More than 100 years ago, the sophisticated cities and outstanding ski resorts of Colorado were silver- and gold-mining boomtowns or lonely trapping and ranching outposts. Perhaps 1,000 years before that, the ancient people now known as the Ancestral Puebloans were welding sandstone bricks to cliff walls with adobe to create complex architecture.
Colorado’s history has been shaped by the astounding wealth of its natural resources, and the beauty of its mountainous terrain has challenged and inspired people since prehistoric times. The legacy of this wealth and these challenges is readily apparent in the state’s many historical event venues.
1. Grant-Humphreys Mansion, Denver
Founded in the 1858 as a mining town in Kansas Territory, Denver was the third-largest city in the West by the turn of the 20th century. Only its wealthiest names could boast an address on Quality Hill. Today, the neighborhood is a historic district dotted with some of the city’s most splendid estates.
The exquisite Grant-Humphreys Mansion carries the names of two of the state’s greatest tycoons in mining and oil, respectively. Completed in 1902, the property’s exterior columns and balconies exhibit the European Beaux Arts style popular in America during this period.
The mansion, owned by the Colorado Historical Society, can welcome as many as 200 people for events.
"Holding an event at the Grant-Humphreys Mansion gives guests the opportunity to gather in one of Denver’s most historic landmarks," says Kevin Gramer, director of the Grant-Humphreys Mansion. "The mansion’s visitors feel they have arrived at a special place where they can relive the grandeur of Denver’s past."
Guests can enjoy self-guided tours or guided group tours.
2. Manitou Cliff Dwellings, Colorado Springs
The venerable tourist attraction known as Manitou Cliff Dwellings was built in the early 1900s. The stones used to create the cliff dwellings were relocated from an authentic but collapsed Anasazi habitation in Southwestern Colorado and reassembled in their current location just west of Colorado Springs. The attraction also offers a Pueblo-style museum building.
"Probably what makes the Manitou Cliff Dwellings a special venue is not only the beauty of the backdrop it presents, but the historical uniqueness," says Rob Hefner, operations manager at Manitou Cliff Dwellings. "Where else can you explore and learn about the culture of 1,000-year-old Anasazi cliff dwellings while being entertained and enjoying an outdoor dining experience?"
Events take place outdoors and are most often coordinated through the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs. The maximum group size is 250. The museum can provide staff experts to answer questions about the site, and Native American dance performances can be arranged.
3. Colorado Chautauqua Association, Boulder
Coloradans, like many Americans, were enthusiastic participants in Chautauquas. These cultural and educational revivals brought traveling lecturers and performers to far-flung, often rural communities where entertainment and adult learning were otherwise inaccessible before the advent of radio and television. Theodore Roosevelt called the trend "the most American thing in America."
"Founded in 1898, the Colorado Chautauqua is considered the Western representation of a cultural movement that swept the U.S. in the late 18th and early 19th centuries and continues to exemplify its original ideals: lifelong learning, love of nature, voluntary simplicity and music, oration and the arts," says Ann Obenchain, marketing and development director for the Colorado Chautauqua Association.
One of just 21 National Historic Landmarks in the state, the buildings of the Colorado Chautauqua include several original Craftsman-style cottages that can host groups of 20 to 125.
A new mobile phone audio program allows guests to dial in for guided historical tours throughout the property. Groups can further engage with the area’s fascinating story by inviting historians from the Boulder History Museum to appear at events.
4. Tapestry House, Fort Collins
Located just northwest of Fort Collins in La Porte, Tapestry House is built on the site of Hawkeye Ranch, which was homesteaded in 1870. The original house was carefully dismantled in 1997 and its materials reincorporated into a lovingly handcrafted and historically accurate Queen Anne Revival Victorian. The property bears many reminders of its long and storied past.
"The 1880 stone barn was built from stone hand-cut from a quarry now flooded by Horsetooth reservoir, and there are old rumors that outlaw Shotgun Slade hid out in the barn while running from the law," says Bobbie Randolph, owner and operator of Tapestry House. "The Jackson ditch running through the property was hand-dug by the French in 1861."
The main house can accommodate groups as large as 50. An outdoor pavilion is available for events of 225. Groups can visit nearby Bingham Hill Cemetery to see the graves of the area’s original settlers or take a walk along the Cache La Poudre River, where French trappers were forced to hide (cache) their gunpowder (poudre) when trapped by snow one winter in the 1820s.
5. Elkhorn Lodge and Guest Ranch, Estes Park
Elkhorn Lodge and Guest Ranch was founded in 1874 in the rugged country around Estes Park as a base for visiting elk hunters. It is a designated National Historic District and can boast Teddy Roosevelt among its many distinguished guests. The lodge retains its Wild West feel and provides dozens of activities for groups.
"On this property is the first hunting lodge, first stables, first school house, first golf course and first chapel in Estes Park," says Rich Johnson, general manager of Elkhorn Lodge. "At no other place can you enjoy horseback riding, hiking, mountain climbing and fishing, and watch cowboy gun fights and have chuckwagon dinners with authentic cowboy music."
