Q: I was told by my aunt many years ago that the Floyd Hill exit sign as you leave the foothills on Interstate 70 was named after one of my ancestors. My grandmother’s maiden name was Alice Floyd, and I have a family tree listing Floyds. Every time I drive to the mountains and see the sign, I wonder if it’s true. – Jane Hastings, Denver
A: There is little information on why it was called Floyd Hill, but the most common theory is that Merril H. Floyd had a ranch at the top of the hill, so it was named after him. It also appears that he owned Clear Creek Wagon Road Co., which built a road from his ranch to the Beaver Creek crossing of the Central City-Mount Vernon Road. Any information about him refers to dates in the 1860s.
In 1911, the old Floyd Hill wagon road, which had a grade of more than 17 percent, was rebuilt for cars with a 5 percent to 7 percent grade. There does not seem to be a biography of Floyd available to search for family members, but you may be able to trace records of him through Colorado Territory records of 1862, the year it appears the wagon road was constructed.
Sources: Clear Creek Historical Society; Denver Public Library; Colorado Historical Society; “Wagon Roads in Colorado, 1858-1876” by Clifford Clinton Hill; Denver Post archives
Q: What is the origin of the name “Broomfield”? – Scott Geygan, Longmont
A: Businessman Adolph Zang bought land around West 120th Avenue and Olde Wadsworth, which later became part of Broomfield, in 1885. The train stop there was originally called Zang’s Spur for the rail line that took grain to the Zang Brewing Co. in Denver. The name was changed later for the nearby field of broom corn. The city became a county in 2001, making it Colorado’s 64th county.
Source: “Colorado Place Names” by William Bright; City and County of Broomfield
Q: How did Livermore get its name? – Verla Livermore, Denver
A: The town, established in 1863, was named for two prospectors and early town settlers, Adolphus Livernash and Stephen Moore.
Source: “Colorado Place Names”
Compiled by Bonnie Gilbert
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