Founded in 1874 beneath the prominent rock outcrop that gave it its name, Castle Rock was promoted as a year-round resort whose scenery would attract settlers and tourists, but its growth also depended on the region’s natural resources. Farms, ranches, and towns along the two railroad lines between Denver and Colorado Springs needed large amounts of timber and stone, and Castle Rock residents supplied those demands from nearby forests and rock quarries, while others developed dairy and ranching operations on well-watered grazing lands. As the most important town between Denver and Colorado Springs, Castle Rock required flexibility and stamina to respond to larger markets. In the 1890s the town included modest frame houses and the Douglas County Courthouse, but an arson fire in 1978 destroyed that significant historic building, long a gathering place for official and unofficial events. A new county administration building erected in 1982 and expanded in 1999 with a stone bell tower and red brick façade became part of Courthouse Square, while the county courts moved in 1997 to the Robert A. Christensen Justice Center at the junction of U.S. Highway 85 and Interstate 25. Rapid growth in Douglas County later led residents to protect the county seat’s original architecture and small-town atmosphere, and in 1994 Castle Rock established a historic preservation board that identified significant commercial and residential properties, typically built of native stone or timber in modest styles, and worked with the planning department to preserve and enhance them. The old depot, built of native rhyolite, was moved in 1970 to 420 Elbert and now serves as the Castle Rock Museum.