Open Space Advisory Board Agenda and Packet 2016 03 09

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Harper Lake Kiosk Information (Back) Introduction: Since its purchase by John H. Harper in the 1870s, the land designated as the Leon A. Wurl Wildlife Sanctuary at Harper Lake has seen many uses. Before Louisville was established as a town in 1878, Harper purchased over 1,000 acres extending from what is now McCaslin Boulevard, down to Via Appia and to Centennial Drive for raising livestock. Harpers collaboration with other businessmen to establish coal mining in the area helped put Louisville on the map and brought many workers to Louisville and surrounding towns. The water reservoir was built by Harper's son, John J. Harper, in the 1890s to support ranching activities and was expanded by the City of Louisville in the 1980s to provide additional water storage for the City. John H. Harper was born in Scotland in 1825 and immigrated with his family to Pennsylvania in 1865. Harper married Margaret in 1852 and had three children before moving to the Denver area and serving as Mayor of Denver from 1871 -1872. Harper passed away in 1864 and his family members remained on the property until about 1920, and then gradually sold off the Harper land in sections over many years. Mining: Beneath you lay the remnants of mining shafts from the Matchless Mine, which operated between 1903 and 1927 (at times under different names). The entrance to the mine was situated southeast of Harper Lake, near what is now Via Appia Way. During the 1860s, small -scale mining began along the Front Range with larger -scale operations forming once the Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railroads were completed. Demand for coal quadrupled with Denver's expanding population, and the creation of the railroad system provided the links needed to supply more cities with coal. During this time, numerous mines were operational in what are now Louisville, Superior, Boulder, and Lafayette. The Matchless Mine in the early 1900s. Photo courtesy of the Louisville Historical Museum. Working in a coal mine in the early 1900s was a dangerous job. Many workers lost their lives from gas inhalation or explosions, or by becoming trapped or crushed by collapsed tunnels. Mining today is still a dangerous profession, but numerous safety measures have significantly reduced the number of fatalities. This photo, taken inside a Boulder County mine during the early 1900s, provides a glimpse of what it was like working in the mines. In the back of the photo, you can see roof supports holding up thousands of pounds of earth and rock. On the left column appears to be a Coal Cutter that chipped away at the wall of coal which then needed carrying out of the mine. (Photo courtesy of the Carnegie Branch Library for Local History). Agriculture: Harper Lake is a man -made reservoir created in the 1890s for storing water. The fields, which were once Harper Lake Open Space, may have produced hay, alfalfa, or sugar beets, or for only raising livestock; however, records unfortunately are missing. Farming on the plains was a challenging occupation in the late 1800s due to the low precipitation and the extensive labor needed to construct ditches and irrigation channels that brought vital water to crops.