Niwot's early settlers - the view from Haystack Mountain

Second in a series of articles highlighting Niwot's 150-year history.

Although a plat for the Town of Niwot was recorded March 30, 1875, the recorded history of the inhabitants of the area now known as Niwot began with Native American tribal communities, described in Part 1 of this series.

Next came the early settlers, mostly white, who came to Colorado first as trappers, and later in much greater numbers as gold miners, many of whom eventually settled in and around Niwot.

Descendants of some of the early gold miners who came to the Niwot area when it was part of Nebraska territory and later Colorado territory still live in the area.

They include Donlyn Arbuthnot, who now lives in Lafayette, and her two sons, Sean Whissen of Roxborough Park, CO, and Bryson Whissen of Loveland.

Donlyn Arbuthnot often speaks of her ancestors, who came to Colorado from Saylorville, Iowa, where they also knew the Hinman family, including Porter M. Hinman, one of the men who platted Niwot in 1875.

She explained that her great-great-grandfather, Carson William Arbuthnot, came to Colorado with his four sons, one of whom, William Carson Arbuthnot, is her great grandfather. "Carson was the sheriff of two mining districts, Gold Hill and Sugarloaf," she said. "My family had been timbermen, not farmers, so the Granges were very important to them when they homesteaded in the area." When they first arrived in Colorado, however, they became miners with the Hinman men.

Her ancestors and many others like them began mining for gold above Boulder. "Those miners, starting in the winter of 1859, would camp there on Left Hand Creek near Haystack Mountain," she explained. "That's how they got to know Chief Niwot. In the spring of 1864, the family came down and settled near Niwot."

Her great-grandfather, William Arbuthnot, settled west of Haystack Mountain. She explained why Niwot Road, originally known as Niwot Wagon Trail, ends west of Haystack Mountain when the road turns north, becoming North 45th Street. "It doesn't go through there as it would have divided his property," she said. "He eventually acquired the land south of Haystack on a military warrant."

"The three oldest sons all settled around Haystack Mountain, and later created Left Hand Ditch Company in 1861," Donlyn Arbuthnot explained. William was on the south side of Haystack, Samuel was on the north side, and James was even farther north, having taken over the homestead of their father, Carson Arbuthnot. They were all involved in the Ditch Wars in 1882."

One of the sons, James Arbuthnot, rode with Col. John Chivington at the Sand Creek Massacre, Donlyn Arbuthnot explained about her great uncle, a fact that she has regretted and acknowledged to her Native American friends. She also described how with the outbreak of the civil war in 1861, army soldiers rode into the mining camps with orders to "recruit" at least three miners to join his militia, one of whom was James who was in the Ward mining camp.

Donlyn Arbuthnot, who has a history degree from Colorado State University, collected many stories from her family members and other pioneer families over the years. Speaking of her family's Haystack Mountain settlement, she said, "The Arapaho would come through and stop at the ranch. My great-grandmother would leave food out for them."

Donlyn Arbuthnot's great-grandmother, Mary Bader Arbuthnot, lost her husband William Arbuthnot when he was in his 40s. "He was kicked in the chest by a colt, and died several days later, leaving her with six children in 1882," she said. Her grandfather, Frederick Wilhelm Arbuthnot, was the eldest at 12 years old.

She recounted a story about her great-grandmother and her relationship with the Arapaho. "Mary went to the mountains where the miners were one day, and left her young girls at home. A storm came up and prevented her from returning that day. The Arapaho came and stayed with the girls, keeping them safe, until Mary came home."

She also related a story about Chief Niwot that she has heard countless times from her own family as well as several other pioneer families, including Bruning, Jain, Gillespie and Jamison family members. "Chief Niwot would stop them on the road and tell them there was trouble ahead, and that they should take a different way."

Mary Bader Arbothnot, from the same family as Frank Bader of the historic Bader House in Niwot, eventually bought more land around Haystack Mountain, paying cash for the property where the former Haystack Golf Course was eventually built.

Donlyn Arbuthnot recalled that another family homesteaded the top of Haystack Mountain. "They had a little girl who died at three years old. I used to see her grave on the southwest side of Haystack Mountain, surrounded by a small fence. When the family left, my great-grandmother agreed to take care of it."

The Arbuthnot family, including Donlyn Arbuthnot's father Donald Frederick Arbuthnot, eventually sold the property in the 1930s, but Haystack Mountain continues to hold many memories for her and her two sons.

"The roads around Niwot were surveyed and named by my family," Donlyn Arbuthnot said. She also heard stories of when the railroad first came to Niwot and the first train came through. "Everybody came out to see it," she said. "My grandfather Fred was five years old and scared to death. He hid under the bed."

She hopes to make more memories when she attends Niwot's Sesquicentennial open house on March 30. "Steve Hinman, who lives near my son Sean, plans to attend also."