Q 01/05

Boulder was founded in late 1858 by prospectors drawn to the area by what?

A) The Colorado Gold Rush

B) A silver strike

C) The Homestead Act

D) The transcontinental railroad

Answer · why

A) The Colorado Gold Rush

Thomas Aikins' party camped at the mouth of Boulder Canyon; by 1862 the creek had yielded $100,000 in gold.

Q 02/05

At roughly what elevation does Boulder sit at the base of the Rocky Mountain foothills?

A) 3,200 feet

B) 4,100 feet

C) 4,800 feet

D) 5,430 feet

Answer · why

D) 5,430 feet

That is a shade higher than Denver's famous 5,280, and the city lies about 25 miles northwest of it.

Q 03/05

The tilted slabs of sedimentary rock west of Boulder, the city's best-known symbol, are called what?

A) The Flatirons

B) The Fins

C) The Needles

D) The Sawteeth

Answer · why

A) The Flatirons

Settlers thought they looked like old-fashioned clothes irons; five numbered ones line Green Mountain.

Q 04/05

Which Arapaho leader, linked to Boulder's first settlement, was later killed at Sand Creek?

A) Little Raven

B) Black Kettle

C) Chief Niwot

D) Roman Nose

Answer · why

C) Chief Niwot

Niwot means 'left hand'; the nearby town of Niwot and Left Hand Creek both carry his name.

Q 05/05

When the county was created on November 1, 1861, which settlement became its seat?

A) The Longmont colony

B) The Gold Hill mining camp

C) The gold camp at the canyon mouth

D) The Valmont settlement

Answer · why

C) The gold camp at the canyon mouth

The city itself was not incorporated until November 1871.