The Cliff House at Manitou Springs, Colorado ~ Julie Lence

courtesy TheCliffHouse.com 

  A handful of miles west of Colorado Springs lies Manitou Springs, a small mountain community at the base of Pikes Peak Mountain and known for its mineral springs. Within Manitou Springs lies The Cliff House, a 125 year old hotel that has stood the test of time. Built in 1873, The Cliff House, known then as The Inn, was a 20 room boarding house along the stagecoach route to Leadville, Colorado. Guests flocked to the inviting parlors and porches, and as the mines continued to pan out, more and more investors stayed at the boarding house. In some instances tents had to be set up to accommodate everyone.  Eventually the gold mines began to dwindle and by 1876, The Inn barely had guests. But in the ensuing years, interest in the mineral springs rose. American Indian tribes had been drinking from the springs for years, and with the water cool and good tasting, many believed the high concentration of minerals benefited the body. Edward E. Nichols was one of those believers. Battling tuberculosis, he came west in 1870 and beat the disease. He took up permanent residence in Manitou Springs, became mayor, and bought The Inn in 1886. He renamed it The Cliff House and joined forces with the governor in 1914 to build the Manitou Bath House Company.

Bath House; Pinterest

   The Manitou Bath House is located across from The Cliff House and aided in making Manitou Springs and The Cliff House a profitable resort area specializing in water therapies, with the wealthy flocking to the Cliff House into the 20^th century. During that time, Nichols expanded The hotel from 20 rooms to 56 rooms, and then to 200 rooms; the result a four-and-a-half story grand building. Guests included Teddy Roosevelt and P.T. Barnum, and each night after a formal dinner, everyone was invited across the street to Soda Springs for a glass of mineral water before turning in for bed. Tunnels were built underground connecting the hotel to the spa. A bath house followed, and bell boys filled bottles and glasses at the springs for guests.    

In 1921, a flash flood roaring down from nearby Williams Canyon washed through The Cliff House’s Grill Room (a sandwich and soda shop) in the rear of the east wing. Hymn books were destroyed and the floor buckled up to the ceiling. James S. Morley, a real estate developer from California, bought the hotel in 1981 and turned it into an apartment building, which caught fire in March of 1982. The 4^th floor roof had so much damage that it had to be replaced. Inside, all plumbing, plaster, and floor coverings were removed. The water damage from putting out the fire threatened the existence of the building that action was immediately taken to keep it standing. But with the economy not good, it stood vacant until 1997 when Morley vowed to restore it to its original grandeur, to include preserving the Rocky Mountain Victorian architecture of the 1800’s. He invested 10.5 million dollars and incorporated 21^st century technology to make this happen.

courtesy www.booking.com

  In September 2007, Gal-Tex Corporation bought The Cliff House and added on to the hotel. Along with 1859 Historic Hotels L.L.C, they have kept the core staff and continue to improve the hotel’s reputation, including an East Addition housing a full bar, fitness room, garden patio, meeting room in what was Williams Canyon, and a 3^rd level outdoor atmosphere space that can be turned into an indoor area as needed. Today,  The Cliff House is on the National Registry of Historic Places and is both a grand hotel and restaurant.  

Nevadaville, Colorado

Colorado was home to numerous bustling mining towns in the 1800’s. Cripple Creek and Central City are two such towns most Colorado residents are familiar with, mostly because many of the historic buildings now house casinos. Here in Colorado Springs, we have tour buses shuttling folks to and from Cripple Creek to gamble, shop, and dine. One of the busiest times to take the bus to Cripple Creek is New Year’s Eve. Several years ago, the hubby and I experienced a New Year’s Eve celebration in Cripple Creek courtesy of the shuttle bus. It was a fun time, and I imagine Central City booms on New Year’s Eve, too. (I can’t say for certain, as I’ve not been there… yet.) But ‘over the hill’ from Central City is Nevadaville, a Colorado ghost town and home to two residents.

Nevadaville was founded three weeks after John Gregory’s discovery of gold. The Burrows Lode quickly became Gilpin County’s largest site for concentration of mining activity. A.D. Gambell and Sam Link formed the town site and Joseph Stadley named the town. Nevadaville was also known as Nevada or Nevada City. To not be confused with Nevada, CA, the post office changed Nevadaville to Bald Mountain in 1869. Residents refused to call their town anything other than Nevadaville, creating an unusual situation where the town name was different from the post office name, until the post office closed in 1921.

During its peak, Nevadaville had a population of 4,000. Most of the citizens were of Irish descent. Businesses included saloons, barbershops, a shoe store and a grocery store. A dry goods store opened inside The Colorado Trading and Investment Company and later, Dr. Bourke set up his medical practice and opened a drug store. Nevadaville did not welcome establishments catering to the wild night life and incorporated this into law. Grogg shops, bawdy shops and gambling saloons were not allowed with the town limits. A $50 fine was put in place for violating the law. If an establishment racked up enough violations, they were banished from the district. A sheriff was appointed to enforce the law, and given an added bonus of keeping some of the profits from the fines.

Masonic Lodge

In 1859, a Masonic Lodge was organized from the Kansas Grand Lodge and was given the name, Nevada Number 36. The Lodge relinquished their charters after only one meeting and came under the jurisdiction of the new Grand Lodge of Colorado, with the new name of Nevada Lodge Number 4. To this day, the Lodge continues to hold their meetings in Nevadaville. 

A fire in 1861 destroyed over 50 buildings. Residents used TNT to save the rest of the town and rebuilt what was destroyed. The town lacked a good water supply and fell victim to four more fires. The last was in 1914 and Nevadaville was never fully rebuilt after that. Sadly, the veins in the mine were worked out too soon, and by 1900, the population dwindled. 

December 2004

As stated above, Nevadaville currently has two citizens, rumored to enjoy answering questions about the town’s history. Many of the historic buildings are still intact today. They are on private land and not open to the public, though folks can enjoy an afternoon in the Rocky Mountains strolling around the town.  

The photos in this blog are courtesy of:

http://gilpintram.com/nevadaville.html

http://www.uncovercolorado.com/ghost-towns/nevadaville/

The Sisters of Mercry at Cripple Creek, Colorado

Sisters of Mercy, Bennett Ave, Cripple Creek, circa 1899

Cripple Creek, Colorado is a small town nestled in the Rocky Mountains, west of Colorado Springs. The town originally had a population of about 500 people. The gold rush in the 1890’s led to the population booming to 10,000 and later to 50,000. Saloons, brothels, shops and hotels lined East Bennett Avenue, the main thoroughfare through town. Most structures were made of wood, and folks from various walks of life ventured there to either live or strike it rich. Once such group residing in Cripple Creek at that time was the Sisters of Mercy.

The Sisters of Mercy was founded in Dublin, Ireland, circa 1831, by Catherine McAuley. Catherine was born into a Catholic family. She was orphaned at age nineteen and went to live with relatives who had suffered financial loss and disapproved of her religious beliefs. She was forced to find employment and residence elsewhere and took a position as household manager for William and Catherine Callaghan, and as Mrs. Callaghan’s companion. McAuley spent the next two decades administering to the sick and the poor, especially women. When the Callaghans’ passed, she inherited their home. In 1827, she opened the first House of Mercy in Dublin. The House of Mercy provided religious, educational and social services to poor women and girls.

Through her work, and with the support of the Dublin clergy and two associates, Catherine established the Religious Institute of the Sisters of Mercy. Members were known as ‘walking nuns’ as they assisted the sick and the poor. When Catherine died in 1841, the organization had over 100 members, with 10 foundations in Ireland.

The Sisters of Mercy came to the United States in 1843, by invitation from the Bishop of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Within ten years, the organization expanded to New York, San Francisco and other parts of the country, establishing schools and hospitals. They arrived in Colorado in 1882 to establish a school and hospital in Durango. In 1889, the sisters were working in Denver and in 1894, Sister Mary Claver Coleman was sent to Cripple Creek to establish Cripple Creek’s first hospital, St. Nicholas Hospital.

Like many of the buildings in Cripple Creek, the sisters’ hospital was constructed of wood. A major fire erupted in Cripple Creek, circa 1896. It began on one side of the street and worked its way to the other side. Eventually, the fire was put out, but another major fire erupted four days later. With flames raging, men tossed sticks of dynamite into buildings in an effort to slow down the fire. The Sisters of Mercy scrambled to get their patients out of the hospital and to safety when one anti-Catholic man entered the hospital and tossed a stick of dynamite into the stove’s chimney, hoping to destroy the hospital. The dynamite exploded prematurely. He lost his leg, and the sisters evacuated and treated him, too. After he healed, he repented and thanked them for saving his life.

St. Nicholas Hospital, Cripple Creek, circa 1902

The original hospital survived the fire, but the Sisters saw a need for a modern, safer structure. They built a new hospital of brick, complete with electric lights, hot and cold running water and a surgery department. The first two floors of the new building were dedicated to patients. The sisters’ quarters were on the third floor and an orderly lived in the attic. The hospital received its first patient in 1898 and was named for and dedicated to Bishop Nicholas Matz. The Sisters eventually left Cripple Creek in 1924. The hospital was purchased and operated by local doctors. It eventually closed in 1972 and in 1995 was refurbished into the Hotel St. Nicholas.   

Today, Cripple Creek is host to several casinos and receives many tourists, local and from afar, daily.