and formed the Colorado Western Development Company. Mr. Stubblefield platted the current layout of Perry Park Ranch. The Perry Park Country Club was also developed during this time and opened in 1971.

Present Day Perry Park
The platted area within Perry Park continues to be developed by outside real estate investors and future residents. As platted lots become improved with roads and utilities (initiated and paid for by lot owners), homes are allowed to be built. Currently there are approximately 600 homes located in Perry Park, but additional lots which currently do not qualify for a building permit could bring the future build out of Perry Park to approximately 1400. The Perry Park Ranch is accessible only by one road (Red Rock Drive) and there are plans to add a second full-time access road to the ranch. The addition of the road is one of the hottest issues facing Perry Park Ranch with many in favor of the idea as well as in opposition.

In late 2000, the board of directors of the Perry Park Metropolitan District undertook the task of addressing Perry Park’s potential wildfire risk, and received a Colorado State Fire Assistance Grant of $45,000 in 2001. This was leveraged into over $161,000 in cash and in-kind contributions by the community toward becoming Firewise. The community received a second grant for 2002 of $100,000. The matching In-kind reported to date will double this amount. In two years, the effort has exceeded over $500,000 with over a three-to-one match with grant funds.

The Perry Park Firewise program has embraced a values-based approach. Early surveys told the board that wildlife and forest were as important as homes. Educational and informational efforts have targeted these values. The message "Saving the Forest=Saving the Wildlife=Protecting Property Values=Being Firewise" has increased participation. A second key component of the program is slash disposal that works for the community.

From the Perry Park Firewise program’s inception, partnerships have been critical to its success. Over 18 partners now participate, including the City of Denver. The Denver City Forester is accepting mulch generated through the slash disposal program, calling the effort "Trees Saving Trees." The mulch will be used to protect the drought-stressed urban forest.

My interests were more toward the prospecting end.



I was never lucky enough to find any of the rhodochrosite, but some very small specimens were in my collection.

This is awesome!!


And I'd look for places like this to poke around in and around. When they weren't sealed off from stupid tourists that couldn't keep their hands in their pockets.








tbc....maybe ^_~