Penrose History

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Boy With the Boot 2

STATUE OF BOY WITH A BOOT 2

The story of the little boy is not known for sure. He may have been a drummer boy in the Civil War who brought water in his leaky boot for thirsty wounded soldiers. The statue is a monument to his caring and dedication.

There are only 24 known statues of the Little Boy in the world. He is made of bronze and is now owned by the Senior Citizens of Penrose. In the Spring of 2005, he was presented to the Penrose School and has a place of honor in a glass display case at the new school.

Boy With the Boot 1

STATUE OF BOY WITH A BOOT 1

On 13 November 1915, Spencer and Julie Penrose presented a statue of a little boy holding a leaky boot to the citizens of Penrose. Main Street was filled with citizens of Penrose and the surrounding areas. The hitching posts were full of horses that people rode into town and wagons lined the streets. The crowd was delighted to see Mr. and Mrs. Penrose and all were dressed in their Sunday best.

School children led a parade, held banners and flags, and sang songs. Old soldiers also marched in the parade and many speeches were given. The flag was raised during the ceremony. The statue was placed at the intersection of Broadway and Fremont streets. It stood on a small pedestal inside a larger fountain surrounded by a white metal picket fence. Water spouted from the toe of the boy’s leaky boot and fell into the fountain below.

Playing on Beaver Creek

PLAYING ON BEAVER CREEK

These photos were given to me by descendants of families who lived on Beaver Creek. I love the
"Hat Ladies" and the happy children.

STONE HOUSE BUILT BY THE TOOF BROTHERS

This building is still standing south of Highway 50, south of Beaver Creek. It may have been flooded in 1921 and abandoned. I was able to hike there with the permission of HOLCIM, who owns the property, in Oct. 2007. The map is from the late 1890s and shows the settlement of Toof where Beaver Creek empties into the Arkansas River.

Dance at the Rowland Barn

THE DANCE AT ROLAND BARN IN PENROSE COLORADO.

This photo shows a barn dance at the Rowland Farm in Penrose around the turn of the century. It is unknown exactly where the Rowlands lived but their name does show up in the City Directory.

Neighbors, family and friends came together to have an evening of old-fashioned fun. People brought their fiddles and guitars to make and share music. The women brought cakes, pies, cookies, coffee, and lemonade. Everyone dresses in their Sunday best, including the children. Women wore beautiful lace-trimmed dresses and the men wore suits and ties.
Notice all the different ages. If a square dancer caller was in the vicinity, he was invited too. A good time was had by all with dancing, eating and visiting.

The Kirkwood Memorial Presbyterian Church

THE KIRKWOOD MEMORIAL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

In the early 1900’s, people had to travel to Florence or Canon City to attend church services. In 1908, Mr. Ben Taylor met with other citizens of Penrose to establish a church. Construction of the church began in October 1908 and it was almost finished in December 1909, when the whole building was mostly destroyed by a storm.
This was very disheartening to the congregation because they had little money and the winter weather was quite cold. By May 1909, the little church was completed and on 30 May 1909, the Kirkwood Memorial Presbyterian Church was dedicated. It was completely paid for and had 17 members.
It was named in memory of Rev. Thomas C. Kirkwood DD of Colorado Springs, who helped with building and financing the new church.
There were other church services by various religions, but this was the first church building in Penrose. In 1937-38, an addition was built to the original building.

Penrose Beaver & Northern Railroad 2

PENROSE BEAVER & NORTHERN RAILROAD 2

On 1 June 1909, the first passenger train roared into Penrose, with important visitors from Colorado Springs and Cripple Creek, with Spencer Penrose as their leader. The depot was located north of Penrose, and the tracks went through the downtown section, then over present day Highway 50 and on to the Denver and Rio Grande tracks by the Arkansas River, south of Penrose. This station was named Beaver.

The railroad did not make lots of money and only lasted for 10 years. By 1918, more automobiles were traveling over the roads and the production of fruits and vegetables was not as great.

