The old High School in Ashland, New Hampshire, This building sat empty for years. A slow renovation started about 10 years ago. Then 1907: Now (105 years later):
NH... Excellent! Great framing. What a special school back then. Appears to have been a sturdily built structure.
I cant see the pics in your post but i can go to smugmug and see em....interesting.That 1879 shot is pretty raw
The Colorado Midland Railroad had a line running from Colorado Springs up to the high alpine meadows of South Park. A popular stop about 100 years ago was Hartsel, where tourists would disembark for fishing in the South Platte, soaking the bones in the hot springs, and picking wildflowers in massive fields of wildflowers.. The train's wheels would sing on standard gauge track so heavier loads could be hauled. This was also known as the "Stockmen's Railroad", for among the cars in the train were those dedicated to hauling cattle and hay back to Colorado Springs. Anyway, a large photo for reflection. Before there were nurseries, gathering huge bouquets of wildflowers was quite the pastime, and so was dressing up for the occasion... Autos came on to the stage of life, roads were placed down, and tracks were pulled up. About 70 years ago... Guess I could have tilted the cam a bit, and brought the bike and background closer. Dang it can be hard framing/standing where someone did long ago. That faint snowcap peak in the distance to the right is Pikes Peak. Just to the right of the bike is the old train grade. The tracks would have been coming towards us...
Plus with all that fresh cut hay from the meadows of South Park. The Colorado Misery Railroad. So close to the Colorado Midland Railroad!
Central City was at ground zero for the Colorado gold rush. A lode found in a nearby gulch in 1959 had 10,000 people bringing their tents, their wares, their tools, and their hopes for fortunes. Henry Teller, Colorado's first U.S. Senator built a hotel in 1872, and at the time, it was considered the finest hotel west of the Mississippi. Can see the Teller House in this recent image of Central City. Can also see scattered mines dotting the hills... In 1936 an artist/painter was hired to freshen the Teller House up a bit. There was some tension and disagreement with the project manager, and the painter was asked to quit or resign. Sneaking in late at night before he departed, he painted the face of a women on the floor of the bar. Supposedly, this woman was of the temperance movement and would have found it quite disagreeable to have her image grace such a place as a bar. If ever in Central City, can still see the image... Anyway, with the above as background, found this old image of the Teller House... Today... BTW, Once there was a flood crashing down this same street...
This is a great thread. Thanks to all who have added to it. There's definitely opportunity for me to do some of this around where I live. I'll do my best to get some content to add in the near future.
Tiny Town was built in 1915 by George Turner (A friend of William F. Cody) as a miniature town of 1/6 scale buildings for his daughter to play in and around. Well, it soon became one of the top tourist attractions in the state. It also attracted flood waters of nearby Turkey Creek, which would rampage through the structures every 10-20 years. Indeed, when I moved to Colorado in the 80's, Tiny Town was a closed and decaying place, having suffered through one too many floods. In the 90's the place was fixed up, some kind of flood control put in place, and contributors built all kinds of 1/6 scale buildings for the re-opening. Now it is common to see a full parking lot, along with children scampering all over the place during the summertime. Back in 1925... Today over 100 1/6 scale buildings, many of local and well-known structures, are there for exploring, along with a miniature train ride, and playground equipment. The trees have done well. From this past week, before the opening next month...
I remember riding by Tiny Town many times during my weekend jaunts while I was in CO. I do miss riding there.
I took a train trip on the Rio Grande's Yampa Valley to Craig, Colorado during spring break in high school. This was the imposing depot then: We took a moto trip to Craig yesterday, which is 50 years almost to the day, from the time that picture was taken. I'd like to think I have aged better than the depot: Ride report if you're interested...
Here's the Brook Forest Inn not far from Evergreen, Colorado. Opened in 1919 by a couple from the Alps, it offered the latest in luxury for the times, including running water, electricity, baths, and lodging for up to 130 visitors. About 80 years ago... If there wasn't an 8ft high fence behind me, could have stepped back a bit for a more better "now"!
Brown Dog... Excellent observation. 75 years ago the Denver, South Park and Pacific made its last runs. We're on the north side of Kenosha Pass here, just on the other side of South Park. Photos were taken of the final rides... Two rails were taken up. Two wheels pay homage. We're on the now Hall Valley/Webster Pass Road...
Shawnee, Colorado was a place for tourists to stay a spell. The train noted in the preceding post would drop off Denver paying passengers at the Shawnee train stop for some relaxin', hikin', fishin', etc. About 100 years ago, looking east from Shawnee, this was the view. The tracks are unseen here, down and to the left alongside the North Fork of the South Platte River. But the wagon road is visible... The dirt wagon road is today's paved U.S. 285... Now, 100 years ago, if I turned 90 degrees to the right in the wintertime, and looked up, would see where some of the visitors would stay... It is one of the oldest remaining structures in Shawnee today... From a distance, one can see how Shawnee looked back then. Can see the above Grand View Hotel to the left of the access road. The really big lodge to the right burned down in 1929. Many of the lodges along the train route burned down mysteriously in the 1920's and 1930's as train traffic gave way to auto traffic. Travelers by auto could come and go from Denver without staying the night or weekend. The probable reason for these lodges turned to ashes? Insurance money. Well, I hiked up a hill through a garden of cow pies as far as I could go, but elevation gain was no more with a serious barbed wire fence hoping I would make its day. Turned around for Shawnee today...
I never miss your posts. In most cases I prefer the photos of Colorado long-ago. If anyone visits Florissant Fossil Beds they will find a perfect opportunity to do a then and now using photos on display there.
The Mount Washinton Auto Road goes up the highest peak in the Northeast. Opened in 1861. I do not know when this picture was taken. Then: Now:
