Broomfield’s history is
mostly unwritten
The public archives hold only 4 old photos of Broomfield. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗The Broomfield post office opened on September 26, 1884. Historians speculate that the town was named for the sorghum grown in the area, also known as broomcorn, which had stalks that were sold to make brooms and whisk brooms.
Several railroads figure in the development of this area. The Colorado Central Railroad built a narrow-gauge line from Golden in 1873; the Denver, Utah and Pacific Railroad arrived in 1881; and the Denver, Marshall and Boulder Railway built a line through what is now Broomfield in 1886. The Denver, Utah and Pacific was widened to standard gauge in 1889. One of the early names for the area was Zang's Spur, after the railroad spur serving Adolph Zang's grain fields.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowStart Broomfield’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Broomfield’s history is told.
1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewChild of Manuel Alcala, miner, co…, 1946: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Broomfield, decade by decade
1990s
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Child of Manuel Alcala, miner, coloring pattern in book. National Fuel Company, Monarch Mine, Broomfield, Boulder Count… (1946) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (6). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.