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Westcliffe
Tour
Westcliffe State Bank
(2nd and Main)- Constructed in 1899, the
bank's vault can still be seen as you walk inside. These days it
is used as a huge filing cabinet by the present owners. The old
Bank was used as a set for the move "Comes a Horseman."
The old bank, which is a well maintained structure, is now the home of
Westcliffe Properties, LLC.
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Westcliffe Feed Store
(2nd Street North) Built in the late 1880's of post and
beam construction, the posts measuring one foot by one foot which are
set on stone cellar walls that are two feet thick. The building
was moved from the Beddows Ranch, which was 15 miles north of
Westcliffe, to the present location on 2nd Street, when the Denver &
Rio Grande Standard Gauge Railroad cut through the Beddow's family land.
Restored in 1981 as a restaurant and bar, the building is now privately
owned and currently is not in use.
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The Westcliffe Calaboose
(behind the Jones Theater) The Calaboose
is how the old town records refer to the town's original jail.
Built in 1888 at a cost of $330 it is made of local (native) stone which
provided a cool, dry resting place for many a cowboy who whooped it up
on "Dutch Row". The roof was constructed of
two-by-tens set side by side on edge and secured with square nails.
This deterred escapes through the roof. Its two small cells do not
quite meet today's standards for a correctional facility. A small
wood stove sat in the entryway for heat. One night in the 1920's ,
the calaboose held nine men. The Marshall at that time said that
he rarely had repeaters, which he attributed to less than comfortable
conditions. In 1985 a false roof was constructed over the
remaining two by tens to protect the integrity of the building.
The building is on the National Register of Historical Places.
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Dutch Row
Dutch row is a block on 2nd Street which was named for the many
German owned businesses. The saloons on this street were popular
with the cowboys who hired on at the valley ranches. They
reportedly enjoyed shooting out the lights of the saloons from
horseback. This may be why Dutch Row burned to the ground twice.
The legend of its second burning is, that the drunken cowboys who formed
the bucket brigade to fight the fire, became interested in a water fight
instead and played while the saloons of Dutch Row burned. Dutch
Row is now home to shops, businesses and office buildings.
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Hard Time Hotel
(209 South 2nd Street) a/k/a National Hotel or
Wolff Hotel which was built in 1887. This was Westcliffe's 1st
hotel and is the only remaining stone-front building in Westcliffe.
Wm. Wolff-original owner, was a Westcliffe pioneer and one of the
petitioners for the incorporation of the town in 1887. It
originally housed a saloon and was an overnight stop for area visitors
as well as a rooming house for miners and ranch workers in Custer
County. Though the years, it served Westcliffe as a hotel,
boarding house, apartment, restaurant, saloon, billiard and gambling
hall, garage, market, ice cream parlor, and currently, though privately
owned, intended to be maintained on the National Register of Historic
Places. The rear of the building, which appeared to be a barn-like
structure, is said to have been a blacksmith shop. Today, that
section may be converted into an apartment space.
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The First High School in the Wet Mountain Valley
(200 Main)-The school was located on the upper floor of
this stone building, which now house's Jennings Market on the main
floor. The upper floor of this building also used to show movies,
even before the "talkies".
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St. Luke's Episcopal Church
(201 So. 3rd Street)-One of the most picturesque
churches in Westcliffe. This church was originally built in the
silver mining town of Rosita. It was moved to Silver Cliff, when
this town was chosen county seat in an election in 1886. The
change was bitterly and violently protested by the Rosita residents who
took up arms! Again in 1914, St. Luke's was moved from Broadway
Street in Silver Cliff to it's present location in Westcliffe. 14
years later, Silver Cliff lost it's status as county seat to Westcliffe
in a 1928 election. The first church bell in the area was
presented to St. Luke's in the early 1880's by Mr. Baily of the Racine
Boy Silver mine. There was also a cross that was inlayed with
silver from the Racine Boy silver mine.
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First Baptist Church
(417 6th Street)-It was the original 2 story school
house built to serve Rosita. After the population of Rosita
declined, the lumber from the two story schoolhouse was used to build
the Harmony Community Building at Froze Creek. Later it was moved
15 miles from the south end of the valley to it's present location and
used as a church of 6th street in Westcliffe.
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Westcliffe Memorial (Town) Park
(Next to Old "Westcliffe" School) Picnic
tables, playground and public restrooms. It was built as a
memorial park in memory of WWII Vetrans. The Annuyalo Jazz in the
Sangres Festival is held here the second weekend of August.
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Hope Lutheran Church
(312 So. 3rd Street)-Built on this site in
1917, it houses one of the oldest Lutheran congregations in the state,
orgainzed in 1872, when a group of German colonists settled in an area
about 12 miles southwest of Westcliffe. Many descendants of these
early settlers still live in the valley. The cross on the 96 foot
steeple was originally covered with gold leaf. The church is on
the National Register of Historical places.
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Old Westcliff School
(Note the spelling-302 So. 4th Street) This large stone
structure was built in 1891 as a two-room school house. It was
used until consolidation brought children from the many one-room
schoolhouses in the county to the newly constructed Custer County School
on Main Street in Westcliffe. It has become part of the community,
and is now home to the Valley Park & Recreation Center, the Fremont
Historical Society/Custer Chapter, and the Frontier Pathways Scenic
& Historic National Byway. Many community organizations use
the Old Westcliffe School as well. The Building is on the National
Register of Historical Places.
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The Denver & Rio Grande Train Depot
(On Main Street across from Westcliffe Super Market)-Now a private
residence, the depot served the community until 1937, at which time the
D&R Standard Gauge Railroad was physically removed. The depot
was constructed in 1901 & 1902, when the Rio Grande brought a branch
line from Texas Creek to Westcliffe. 20 years earlier (1881)
Westcliffe was founded, when the Denver & Rio Grande built a Narrow
Gauge Line hugging the meandering cliffs of Grape Creek. The
railroad started in Canon City and terminated in Westcliffe. This
line was abandoned in 1889 after much of the rail bed was destroyed by
floods along Grape Creek.
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