The land from which Haystack Mountain Golf Course was carved is entrenched in Native American and U.S. history. In the early 1800's, Chief Niwot (or Left Hand) and his Arapahoe tribe chose this land and its surrounds as their winter home. Haystack Mountain served as a high lookout for small herds of buffalo, its sunny slope provided protection from harsh winds, and Left Hand Creek ran with fish and clear mountain water. In 1858, history reports that Chief Niwot was the Indian who met the first settlers coming into the region, and many more followed.
Eventually, with the continuing unrest between the settlers and the Indians, Chief Niwot moved his tribe to eastern Colorado near Sand Creek. There at the Battle of Sand Creek, Chief Niwot was killed. According to legend, members of his tribe who escaped death in the massacre brought his body back and buried him on his beloved Haystack Mountain.
