Video Archive

Highlands Ranch Historical Society

Welcome to the Highlands Ranch Historical Society YouTube Channel. We will be featuring interviews, photos and historical information pertaining to the Highlands Ranch area from its early history to present day.
For more information, news and programs we offer visit our website at: http://TheHRHS.org

Thank You,
The Board of Directors
Highlands Ranch Historical Society

Highlands Ranch Historical Society
Tour of the Failing Homestead, Douglas Investment Property in 2014 for the HRHS Board lead by Mark Giebel the HRCA Natural Resources Administrator.
Tour of the Grigs Homestead in 2014 for the HRHS Board lead by Mark Giebel the HRCA Natural Resources Administrator.
This compilation of oral histories was presented as the April 2020 monthly program on line and the beginning of the Covid pandemic when social distancing first started. Re-uploaded from our HRHS archive drive where it was original uploaded 6/12/2020 and had 33 views. For the 17 people who watched the original upload on this channel, it was the wrong video and now corrected. With the creative skill of our Leadership Team Member, Mark Stevenson, who handles Special Projects, this month’s program is only a click away. Mark, through our Oral Histories series, has interviewed many of the original developers of Highlands Ranch. He was able to select portions of these interviews to create a presentation of Highlands Ranch’s early beginnings, told by the people that did the planning and made the decisions. Unfortunately, though, Mark was unable to figure out how to also deliver cookies and beverages the same way. You will have to handle that yourselves. Now without having to worry about social distancing, sit back and enjoy the presentation.
Re-upload of the May 2020 program from our Archive channel to our primary channel. In addition to a color-coded timeline of the occupants of this land and pictures from the Tel Shimron dig, Dr. Tucker references biblical history and describes cities such as Galilea, past and present. Archaeological investigations began in 2016 at Tel Shimron in the Lower Galilee region of Israel. When these excavations began, Tel Shimron had been the largest unexcavated site in Israel. After three seasons of excavations, interrupted by one season of laboratory study, numerous artifacts, features, and structures have been exposed that tell the story of this ancient site that sits at the crossroads between coastal and interior sites in the ancient land of Israel. As of 2019, the excavations at Tel Shimron have established that people have lived here since at least the Early Bronze Age, approximately 5,000 years ago Dr. Tucker will describe the purpose of the excavations at Tel Shimron, the methods used, the results after three years of excavations, and the manner in which these results can be used to understand better the interactions among ancient populations in the region. BIOGRAPHY Dr. Gordon C. Tucker Jr. is a professional archaeologist. He received his doctorate in anthropology (archaeology emphasis) from the University of Colorado at Boulder. As the Cultural Resource Team Lead and Senior Archaeologist with AECOM in Greenwood Village, Colorado, he has worked all over the state of Colorado and throughout the western U.S. Since 2012, Dr. Tucker has been traveling to Israel to excavate at two ancient sites: Ashkelon (2012-2016) and Tel Shimron (2017-2019). Dr. Tucker had planned to return in summer 2020 for another season of excavations at Tel Shimron, directing the analyses of the chipped stone tools.
Shaun Boyd, Curator of Archives for History Colorado, provided this presentation to the Highlands Ranch Historical Society on June 15, 2020. This is being re-uploaded from the HRHS Archive Site. Miss Florence Martin: An Amazing Life (Donated Daniels Park in Highlands Ranch) Florence Martin went from Australian Debutante to Denver Philanthropist, and on the way, she donated Daniels Park so that we can all enjoy it. History Colorado's Curator of Archives and Douglas County Historian, Shaun Boyd, presents a program about a lady who broke barriers early in her life. A woman who changed the Denver and Douglas County landscape. From physicist to bon vivant, to philanthropist, Miss Martin built the barn and donated the land that is Daniels Park located in Highlands Ranch. Learn about this amazing, extremely interesting lady, and her friends. A lady whose donations continue to impact us today. See pictures of Daniels Park and other places of interest in the surrounding area. Do you know what famous person had his last campfire at Daniels Park? See the beautiful Daniels Park landscape and the Highlands Ranch Backcountry from the top of Cherokee Castle. The Highlands Ranch Historical Society thanks Shaun Boyd, Mark Stevenson and Danny Ruth for their contribution to this program. BIOGRAPHY Shaun Boyd has been the Curator of Archives at History Colorado for 2 years, where she takes care of all the paper based and/or information-intensive "stuff". Prior to that, she spent 19 years as an Archivist with the Douglas County Libraries. She continues to live in Parker. She has been fascinated with women's history since a young age, growing up in the hometown of Carrie Chapman Catt, a leader in the women's suffrage movement. Shaun has an MA in History from Colorado State University, and a Master's of Library and Information Science from Emporia State University.
