Littleton’s beginnings can be traced back to the1859 Pikes Peak gold rush. Along with the gold seekers came numerous merchants and farmers. As Denver began to grow the need arose to construct a series of ditches to carry water to farms and businesses, and among the engineers hired to lay out this system was Richard Sullivan Little.
Surveying the area several miles south of Denver, Little fell in love with the site of present-day Littleton. Upon filing a home stake and other land claims, Richard brought his wife Angeline from the east in 1862 and began to farm.
In 1872 The Littles filed to subdivide much of their property into the village of Littleton.
A milestone in the history of Littleton came in 1902 when Arapahoe County was divided into Arapahoe, Denver, Adams, Washington and Yma Counties. The then Governor Orman named Littleton the temporary county seat, placing it in favorable position to defeat the rival Englewood in the general election in 1904. Gaining the permanent county seat brought not only government employees and businesses, but all of their support services. Littleton’s place among Colorado’s cities was assured.
For more information on Historical Littleton or the Littleton of the present go to the City of Littleton’s website.