Piney Creek Chapter Centennial, Colorado	Preserving the Past Enhancing the Present Investing in the Future
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Our History
The Piney Creek Chapter, NSDAR, was organized on December 11, 2004, with 21 members. The name Piney Creek was chosen from the once prominent creek that flowed through this area. In addition to the historic Piney Creek, the Melvin schoolhouse is shown in our chapter logo. It preserves the memory of John G. Melvin, one of the area's first permanent settlers.
For centuries, Native American Indians roamed and hunted the land along Piney Creek. Descendants of early settlers recount many tales of the Arapahoe Indian camps along its northern bank. They tell how, as children, they scoured the area looking for arrowheads following heavy rains each spring. The white man arrived in the Piney Creek area around 1859 when gold was discovered in the Rockies. Hoping to strike it rich, thousands of immigrants poured over an ancient Indian trail that traversed Kansas along the Smoky Hill River to the new supply town of Denver. This main “highway” to the gold fields of the Rockies became known as the Smoky Hill Trail. Near the present day city of Limon, in Eastern Colorado, this trail divided into three branches. The shortest, and the most treacherous, route to Denver continued along the trail’s middle branch. One section of this harsh trail followed a stream bed along the north bank of Piney Creek. Until commencement of construction to build a housing subdivision, pronounced trail ruts from the wagons of these early settlers could still be seen. Today, Piney Creek is located in the southern most portion of 700 acres of a planned community that bears its name. It lies east of Parker Road at Orchard Road, in south-central Arapahoe County. About our Chapter Our chapter is involved in various community projects that support the objectives of the DAR: Patriotism – DAR Project Patriot (support of active duty troops); Service for Veterans (VA Hospital); Constitution Week (displays in libraries and schools); Learning About Our Flag (a program for primary school students); flag retirement ceremonies. Education – Contribute to American Indians, C.A.R. (Children of the American Revolution), and the DAR schools; promote DAR Scholarships. Historic Preservation – Historic Preservation Medal award; lineage research; genealogical and historic records; protect historic landmarks (17 Mile House). Our special chapter project is the preservation and restoration of 17 Mile House, an historic way station that served weary travelers along the Smoky Hill and Cherokee trails as they journeyed towards Denver in the 1860s. The preservation and restoration of 17 Mile House is a joint effort of Arapahoe and Douglas counties, local governments, as well as private foundations.
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