Indian Hills, Colorado

History

John D. Parmalee (1813–1885) came to Colorado in 1860 and settled in Mount Vernon. In 1866, he was granted a charter for a toll road between Morrison and Bradford Junction (Conifer); the Denver and Turkey Creek Toll Road opened in 1870. Parmalee also operated sawmills and shingle mills in the area. He was later commissioned to build a road from Turkey Creek to Bergen Park, along what is known as Parmalee Gulch.

In 1885, Parmalee sold his interest in the toll road to Benjamin F. Eden (1848–1932), who became tollgate keeper from 1877 to 1883. In 1886, Eden sold the road to Jefferson County. Eden bought properties in the northern end of Parmalee Gulch, which became known as Eden Park. In time he acquired more than 1000 acre, attracting the interest of developers. With the Panic of 1893 and crash in silver prices, the development foundered and Eden recovered the property. He continued to farm the area, raising cattle, horses, hay, and potatoes.

George W. Olinger, son of mortuary founders John and Emma Olinger, became interested in the area in 1918, and purchased the Eden property in 1921. Olinger planned a development to be called "Indian Hills," and built a golf course on part of Eden's land. The first filing was recorded at Jefferson County in June 1923, making Indian Hills the community's official name. Filings were named to recall the association with original inhabitants: Arrowhead Park, Ute & Cherokee Village, and Shawnee Village. "Eden Park" became the fifth filing of Olinger's development, and was platted in 1926. Models of summer cabins were built of logs, and small lots were sold to Denver residents seeking summer homes in the mountains.

Geography

Indian Hills extends along the Parmalee Gulch and Myers Gulch Roads between State Highway 74 at Kittredge, Colorado, and U.S. Highway 285 at Turkey Creek.

The Indian Hills CDP has an area of 14.060 km2, including 0.009 km2 of water.

Demographics

There were 494 households, out of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.1% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.4% were non-families. 21.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.83.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 22.2% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 33.1% from 45 to 64, and 8.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.4 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $59,000, and the median income for a family was $61,538. Males had a median income of $45,536 versus $31,087 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $26,696. About 0.3% of families and 3.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.8% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over. Geneva Glen Camp is in Indian Hills, Colorado.

The United States Census Bureau initially defined the Indian Hills CDP for the United States Census 2000. |2000|1,197 |2010|1,280 |2020|1474

Education

Indian Hills is served by the Jefferson County Public Schools. Schools serving Indian Hills include:

• Parmalee Elementary School
• West Jefferson Middle School
• Conifer High School

Humorous sign

The sign at the Indian Hills Community Center features a changing display of humorous wordplays, and has its own Facebook page.

References

References

1. "State of Colorado Census Designated Places - BAS20 - Data as of January 1, 2020". [[United States Census Bureau]].
2. United States Census Bureau. "Indian Hills CDP, Colorado".
3. "Look Up a ZIP Code". [[United States Postal Service]].
4. "U.S. Board on Geographic Names: Domestic Names". [[United States Geological Survey]].
5. "Brief History of Indian Hills". Indian Hills, Colorado.
6. Indian Hills History Calendar, 2008, "The People." Published by the Indian Hills Improvement Association.
7. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
8. "Indian Hills Map". [[U.S. Census Bureau]].
9. "Elementary Schools". [[Jeffco Public Schools]].
10. "Middle Schools". [[Jeffco Public Schools]].
11. "High Schools". [[Jeffco Public Schools]].
12. "Indian Hills Community Center and Sign". Facebook.