Page 24 - AreaNewsletters "Aug 2022" issue

I hope that you all had the opportunity to read my July article which turned out to be one of my favorites, as it highlighted the history of the Douglas County Fair and Rodeo. As a Douglas County Commissioner, the Fair is an event I look forward to all year long! I hope you come on out to the Fair before it ends on August 7! by Lora Thomas Douglas County Commissioner and former State Patrol O cer assigned to Castle Rock in the 1980’s Pioneer Justice in Douglas County is a topic that I bet grabs your attention. As I’ve been doing research over the last year, I’ve noticed a theme of the importance of order in the lives of early settlers. While the large, organized law enforcement departments of today did not exist, folks often meted out “justice” as they saw t. Here’s a couple of stories you might nd interesting. You might ask yourself: If I lived in the 1800’s and heard about this happening, how would I react? Do You Think It Was... Pioneer Justice or local folklore? Occasionally one might hear a story about Hangman’s Gulch, an area north of Castle Rock. I’ve found several stories that all tell the same tale, and many are attributed to Albert Dakan, whose parents, Allen and Lizzy Dakan, homesteaded on Dry Creek, a tributary of West Plum Creek. The following is taken primarily from an article, written by Vauna Salthouse Schultz in Longmont, Colorado from her conversations with Albert Dakan. In November of 1867, two men were seen traveling south on East Plum Creek, and it was believed that they asked to stay the night with a young man who had established a homestead along that stream. The next morning a neighboring settler called on the young homesteader and found him murdered! August 2022 • Castle Rock “AreaNewsletters” Now by this time there were a number of settlers along both East and West Plum Creek, and news of the crime spread rapidly. As neighbors of the murdered man gathered, they learned that the two strangers had been making their way southward along East Plum Creek Road. A posse was formed, and the trail was followed. It was learned that these two suspects stayed the night following the crime at the home of an elderly rancher named Dan Hopkins, who then lived about two miles north of Palmer Lake at the foot of the mountains. In spite of his age, Hopkins was very active. His description of his two visitors con rmed the belief that they were the fugitives sought. Hopkins joined the posse which set out on a hot pace and soon overtook and captured the criminals near the present 24 CASTLE ROCK HISTORY