Castle Rock works to preserve rich history as Colorado town grows

May is Historic Preservation Month, and one fast-growing community in Douglas County, Colorado, is working to ensure new development doesn't overshadow its rich history. The Town of Castle Rock was founded in 1874. 

One hundred fifty years later, CBS Colorado's Olivia Young sat down with the town's mayor to learn more about her hometown's history and his vision for Castle Rock's future.

Back in 1900, only about 300 people lived in Castle Rock. In 2000, that number was a little over 20,000 people, and today it's nearly 90,000.

"These started out as a rail town," said Castle Rock Mayor Jason Gray. "You know, we had a rhyolite mine that was mine here."

Castle Rock Mayor Jason Gray believes Castle Rock's history should play a role in its future.

"We try to make sure that we preserve our history and preserve our old buildings," Gray said.

One of those buildings is the Cantril School, which was built as a wooden schoolhouse in 1875.

"The Cantril School is probably our most historic building in town," Gray said.

When a fire burned the school to the ground in 1896, the stone building that stands today was erected in its place and taught Castle Rock students until 1983.

In 2023, the town bought the school and now uses it for arts programming while they make improvements to the building.

"We got this great building, and we will preserve it," Gray said.

Blocks away, many more historic buildings can be found in Castle Rock's downtown, including the City Hotel, which is being restored.

"Ours is a natural downtown. It's, you know, Wilcox and Perry Street, and you know, you'll go by, you know, seven or eight, really, just gorgeous buildings, and then you'll have a newer building next to it," Gray said.

New neighborhoods are set to bring thousands of homes to town in the next few years. A new Interstate 25 interchange is underway, and major retail developments and a cancer center are also on their way.

"I think that we do a really good job of trying to keep our small-town feel, especially downtown, but give up big-town amenities," Gray said.

Some community members have worried that the growth is too much.

"I can't deny that we're not growing. We're growing at a much slower rate than we were a few years ago," Gray said.

But Gray said the town is growing smart, and keeping its history in mind.

"There's a long time where Castle Rock was basically a gas stop, you know, on the way to Colorado Springs," Gray said. "And I think that we have a really neat identity now, and we kind of own our identity and Western heritage."

If you'd like to take yourself on a tour of downtown Castle Rock and learn more about its history, there is a link to a historic walking tour map on our website.

If you'd like to explore the town's history yourself, a historic walking tour map can be found here.

For Historic Preservation Month, Castle Rock is also offering a Scavenge the Rock scavenger hunt, trolley ride history tours, and Victoria's Tea. More information here.

Castle Rock Population Through the Years: