NELSON LAKES HISTORY

Honoring Homesteaders Milt and Helen Nelson

The Nelson Lakes Property is named in honor of Milt and Helen Nelson, who purchased the property in 1947 and helped guide the transformation of the property into its current state. Helen was raised on a farm a few miles to the west of Nelson Lakes, while Milt was raised in Erie near the interchange of I25 and Highway 52. Both Milt and Helen made large contributions to Longmont and the regional community. Milt and Helen helped establish the Longmont United Hospital, with Helen volunteering at the hospital for decades. Milt was very involved in regional water issues including chairing the Longmont Water Board for 20 years and helping to establish Longmont’s water dedication policy, which is still used today. In honor of his contributions to the Longmont water system, the City’s Nelson-Flanders Water Treatment Plant is named in his honor. Milt also was involved with the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District for 24 years along with sitting on many other local water-related boards. Martha Williams, one of the current owners of the Nelson Lakes Property and the daughter of Milt and Helen, felt it was fitting to have the property named in honor of her parents given its history and stunning water resource amenities. 

History of the Property

When the 358 parcel was purchased in 1947, most of the property was swamp land adjacent to Boulder Creek that could not be used for agricultural purposes. Milt drained and leveled a large portion of the property by the early 1950’s, transforming it into farm and ranch land. The Nelson’s ran cattle at the property with the entire family (Milt, Helen and their three kids) collectively riding horseback to move the cattle from pasture to pasture across the property. Between the late 1950s and early 1960s, the first gravel mining occurred on a limited area within the property for the construction of Interstate 25 which is three miles to the east. The property was transferred from Milt and Helen Nelson to their daughter Martha Williams and husband Les Williams, Jr. in the 1970s.  

The balance of the gravel mining at the property occurred from early 1980s to early 2000s. Unlike many other gravel mining properties, the reclamation plan for Nelson Lakes developed a series of natural lake features at the property paralleling Boulder Creek with six of the eight lakes at the site being connected such that water from the Plumb and Dailey Ditch perched above the Nelson Lakes Property can be delivered through the lakes and back to Boulder Creek. The running of Plumb and Dailey Ditch water through the property was also incorporated into an agreement that Milt Nelson developed with the District 6 Water Users Association to address evaporative losses and corresponding depletions to Boulder Creek. Between the mile and a half of Boulder Creek and the 85 acres of water surface (within 8 separate lakes), Nelson Lakes supports a wide variety of wildlife including many bird species.  

Once reclamation of the mining areas was complete, the Williams family began conversations with Boulder County (the property is in far Southwestern Weld County less than a mile east of the Boulder and Weld County Line) about potential development of a Conservation Easement to limit development at the site and thereby enhance the wildlife habitat and open space in the area. The Nelson Lakes Property was annexed into Frederick in the early 2000s, with the final plat for Nelson Lakes being approved in 2008, the same year as the first conservation easement was created at the Nelson Lakes with Boulder County.  A series of additional conservation easements occurred between 2008 and 2016 incrementally adding land (and platted lots) to the conservation easement until the final form of the property was reached allowing a maximum of six homes to be constructed within Nelson Lakes.  

In 2022, William’s Family Farm hired Northern Colorado Contractors to build the required infrastructure to allow homes at Nelson Lakes. In the fall of 2023, Todd and Heather Williams started construction of their home at Nelson Lakes.  The almost 80-year transformation has resulted in a property the Williams Family is excited to share with potential new homeowners looking for something unique in the heart of the Colorado Northern Front Range.