Pickletown

The area at the intersection of Pennsylvania and Orchard Road was known as Pickletown. A resident described it as "A little town within a Little Town." Collected histories of families residing in Pickletown offer insight into the farming activities from the early 1900s to the 1950s, when the area transitioned to a suburban community. 

 

Pickletown was bordered by Pennsylvania Street, along the east side of Grant Street, south of Orchard Road to Polar (now Caley Avenue), and the High Line Canal, plotted in 1888 by Mrs. A. G. Whitmore. The lots generally consisted of five-acre parcels. The prospect of having a farm in proximity to Denver and Littleton made the area attractive to families that wanted a farm, and many of the men had the opportunity to continue working outside of the home. 

 

One of the area's first residents was William A. Beers, who moved from Kentucky to Denver in 1892 with his wife and five daughters. Mrs. Beers was in ill health and passed away in 1894. Mr. Beers, a pressman for the Denver Post and the Rocky Mountain News, decided to move to Pickletown in 1897. Surprisingly, Mr. Beers kept his apartment in Denver, and the daughters ran the farm growing alfalfa, maintaining a garden, raising chickens and bees, and attending the Broadway School (located at Broadway and Littleton Boulevard). In 1902, the sisters moved to Jefferson County, establishing their prosperous Beers Sisters Dairy.

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​                                        William Beers, one of the first residents of 

                                                  Pickletown, hosted the Pressman's Picnic at 

                                                  his farm in 1898. The photo highlights the 

                                                  frivolity of "city girls playing as farm girls" during

                                                  the picnic. From the Collection of the Littleton

                                                  Museum.​​                      

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The farms were fortunate to have water available via the Highline Canal or from wells, with many having flowing artesian wells, which allowed for growing produce or grains, including wheat, alfalfa, oats, and barley. The crops were sold to the Rough and Ready Flour Mill in Littleton or provided feed for their livestock. Many poultry farms, including Graymead, raised white leghorn chickens and sold eggs. The Nelson Family raised 5,000 – 6,000 chicks at a time for the Colorado Hatchery, and the Maier family "raised two crops of chickens every year – 300 at a time. Most were for the family, but Mom was a great trader and could sometimes trade some chickens for a calf or something."

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                                                                                                                                        Seibert's Hatchery operated from their poultry farm in​

                                                                                                                                                                          Pickletown. During WWII poultry was popular because it

                                                                                                                                                                          was exempt from rationing during the war. Photo is   ​

                                                                                                                                                                          circa 1940s.​

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There were a few orchards, the largest of which consisted of 150 apple trees. Many farms had apple, cherry, or pear trees, with many folks mentioning "apple cider season." One special farm abutting Pickletown had a long lane lined with black walnut trees and shared the walnuts with many of the neighbors for snacking or baking during the holidays. Wild plums and chokecherries were shared by all for jelly or syrups. 

 

A former resident best describes the closeness of the neighborhood,

 

"It was a wonderful place to live; a view of the mountains from the front window, the fun of cutting asparagus along the irrigation ditch in the spring, enjoying the wildflowers, gathering the eggs, walking down the road to the neighbors. One of the most pleasant memories is the sense of community and people that lived there. We were all about 5 acres apart but much closer in spirits. I will always cherish the friendships I made with the ladies in the Home Demonstration Club to which I belonged."

 

In 1961, Arapahoe Associates, Inc. and Land, Inc. purchased the Pickletown area and developed it into a subdivision named Sherwood Park. The 30-acre site offered 85 homes priced between $20,000 and $25,000. 

 

Merry Canning and Pickling Company

 

The moniker Pickletown has been associated with the crops grown for the Merry Canning and Pickling Company built in 1891 in Littleton. The company contracted with local farms for garden produce as the Littleton company had hopes of becoming a large national cannery. The Littleton Independent in 1890 wrote, "It is the duty of every loyal citizen to see that this idea matures and has successful issue. There is capital enough controlled right in this community to put in and operate a twenty-five thousand dollar plant, if need be, and a local stock company would be far more beneficial to the place than a foreign corporation." Fifty persons were employed at the facility in 1893, processing pickles, canned tomatoes, mincemeat, catsup, sauerkraut, and vinegar. 

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​                       Photo of the Merry Canning and Pickling Factory building,

                             later to house the Littleton Steam Laundry, located at 

                             South Nevada and Low Streets. The basement housed

                             twelve large tanks to hold 100,000 pickles. The building

                             was demolished in 1989. From the Collection of the 

                             Littleton Museum.

                       

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