Milestones Icon: Chief Niwot

Chief Niwot was a voice for peace during the turbulent early years of the Colorado gold rush.

Fluent in English, this Arapaho welcomed the first gold seekers and despite the wishes of his tribe permitted them to stay in the Boulder Valley.

Born in the mid-1820s, the chief got his name, as lore goes, from his mother when he reached for her with his left hand, niwot being the Arapaho word for left handed.

Niwot is credited with Niwot’s Curse, which has several versions. The most widely accepted is, “People seeing the beauty of this valley will want to stay, and their staying…