Since 1970, the population of Louisville has more than tripled. The city is about 8 square miles in size, and there are approximately 20,000 residents that call Louisville home. Despite its recent growth, the city of Louisville still manages to retain its small-town feeling.
Louisville homes are conveniently surrounded by 26-miles of wooded biking and running paths that wind through much of the town. A newly-built hospital, an 18-hole golf course, a recreation center, and a Monarch School campus all contribute to the high quality of life that residents of Louisville tend to enjoy.
In 1877, life began in the historic Louisville business district when coal was discovered. Louis Nawatny platted his farmland into city blocks and named the town after himself in 1878. Immigrant people of all nationalities traveled here, with Italians, French, German and Slavic people forming their own neighborhoods.
Most of the men worked in the local mines, with their sons often joining them at the age of fourteen. Everything they needed to support their daily life was available along two streets—Front and Main. Sixteen trains a day passed through Louisville, connecting it with Boulder, Eldorado Springs and Denver.
Mining life was hard and dangerous, so the miners went on strike. This caused a great deal of friction with management, and led to a battle between the miners and their bosses. In fact, pioneer residents can point out spots in their childhood homes where bullet holes pierced the walls.
Saloons and brothels were part of the frontier scene, along with schools, churches, boarding houses, shops, restaurants and even a small movie theater. Many of these buildings still stand unchanged in historic downtown Louisville, and remain as shadows of the town’s lively past. Although the mines are now closed and silent, they still sit beneath the city; the dark veins of Louisville’s original life blood.