The Rush Bill passed on December 1, 1902 divided Arapahoe County, which had Denver as the county seat, into three new counties. They were Denver, South Arapahoe and Adams.

In August of 1903 Adams City was born. Named after ex-governor Alva Adams, the new City, near what is now the intersection of 69th Avenue, Dahlia Street and Brighton Road, consisted of a grocery store, a blacksmith shop, Platte Valley Hall, four residences and a short railway siding. An article in the Denver Times dated August 22, 1903 reported the story with headlines that read, "Want Adams City the County Seat."

"Adams City, a new town six miles northeast of the Union depot of Denver has been incorporated by 20 land owners of Adams County and their purpose is to secure for the city the County Seat of Adams County. Last Thursday the stockholders met on the grounds to view the site since it has been surveyed and platted and at that time they accepted a proposition from the owners of the Platte Valley town hall to buy their hall and ground and instructed the manager of the company to have the hall moved to the site at once. They also decided at this meeting to give a bean bake on the proposed county courthouse square two weeks from Next Tuesday, September 8. Special trains will be run from Denver. An invitation has been extended to ex-Governor Adams whom the new city as well as the county has been named and he is to make a thirty minute speech. Several thousand people are expected to be present."

The article continued, "The roads have also signified a willingness to put in a depot and sidetracks and the Tramway company has agreed to extend their lines to the city and have the line ready for operation as soon as the first factory located is ready to operate its plant."

The Denver Post on November 7, 1904 told more about the contest under headlines "Fletcher confident of Being Adams County Seat." Fletcher was also called Aurora.

"Adams County is having the first big political fight of its history this week in trying to settle which of five towns shall be the county seat."

The Denver Times told of the bean bake in two articles from entirely different viewpoints.

On September 8, 1903 headlines said that "Adams City Boom Fizzled and the Special train Was Not needed." The story read, "A boom for Adams City as the county seat of Adams County had much of the wind taken out of its sails at the Union depot this morning. There were announcements of a bean bake, a picnic and a dance in the pavillion tonight. The Union Pacific ran a special train of three coaches into the depot yards to carry the crowds out, but the crowds failed to materialize."

"Several delegates of various nationalities put in their appearance, but were unable to tell where they were going or for what purpose. They understood that they were going to Adams City, six miles from town to assist in selling a few town lots, to help get away with some baked beans and to make things pleasant generally. Someone told them that Adams City consisted of a lot of sand banks on Sand Creek and that there was not a pavillion within a mile of it."

Two days later on September 10, 1908 the same paper ran the same story from a different view, under headlines "Adams City May Become a Popular Suburb to the North of Denver."

"The booming of Adams City for the county seat of Adams County is the principal topic among the farmers of that section and they claim that everything looks favorable to the place becoming an important little town. There were 75 lots sold at the auction held Tuesday and the promoters expect to see a number of houses spring up within the next month or two."

The story also said, "The sale of lots this week was entirely satisfactory to the officers. Bob Hunter auctioned them off, after which the people participated in a bean bake. The Union Pacific ran a special train from Denver to accommodate the crowd. The fight has already begun for making Adams City the county seat of that county."

But when the election for the permanent county seat was held on November 8, 1904 Brighton won the County Seat with a margin of 1103 votes to Adams City's 719. The attorneys contested the election but couldn't get it overturned.

And so Adams City's hopes and dreams were swept aside and Adams County was cheated out of having a great community as its county seat.