Hal Sayre, a Colorado 59er, assayer, and mining promoter, arrived in Colorado in 1859 and became the first surveyor in the territory. He was a member of the partnership that founded La Porte, Colorado and at one time owned Dillon, Colorado. Sayre later became president of the Rocky Mountain National Bank. His papers held at the CU Boulder Archives hold more Gilpen County records than may be available at the county seat. Also an engineer with the Colorado Militia and serving with the 3rd Colorado volunteers at the Sand Creek campaign of 1864 led by Colonel John Chivington, his diaries (pictured here) provide a first-hand account of the Sand Creek massacre and are available to view via the CU Digital Library.
The University of Colorado Boulder Libraries will celebrate the centennial anniversary of the Archives on June 6, 2018. This is story #12 in our series: 100 Stories for 100 Years from the Archives!