Nederland

Nederland is a statutory town located near Barker Meadow Reservoir in the foothills of southwest Boulder County, Colorado, United States. As of the 2020 United States census it had a population of 1,471.

History

Nederland was established in 1874. The town started as a trading post between Ute Indians and European settlers during the 1850s. The town's first economic boom came when minerals such as tungsten, silver, and gold were discovered near Tungsten (east of Nederland), Caribou (northwest of Nederland, 1859), and Eldora (west of Nederland, 1875). Today Nederland is better known as a gateway to outdoor recreation in the nearby Indian Peaks Wilderness, Rocky Mountain National Park, Roosevelt National Forest, and the recently established James Peak Wilderness. Nederland is located 17 miles west of Boulder, 41 miles (66 km) south of Estes Park, and 47 miles northwest of Denver at the Junction of SH 119 and SH 72 on the Peak to Peak Highway. Name origin In the mid-19th century the first homesteaders gave a variety of names for the area. The town was first called Dayton, then Browns Crossing. In 1871, when the US Postal Service first set up an office, the name was changed to Middle Boulder after the creek that flows through the center of town (and continues eastward to become Boulder Creek). In 1873 the Caribou Mine, at an elevation of roughly 10,000 feet and 6 miles northwest of the town, was sold to the Mining Company Nederland from the Netherlands.[9] The high elevation meant fierce winds and deep winter snow, so the new owners of the mine decided that it was beneficial to bring ore from Caribou down to Middle Boulder for milling. In the Dutch language, Nederland means low land, and based on casual usage by the Dutch miners, Middle Boulder came to be known as Nederland. In 1874 the town was incorporated and adopted Nederland as the official name.

Geography

The town of Nederland is located at 39°57′43″N 105°30′05″W at an elevation of 8225 Feet. It has a total area of 1.6 square miles, of which 1.5 square miles is land and 0.077 square miles, or 4.29%, is water, consisting primarily of the west end of Barker Reservoir on Middle Boulder Creek.

Comment

I never cease to be amazed and amused by every visit I have to the town of Nederland, the combination of quirkiness, history, and charm if unique.