History

In 1859, Golden Gate City was founded at the mouth of Golden Gate Canyon. For a year or two Golden Gate City and Golden City vied to be the County seat.

The town founders built a steep and rough toll road up Golden Gate Canyon and thousands of prospectors crossed Mount Galbraith’s ridges on their way to the goldfields of Black Hawk and Central City. A better toll road up Clear Creek Canyon in 1863 led to the demise of Golden Gate City. A rock quarry operated on the Clear Creek side of the park until the 1960s.

Jefferson County Open Space acquired 875 acres in 1995 through a land purchase from Brannan Sand & Gravel; another 80 acres was traded with O.R. Goltra in 1997; and Golden Properties LTD donated approx. 76 acres to Open Space in 1999.