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prominent businessman in Colorado. Welch was vice president of the railroad, opened the first mine (the Welch Mine) in Louisville in 1877, and was the developer of some of Louisville oldest subdivisions along with his wife, Rebecca Darrow Welch. Rebecca was the sister of Louisville businessman Victor H. Darrow. The earliest section of the chain of ownership could not be completed with certainty. It is possible that eventually, research of documents at the Boulder County Recorder's Office itself will be able to fully reveal this chain. Based on the online records, however, the early owners of Lot 19 and the north half of Lot 20 (after Louis Nawatny) appear to have been Victor H. Darrow, Rebecca Darrow Welch, and Charles C. Welch. Earliest Use of the Site The 700 block of Main Street (then called Second Street) was developed early in Louisville's history. A copy of a hand drawn map of Louisville from 1885 acquired from the Western History Collection of Norlin Library at the University of Colorado indicates "V.H. Darrow" on this site. However, no specific use of the site can be identified before the time of the early 1890s, and no historical photos of the site before the 1890s have been located. Brick Trading Company Building on This Site County property records indicate that in 1890, Charles and Rebecca Welch sold the lots in question to the Louisville Mercantile Co. In 1891, the property was sold to Lyman E. Andrews and John S. Chambers, prominent businessmen in Louisville from this time period. "Andrews & Chambers" was an early "general merchandise" store listed in Louisville directories, although with no specific address or location indicated. The earliest Sanborn Fire Insurance Map for Louisville, for 1893, shows that on this particular site in 1893 there stood a large, two story, brick building being used to sell "general merchandise." Information on file at the Louisville Historical Museum states that this building was built "circa 1880," but this could not be confirmed. According to an item that appeared in the Boulder Daily Camera on October 6, 1891, the property was purchased in 1891 for $7,000, a very high price for the town at the time that would indicate that the brick building was already located on the site. The 1893 Sanborn Map also shows both sides of the 700 block of Main Street were already developed with a mixture of business buildings and dwellings. County records indicate that the owner of this property from 1893 to 1910 was Boulder attorney Richard Whitely. He transferred the property in 1910 to Denver attorney James H. Blood.