In the late 1850s, during the Pike’s Peak gold rush, several settlements were established in western Kansas Territory — near the foothills of the Rocky Mountains — at the confluence of the South Platte River and Cherry Creek.
One settlement (on the bank of Cherry Creek) was named Auraria after the Georgia mining town of Auraria, whose name was derived from the Latin word aurum, meaning “gold.”
Another settlement (on the opposite bank of Cherry Creek) was named Denver City in honor of Kansas Territorial Governor James W. Denver (in the hope that Gov. Denver would select the town as the county seat of Kansas Territory’s vast Arapahoe County).
Most sources agree that the first baby to arrive in the Cherry Creek settlements was the son of Scottish immigrant and “hard-drinking mountain man” William McGaa and his half-Oglala wife Jennie Adams. The baby boy was born in Auraria on March 8, 1859. His name? William Denver McGaa.
The second baby, a girl, was also born in Auraria. She was welcomed by settlers Henry and Rosa Humbell in July of 1859. Her name? Auraria Humbell.
The fourth baby — and the first to arrive in Denver City — was a baby boy born to settlers David and Mary Stout on August 30. He was named John Denver Stout.
Two months later, on October 25, a baby boy born in Denver City to settlers Samuel and Marinda Dolman was named Richard Denver Dolman.
Three of these families — the McGaas, the Humbells, and the Dolmans — were awarded plots of land for naming their newborns after the nascent settlements. (I’m not sure why the Stouts were left out.)
P.S. Denver City (after absorbing Auraria in late 1859) became part of the newly organized Colorado Territory in 1861. It was named territorial capital in 1867. Colorado joined the Union in 1876, and residents of the young state voted to make Denver the permanent capital in 1881.
Sources:
- “5 Hold Claims as ‘First Baby’.” Rocky Mountain News April 22, 1934: A-7.
- Trembath, Brian K. “Who was the first baby born in Denver? The answer depends on how you ask.” Denver Public Library Special Collections and Archives 14 Jul. 2020.
- Smiley, Jerome C. History of Denver: With Outlines of the Earlier History of the Rocky Mountain Country. Denver, CO: Times-Sun Publishing Company, 1901.
- Denver – Wikipedia
- Auraria Neighborhood History – Denver Public Library Special Collections and Archives
- Samuelson-Brown, Randi. “‘The Bad Old Days of Colorado’ explores the dark underbelly of the unruly early settlers.” Colorado Sun 24 Apr 2021.
Images: Adapted from photographs of William Denver McGaa (via Denver Public Library Digital Collections) and John Denver Stout (in History of Denver)
[Latest update: Jan. 2025]
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