Elkhorn Lodge welcomes groups as large as 200. Storytellers are on hand to spin yarns about the ranch’s long history and its many supposed ghosts, which have been investigated by several paranormal television shows. Groups of up to 25 can go on horseback rides.
6. Cross Orchards Historic Site, Grand Junction
The craggy Grand Valley of Western Colorado was one of the last parts of the state to be settled. Intrepid farmers and ranchers eked out a living in the fertile region boxed in by mountains on three sides.
The 24-acre Cross Orchards Historic Site preserves a slice of pioneer life. Once one of the largest fruit ranches in the state, its barn and bunkhouse are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
"At Cross Orchards Historic Site, our visitors get a taste of rural life on an early 20th century fruit ranch," says Kay Fiegel, director of operations and public relations at the Museum of Western Colorado. "Costumed interpreters and agricultural artifacts capture a simpler time gone by."
Cross Orchards can accommodate outdoor events as large as 1,200 or host gatherings of 125 in its historic barn.
7. Wheeler Opera House, Aspen
The story of Aspen is one of rags to riches and back again. From a scrappy 1880s mining town, it boomed in a few short years into the nation’s silver-producing capital, a cosmopolitan city with theaters, a hospital and electric lights. Just as quickly, changes in the silver market closed the mines and left thousands jobless. The population dwindled. It wasn’t until the 1940s and ’50s that the city began to attract winter sports enthusiasts and develop into the internationally renowned resort destination it is today.
Wheeler Opera House is emblematic of Aspen’s changing fortunes. Built during the zenith of the city’s prosperity, the building enjoyed only four years of success before closing down and enduring multiple fires. Attempts at revival were made, but it wasn’t until the 1970s that the structure was completely upgraded and restored.
"The Wheeler Opera House is Aspen’s most beloved historic building, located in the epicenter of downtown," says Gram Slaton, executive director of Wheeler Opera House. "The 1889-vintage building offers Aspen’s only state-of-the-art facility open year-round for all forms of live presenting, from festivals to private events."
The opera house seats 503. Local historians from the Aspen Historical Society are available to lecture at events, and walking tours of the area departing from the building can be arranged.
8. Colorado Ski and Snowboard Museum and Hall of Fame, Vail
You’re a miner in Colorado in 1859. The mountains are filled with gold, but they’re also covered with snow for five months out of the year, impassable by foot or horse. How can you get the supplies you need to strike it rich? Thus began the history of skiing in the Centennial State.
Vail, home to the largest ski mountain in the U.S., is the ideal location for the Colorado Ski & Snowboard Museum. The facility preserves and celebrates the history of winter sports in the state and the winning spirit of its many champions. The museum is also the perfect place to learn about the 10th Mountain Division, a special troop of ski soldiers deployed to alpine ranges in Europe during World War II.
"Colorado is known worldwide as Ski Country USA," says Susie Tjossem, executive director at the museum. "Colorado’s history and heritage of skiing, first as a form of transportation for early settlers, essential training for winter warfare in Europe, then evolving into competition and recreation, is all captured within the walls of the museum."
The museum can host groups as large as 150 for private events. Speakers can include U.S. Forest Service representatives, well-known winter athletes and 10th Mountain Division veterans. Outdoor group activities include guided ski tours of Vail Mountain, historic walking tours of the village and museum scavenger hunts.
9. Lomax Placer Mine, Breckenridge
Gold put Breckenridge on the map, and its local mining district eventually produced more than 34 tons of the precious metal.
Lomax Placer Mine, located near downtown, was active in the 1860s. The site includes a miner’s cabin and authentic mining equipment from the era.
"The Lomax Placer Mine is one of several historic sites that provide both a look into the town’s rich history as well as a memorable setting for events," says Larissa O’Neil, executive director of Breckenridge Heritage Alliance. "History is such an integral piece of the Breckenridge community, and these historic venues allow groups to experience it first-hand."
As many as 75 can gather to explore this piece of Colorado’s history. Groups can even pan for gold and keep whatever they find. Local historians are available to guide group walking tours of the town. The alliance also welcomes groups as large as 500 for voluntourism projects benefiting its mission to preserve the history of the town.
10. Mesa Verde National Park, Durango
Mesa Verde National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, protects extensive and fascinating ruins of the Ancestral Pueblo or Anasazi people, who inhabited the region between 550 and 1300 AD.
"Far View Lodge inside Mesa Verde National Park delights our meeting groups with the best of business and pleasure," says Judi Swain, director of sales and marketing at Aramark Parks & Destinations, Mesa Verde National Park. "Spectacular views from our lodge rooms, easy access to Mesa Verde’s remarkable ancient sites and cliff dwellings, and custom guided tours keep guests inspired with hands-on experiences."
Groups as large as 50 can meet at the lodge. Aramark can also organize appearances by local historians, archaeologists and tribal experts as well as customized guided tours of Mesa Verde’s wonders.
Kelly Crumrin is a frequent contributor to Meetings Focus West.
Meetings Focus West
