History- AHistory: Arvada’s history begins with the discovery of gold on June 22, 1850. A wagon train of prospectors, bound for California, crossed the Platte River just north of the confluence with Clear Creek, when they decided to take a day for rest. Lewis Ralston dipped his gold pan in an unnamed mountain stream. When he took it out, he found almost $5 worth of gold in his first pan. This stream was later named Ralston Creek in his honor.

In 1858, Ralston accompanied another group of prospectors back to the site of his 1850 discovery. Gold was panned from the same stream in small amounts, and Ralston became discouraged and soon quite. The rest of the group continued prospecting and discovered richer diggings upstream along the South Platte. In early 1859, rich strikers were discovered in the mountains along the upper reaches of Clear Creek and the Colorado gold rush began.

On December 1, 1870, a legal notice was posted for the new Town of Arvada. Benjamin F. Wadsworth and Louis A. Reno filed a town plat, and Wadsworth’s wife, Mary, named the new town in honor of her brother-in-law, Hiram Arvada Haskin.

Recreation- Arvada has 135 miles of hiking, biking and horse back riding trails throughout the parks and open space system. The primary trails generally follow the natural drainage systems such as Ralston Creek, Van Bibber Creek, Leyden Creek and Little Dry Creek. The majority of trails are hard surface and are designed for a mix of cyclists and walkers and offer routes from place to place throughout the city. The city of Arvada is an active participant in a major state wide planning effort to create a regional trail system. Arvada will continue to extend trails to neighboring communities, shopping centers, parks and schools for the enjoyment and safety of its residents.