DINOSAUR DISCOVERED IN HIGHLANDS RANCH, COLORADO (2019) A first-hand account of what it takes to unearth a dinosaur in the middle of urban Denver, moving the huge bones to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, and identifying it. The Highlands Ranch Historical Society is thrilled to share some behind-the scene photos and video from this big dig. Jamie Leary, CBS reporter and her cameraman, photojournalist Mark Neitro, tell all that went into it, from the physical labor to the long hours, days, and weeks it took to make a 26 minute documentary. Not all of it was easy as the smiles in the photos might indicate. It was hard work - the dig not included! Craig Erickson, Wind Crest Executive Director, tells about the cooperation it took between entities to make this happen. Natalie Toth, Denver Museum of Nature and Science Chief Fossil Preparator, explains the science behind this period of time and this particular triceratops. What was learned about its life? BIOGRAPHY Jamie Leary, CBS Reporter Jamie attended college in Montana. Her first job in broadcast journalism was rolling tape for the morning newscast at KPAX-TV in Missoula. She then continued to study journalism in Chicago receiving her Master's from DePaul University. Jamie returned to Missoula covering devastating forest fires, some of the biggest agricultural issues and some of the most odd, off-the-grid, crimes. They had a few dinosaurs there, but Highlands Ranch was her first dig. "I was told by someone that I would never be able to make it to the Denver news market from small-town Montana. However, I worked hard and landed my dream job in Denver (2015) as the morning reporter for KCNC-TV (CBS). I now am a reporter for the 10pm broadcast and while the hours are tough, it just might be the coolest job out there. Everyday I have the opportunity to meet some of the best people (sometimes not the best!) Denver has to offer." Natalie Toth, Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Chief Fossil Preparator Mark Neitro,CBS Photojournalist Mark is a US Air Force Vet, Oregon State grad and long-time photojournalist for KCNC-TV. Craig Erickson, Wind Crest Executive Director Re-uploaded/Consolidated from HRHS Archive site. 253 previous views (original upload 7/20/2020).
Roy Dixon discusses being a ranch hand on the Phipps Ranch in the 1960s. Includes discussion of the Arapahoe Hunt Club. The presentation was held in March 2023 at the Highlands Ranch Mansion.
Steve Ormiston describes his 50 year career where he was was the planner for the nations largest planned community, Highlands Ranch. Please enjoy in the story that Steve Ormiston, former Shea Homes Colorado Vice President of Planning, shares about our community.
John Beeman shares his experience with the Arapahoe Hunt Club.
The HRHS learned during our October 2022 meeting that the 1859 Colorado Gold rush was sparked by finds in a creek near the Highlands Ranch Area. Please learn with us about the details presented by Skot Latona based on work by Rolf Asphaug. Skot Latona will be narrating Rolf’s historical slide presentation and adding additional information. He is bringing panning equipment (and may even share some locations to pan with us). Skot has served as the Manager of South Platte Park in Littleton, since 2010, after managing the interpretation and education programs for the previous 12 years. He has led nature and cultural heritage tours through Littleton, around the west, and internationally for over 30 years and is a trainer for public, nationally recognized Interpretive Guide certification courses, Colorado Native Plant Master, and Audubon Master Naturalist and Master Birder programs. Skot’s mentor in gold panning was the late Ray Simpson, state representative, mining expert, former commissioner of the Colorado Land Board and amateur prospector who developed S Platte Park’s gold panning field trips for 4thtgraders since the mid-1990s. Rolf Asphaug is a retired General Counsel for the Regional Transportation District. He is a volunteer park patroller and naturalist for Jefferson County Open Space, Chatfield State Park, Castlewood Canyon State Park, Staunton State Park, Golden Gate Canyon State Park and at the Carson Nature Center at South Platte Park. He is a former president of the Colorado Mountain Club and a founding board member of the Colorado Fourteeners Initiative. Rolf’s wife’s great-great-grandparents came to Colorado in the 1859 Gold Rush, and her great-great-grandmother’s journal became a book – “Mollie: The Journal of Mollie Dorsey Sanford in Nebraska and Colorado Territories” – that is still in print today. Mollie’s home is still standing in downtown Littleton – a house bought by gold dust.
Jeff Kappes, Vice President of Shea Homes and Chair of Centennial Water and Sanitation District provides an in depth history of the development of the Highlands Ranch Community from his first hand experience. Jeff was actively involved with Mission Viejo and Shea Home since the beginning of modern Highlands Ranch.
The oral history of Joe Blake conducted on 4/16/2019
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Definition Explanation

An HRHS event that was recorded onsite at a location of interest and pertinent to Highlands Ranch history.

 

A lengthy exchange between multiple people in a formal session with the intent of revealing important and relevant facts pertinent to Highlands Ranch history. The people who were chosen for these clips were heavily involved in some aspect of Highlands Ranch’s activity.

 

An event where a speaker (not necessarily an HRHS member or officer) expounds on a topic pertinent to Highlands Ranch history.

 

Usually a lengthy exchange between two people in a formal session with the intent of revealing important and relevant facts pertinent to Highlands Ranch history. The people who were chosen for these events were heavily involved in some aspect of Highlands Ranch’s activity, formation or governance.

 

Short clips taken from an ORAL HISTORY which are focused on a specific topic. These are made available to save a time-constrained viewer from having to watch an entire ORAL HISTORY in order to learn more about something specific to their interest.

A video essay describing the life and times of an important Highlands Ranch resident.

 

Summary of Videos

HR Local History and Field Trips
HRHS Oral Histories and Interviews
HRHS Programs