At that point, ore from the gold mines decreased and fires took their toll on many of the local mills. With the many refining and reduction mills, the town flourished until the turn of the century. These routes were used by many like Zebulon Pike (1806), LeDuc (1851), gold seekers (1859), and later William Jackson Palmer with the railroads (1872).ฤก894 saw the opening of the Florence and Cripple Creek Railroad which opened the flow of Cripple Creek gold into Florence's nine processing mills. The site that later became Florence, on the southern bank of the Arkansas River, occupied natural access routes North and South along the Front Range and East to West from the Mississippi. In 1861, Colorado became a territory and later achieved statehood in 1876. The oil, coal, fossils, and topography left behind by the Paleozoic seas have provided the natural resources for many cultures, from early Native American tribes, seeking wintering grounds and oil for medicinal and waterproofing, through the Spanish (1562), French (1682), Mexican (1821), and Texans (1836) settlers. The river's unique position and history have produced many rare natural, physical, and cultural resources enjoyed by Florence. Florence is located on a bluff-protected bend of the Arkansas River as it breaks out of the Rocky Mountains of Central Colorado on its way to the Mississippi River. Discovered in 1862, this oil well is still pumping today. The Florence Oil Fields are the second oldest in the United States and home to the first oil well west of the Mississippi River. The entire McCandless family has a fascinating history, including involvement in the Presidential flag design and a Medal of Honor. Florence was incorporated in 1887 and McCandless became the first Mayor and Postmaster. He suggested her name, Florence, as the name of the town. He asked others, such as Edwin Lobach, to join him and donate some land to make a real town. The engineer who was hired to survey the plat became well acquainted with the three-year-old daughter of McCandless. When James McCandless developed his holding and struck oil, he plotted his 160-acre farm into a townsite. The first settlement of what is now Florence proper consisted of a few buildings in 1870. Fremont just west of the town on Highway 115 at Pathfinder Park. There is a large park and a statue commemorating Mr. Fremont, who is also known as "The Pathfinder". ![]() ![]() Those who led the company were Governor Charles Bent, L.P. The first American settlement on Adobe Creek was established sometime between 18. A courier was sent for assistance from the local Utes and a victory was won by the settlers. In 1838, a great battle was fought between the Sioux and Arapaho Indians and the settlers who hid in Maurice's fort. In 1830, a French trader known as "Maurice" established the first trading post on Adobe Creek, seven miles south of the present town in the Florence Mountain Park area. People came to Eastern Fremont County for its wide-open spaces for ranching and rich and fertile soil for farming, but the future town of Florence had so much more to offer. Florence has a fascinating and colorful history that molded the town.
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