Donald Fletcher

Who is Donald Fletcher?

Donald Fletcher was a real estate tycoon in Colorado in the late 19th century.

He was born in Cobourg, Ontario, Canada, in 1849. His family moved to Chicago, Il when he was a child. He later attended New York University, Knox College and Union Seminary. In 1879, at the age of 30, he moved to Colorado for health reasons. He founded a town on the plains east of Denver in 1891 and named it after himself. Two years later, Fletcher deserted the town and left the residents with bond payments for non-existent water. Without a stable source of water, the town of Fletcher nearly met its demise and petitioned for annexation by Denver. However, the town endured and was renamed Aurora in 1907, removing the reference to its infamous founder. The townsite of Fletcher is now known as "Original Aurora", the northwest corner of Colorado's third-largest city. Today a square in the heart of Original Aurora is named "Fletcher Plaza" and includes a sunken garden and tree-lined sitting area.