STATE
HISTORICAL MONUMENTS
The Colorado Historical Society is authorized to acquire on behalf
of the state of Colorado sites and structures for preservation and
use as historical monuments. The Society currently owns and maintains
thirteen properties as State Historical Monuments. All of these
properties are also listed in the National Register of Historic
Places.
CLEAR CREEK COUNTY
Georgetown
GEORGETOWN LOOP RAILROAD®
(Georgetown Loop Historic Mining & Railroad Park®)
Georgetown to Silver Plume, Georgetown
National Register 12/18/1970; amended to include additional resources, State Register 3/9/1994, 5CC.9
Built in 1877 to haul silver ore, the Colorado Central Railroad also enjoyed
popularity as a tourist attraction. The Devil’s Gate high bridge, considered to be
an engineering feat and the most famous element of the route, was dismantled in 1939.
During the 1970s, the railroad resumed summer-only service between Georgetown and
Silver Plume over the rebuilt loop, the result of a restoration project coordinated
by the Colorado Historical Society.
LEBANON & EVERETT MINE TUNNELS
Adjacent to I-70, northeast of Silver Plume
National Register 10/07/1971, 5CC.7
The Lebanon Tunnel was driven into Republican Mountain by the Lebanon
Mining company in 1870. An exact year of construction for the Everett
Tunnel is unknown, but the mine was in operation through the mid- 1880s.
In recent years, portions of the tunnels have been reopened as an
interpretive exhibit in conjunction with the Colorado Historical
Society’s reconstruction of the Georgetown Loop Railroad®. The mines
are open only during the summer months.
CONEJOS COUNTY
Sanford
PIKE'S STOCKADE SITE
Colo. Hwy. 136, 4 miles east of Sanford
National Historic Landmark 07/04/1961, National Register 10/15/1966,
5CN.75
Located along the north bank of the Conejos River, the site marks
the spot where, in 1807, Zebulon Pike raised the American flag over
what was then Spanish territory. The site is now owned by the Colorado
Historical Society and a replica of the stockade exists near the
location of the original structure.
COSTILLA COUNTY
Fort Garland
FORT GARLAND
Colo. Hwy. 159, south of US 160
National Register 02/26/1970, Boundary Increase: State Register
12/11/1996, 5CT.46
Fort Garland is important for its association with the settlement
of the San Luis Valley and southern Colorado. Built in 1858, the
fort served as a base of military operations until it was abandoned
in 1883. Company G of the Ninth Cavalry, a unit of Buffalo Soldiers,
operated out of the fort from the spring of 1876 until September
1879. The Buffalo Soldiers were African American troopers who received
their nickname from Southern Plains Indians who perceived similarities
between the soldiers’ curly black hair and the matted fur
between the horns of the buffalo. The Buffalo Soldiers saw scant
military action through their brief assignment at Fort Garland.
In 1876, troops marched to the La Plata region to prevent conflict
between Ute Indians and white prospectors. The Colorado Historical
Society operates Fort Garland as one of its regional museums. The
museum is open year-round, with reduced hours during the winter
season.
DENVER CITY AND COUNTY
BYERS-EVANS HOUSE
1310 Bannock
National Register 08/25/1970, 5DV.163
The house was built in 1883 for Rocky Mountain News publisher
William Byers. He sold the house to the William Gray Evans family
in 1889. The Italianate style house has been restored to its 1912-24
appearance. The property is operated as a museum by the Colorado
Historical Society and is open year-round.
GRANT-HUMPHREYS MANSION
770 Pennsylvania
National Register 09/30/1970, 5DV.194
The house was built in 1902 for James Benton Grant, the second Governor
of Colorado. After Grant's death in 1891, it was purchased by Albert
Humphreys, known for his large holdings in mining and oil. The large
two-story, masonry and terra cotta house combines elements of the
Colonial and Italian Renaissance. The property is now operated by
the Colorado Historical Society as an office and rental facility.
PEARCE-McALLISTER COTTAGE
1880 Gaylord St.
National Register 06/20/1972, 5DV.126
This circa 1900 brick house was designed by Frederick J. Sterner.
Its gambrel roof is indicative of Dutch Colonial architecture. The
property is operated as a museum by the Colorado Historical Society
and is open year-round.
LAKE COUNTY
Leadville
DEXTER CABIN
912 Harrison Ave.
National Register 08/25/1970, 5LK.43
The log cabin was built in 1879 by Leadville banker and mining magnate
James V. Dexter for use as a hunting lodge. Although the exterior
appears ordinary, the inside is elegantly finished. The cabin was
moved to its present location adjacent to the Healy House where
it is operated as a museum by the Colorado Historical Society. The
cabin is open only during the summer season.
HEALY HOUSE
912 Harrison Ave.
National Register 08/25/1970, 5LK.44
Originally built as a two-story residence in 1878, a third floor
was added in 1888. This architecturally significant wood frame house
has been restored and is operated as a museum by the Colorado Historical
Society. The house is open only during the summer season.
LAS ANIMAS COUNTY
Trinidad
BACA HOUSE
300 block of Main St.
National Register 02/26/1970, 5LA.1630
Built in 1870, the interior of this adobe house blends Hispanic
folk art with Victorian furnishings. It is now operated as part
of the Trinidad History Museum by the Colorado Historical Society.
The property is open to the public during the summer months and
to large groups by appointment during the winter.
BLOOM, FRANK G., HOUSE
300 block of Main St.
National Register 02/26/1970, 5LA.2180
This large, mansard roofed Victorian house was built for cattle
baron Frank Bloom and his wife Sarah in 1882. It is now operated
as part of the Trinidad History Museum by the Colorado Historical
Society. The property is open to the public during the summer months
and to large groups by appointment during the winter.
MONTROSE COUNTY
Montrose
UTE MEMORIAL SITE
US Hwy. 550, 2 miles south of Montrose
National Register 02/26/1970, 5MN.1841
The site includes approximately thirteen acres of Ute Chief Ouray’s
original ranch lands. Chief Ouray played a significant role in attempts
to maintain peaceful relations between Washington, D.C. and the
Colorado Utes. The Colorado Historical Society operates a museum
facility on the site. The museum is open year-round.
WELD COUNTY
Platteville
FORT VASQUEZ SITE
US Hwy. 85, Platteville vicinity
National Register 09/30/1970, 5WL.568
Louis Vasquez and Andrew Sublette built an adobe fort on this site
about 1835 as part of their fur trading enterprise. The two sold
the fort in 1841 and it was abandoned a year later. In the late
1930s, the Works Progress Administration reconstructed the adobe
fort using the small portions of the remaining walls and the limited
information available regarding the size and plan of the original.
The Colorado Historical Society operates the property as a museum.
The museum is open year-round.
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