Florence's Beginnings - Florence, CO - Colorado Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

“In 1859, Jesse Frazer fashioned a plow from a large branch and planted his fields in the broad fertile bottom beside the Arkansas River. Twenty years later, “Uncle Jesse” orchards held thousands of apple trees. While Florence’s roots started in the fertile river bottom, its future growth depend on what lay beneath the soil.

Early Settlers Discover Coal and Oil
In 1860, Jesse Frazer filed the first coal claim in the foothills south of the Arkansas River, soon many others followed suit - at first, mining the coal to heat homes, and later to power locomotives and fire smelter furnaces. Meanwhile, oil seeps north of Florence attracted the attention of Alexander M. Cassiday. He believed a large “oil pool” fed the seeps. Cassiday and several others set out to find it. for nearly twenty years, the oil seekers drilled dry hole after dry hole. Finally, their efforts paid off. The first oil strike in 1881 marked the beginning of fifty years of oil production and refining in this area.

James A. McCandless: Founding Father of Florence
In 1870, James A. McCandless purchased a 160-acre homestead just south of the Arkansas River. Soon after, the Denver and Rio Grande railroad laid tracks to the Arkansas Valleys mines. The McCandless homestead adjoined the railroad’s line to the coal mines. Anxious to share the prosperity that the railroad would bring. McCandless plotted part of his farm as a town site. He named the town Florence in honor of his three-year-old daughter.
“In the fall of 1891, McCandless and two other men rode horseback to the Cripple Creek District, passing through a defile known as Eight Mile Canon… they envisioned a road from Florence to the gold mines…”
Tivis E. Wilkins
A History of the Florence and Cripple Creek
and Golden Circle Railroads, 1976

FLORENCE CASHES IN ON CRIPPLE CREEK GOLD
The Cripple Creek gold boom began in earnest in 1891. Businessmen in the Arkansas Valley wanted to share in the wealth. The Arkansas Valley possessed plentiful land, water and fuel - all scarce in the mining district. Florence’s founder, James A. McCandless, Joined forces with several other prominent citizens and built the Florence Free Road up Eight Mile Canyon.
Traffic on the new road was heavy yet the entrepreneurs knew that a railroad was the true path to prosperity. With financial backing of denver tycoon David H. Moffat, the citizens of Florence realized their dream. Following the route as the Free Road, construction of the Florence and Cripple Creek Railroad began in December of 1893.
On July 1, 1894, hundreds of people celebrated the arrival of the first train in Cripple Creek - a Florence and Cripple Creek Railroad passenger train.

THE FLORENCE AND CRIPPLE CREEK RAILROAD BRINGS A FORTUNE TO FLORENCE
By 1900, Florence’s prosperity reflected the immense wealth flowing from the Cripple Creek Mining District. Now, Florence’s population numbered seven thousand. Each day, several trains carried coal, lumber, merchandise, machinery and food to the mining district and returned heavy with gold ore. Florence’s eight mills processed more than 1,300 tons of gold ore daily. The heavy traffic on the Florence and Cripple Creek Railroad meant huge profits for investors. According to the railroad lore, the little narrow gauge line was paying for itself every three weeks.

CHANGING FORTUNES FOR FLORENCE AND THE RAILROAD
The heyday of the Florence and Cripple Creek Railroad lasted for more than a decade. Competition from other railroads and the construction of new and more modern gold processing mills near Colorado Springs caused profits to dwindle. The final blow for the railroad came on July 12, 1912. A violent flash flood roared down Eight Mile canyon washing away miles of track and ripping bridges from their abutments, ending the operation of the Florence and Cripple Creek Railroad.
Despite the loss of the railroad and gold processing mills, Florence’s oil and coal continued to fuel the economy of the Arkansas Valley for years to come. Colorado history reflects the many contributions of Florence’s coal mines, oil fields, refineries and mills - and the people who labored there. Visit the Pioneer Museum and historic downtown district to learn more about Florence’s history”.

The above information is from the sign itself.

Group or Groups Responsible for Placement: Florence Chamber of Commerce County or City: Florence Date Dedicated: Not listed Check here for Web link(s) for additional information: Not listed

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