IPSHA unites the community in a multitude of positive social efforts, while actively preserving the Indian Park School House, its grounds and pioneer cemetery, and the history of western Douglas County’s mountain communities.

In the late 1800s, a handful of families homesteaded in the mountains of western Douglas County, Colorado. The nearest school was too far away for local children to attend, so the community banded together to solve the problem.

In 1884, the community built a one-room school house on a one acre parcel provided by William Smith. The school was deeded to the school district in 1885. Teachers were brought in from afar and boarded at local homes. Children walked and rode horses over long distances to attend school. In the winter, many traveled by two-runner sled. Most years, the school had a dozen students of various ages, but some years attendance dwindled to a single pupil.

Over the years, the school had many a name, including Brown’s School, Mountain School, Jarre Canyon School, and finally, Indian Park School. In 1959, Indian Park School House was one of the very last rural schools to close in Douglas County. In 1978, the school was listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.

Today, as yesterday, the school serves as the hub of the mountain community. This neighborly knack for collaboration finds local residents dedicated to ongoing community connection and the upkeep of the school site.