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 10/7/1971, 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 7/4/1961, 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 2/26/1970, 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 8/25/1970, 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 9/30/1970, 5DV.194

The house was built in 1902 for James Benton Grant, the second Governor of Colorado. After Grant's death in 1911, 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 6/20/1972, 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 8/25/1970, 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 8/25/1970, 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 2/26/1970, 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 2/26/1970, 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 2/26/1970, 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 9/30/1970, 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.