Leonard Larson was born and raised in the Westminister area. He married Bessie Smith. They bought the Farrell Farm (40 acres or so) about 1920. It was at the lower part of Clear Creek, address 8371 N. Washington. In their early years there they farmed various berry crops, later vegetables, and used horses and a large wagon to haul their produce 7 miles south to market street in downtown Denver. He donated land for an elementary school at the SE corner of his farm and the school was in place in 1926 so Margaret, his daughter, could walk to school. Boyer's coffee shop is in the old, but remodeled school house. When you go in, look up on the front and you can still read 1926. Boyer's bought additional land from the Larson's over the years and have a substantial coffee processing plant and distribution center there now. Leonard was a truck farmer in the early years growing berries and vegetables. The loan was finally paid off in about the 1940s. He went to a land sale and bought nearly a section of land where Northglenn is now, just northeast of 108th and Washington. Leonard was chief of the local volunteer fire department, he feared fire as he had burned his father's barn down when a child. He was also involved with the operation of two irrigation ditches that traversed his property. I-25 was built through the middle of the home place in the 1950s. In 1962 he sold most of what he termed "the other place" to a developer when Northglenn was getting started. The developers named many streets after his family members and the park there is Larson park. While he worried many years over paying loans, and crop failure, even needing ulcer surgery on his stomach in the 1950s, he ended up being prosperous. The land at the home place but west of I-25 was difficult to get to, so it was developed and sold off in pieces. At one time it had a large John Elway car dealership on it. Specific location is just north of where the Boulder turnpike splits off if I-25 north on an overpass that turns West. He told many stories to his grandchildren. One of note was that during their early days they could look south the three blocks to Clear Creek and see a tribe of Cheyenne Indians encamped their in teepees.
COD: massive stroke