The new arrivals refused to leave, and prepared to defend themselves after Bear Head and Many Whips
returned to the Arapaho camp to raise a war party. Hostilities were avoided, however,
with the prospectors' use of flattery, gifts of items such as canned beans and salted pork, and the plying of the Arapaho chief with
alcohol. Chief Niwot advocated peace, and was so welcoming to the newcomers (along with his fellow Arapaho chief Little Raven) that the
first county in the territory was named "Arapahoe."
It was on October 17, 1858, Captain Aikins and his party established the first non-Amerindian settlement in Boulder Valley at
Red Rocks. Less than four months later, on February 10, 1859, A.A. Brookfield
and 56 shareholders organized the Boulder City Town Company. The shareholders divided lots along Boulder Creek among themselves, and
the remaining lots were put on sale at the price of $1,000 each. Only a few lots were sold at this price, and it was later lowered in
order to attract more settlers (in 1860, Boulder City's population was still only 324).
Boulder City slowly grew, and developed as a supply base for miners headed into the mountains in search of silver and gold. Boulder was a
part of Nebraska Territory until February 28, 1861, on which date the Territory of Colorado was created by the United States Congress. In
1867, Boulder City became the seat of Boulder County. On November 4, 1871 Boulder formally incorporated as a town and dropped "City" from
its name. At the same time, dog control and a tree-planting program were both initiated (Boulder was practically treeless when first
settled). The first bank was opened in 1874, and Boulderites elected their first mayor, Jacob Ellison, for a two-month term in 1878.