The Early History of Penrose

The early history of Penrose began on the banks of Beaver Creek, east of present-day Penrose. In the early 1860’s, pioneers from Iowa settled along Beaver Creek with its lush grass, plentiful game, and wild fruit. The Callen family established a cattle ranch, while John Mc Clure built the Glendale House / Stagecoach Inn. This was a popular restaurant and hotel. Mail riders delivered and picked up mail, acquired fresh mounts, then continued south along the creek to the settlements of Toof, Juniper, and Woodruff. The stagecoach route handled passengers from Colorado Springs and Pueblo. Contrary to some tales, the Pony Express did not operate in Fremont County, although the mail was delivered on horseback.

Vegetable gardens flourished and the farmers made a lucrative trade hauling their produce up to the mining towns such as Alma, Fairplay, and Buckskin Joe. By 1910, the Census showed over 200 people living in Glendale, with almost 150 people living on lower Beaver Creek. Both settlements had a school, which also served as a church, cemeteries (both of which still exist), and Post Offices. Many ranched were established with over two-dozen cattle brands registered along Beaver Creek. Land patents of 40 acres or more, were granted to returning Civil War veterans, such as Lafayette Coffman who settled down with Mary Ellen Callen. Margaret Baldridge also lived on Beaver Creek, homesteading and ranching, which was unusual for the times. She even had her own cattle brand.

By the early 1900’s, the Beaver Creek area caught the eye of Spencer Penrose. He was a businessman in Colorado Springs, with a knack for making money. His fortune had been made from Cripple Creek gold and he decided there was money to be made in Beaver Creek water. He organized the “Beaver Land and Irrigation Company” and began buying water rights along the creek. By 1907, his company began building the Schaeffer Dam and Lake Mc Neil, which were west of present-day Highway 115. The project took over two years to complete and was a massive earth-moving enterprise. The monthly reports from the Schaeffer Dam Project, 1907 – 1909, are available for check-out in the Penrose Community Library

Penrose’s dream included the 722-acre platted town site of Fremont, at the same location of present Penrose. It was to be alcohol free, which is interesting because Spencer Penrose kept bootleg liquor in his private cellar during Prohibition. However, his grand ideas about the town and surrounding are never materialized. His original plans included three reservoirs west of Penrose, a railroad spur to transport produce and passengers, and an abundance of productive farms. The 1909 City Directory shows a full-page ad touting the town-site as well as a horticulturist whose services were available to “resident and non-resident owners to have their lands planted and cultivated under his direction, at cost”. Numerous irrigation ditches were dug and fruit orchards were planted. Local farmers grew melons, beets, tomatoes, string beans, spinach, squash, peas, and pumpkins.

In 1909, “Beaver, Land and Irrigation Company” built a railroad, named the “Beaver, Penrose, and Northern”. A spur was built from the cannery, southeast of present-day Apple Shed, and this 6 ½ mile line snaked through southeast Penrose and connected with the Denver and Rio Grande line that ran along the Arkansas River. “Beaver Station” was built north of downtown, while another station was established at the confluence of Beaver Creek and the Arkansas River, south of present-day Highway 120. The new railroad consisted of one locomotive engine and one passenger car. Additional cars were leased as needed. Residents of Penrose could now easily travel to Canon City and Pueblo. Produce was shipped as far away as Denver. “The Beaver, Penrose, and Northern” steadily lost money and in 1919, the line was abandoned. The tracks were torn up and used elsewhere, and neither station remains standing

In addition, Penrose and one of his partners, Charles McNeil, built a hotel that served as their business headquarters. The Pen-Mac hotel contained offices, a restaurant and housed a newspaper, the “Penrose Pioneer”, later named the “Penrose Press.” The upstairs contained apartments and “sleeping rooms. The Pen-Mac Hotel is still standing in downtown Penrose. In 1909, the Post Office had moved from Glendale on Beaver Creek, to the thriving downtown area.
The Penrose Mercantile, a pharmacy, lumber mill, and other businesses dotted Broadway Street in the early days. The Kirkwood Memorial Presbyterian Church was built in 1908, but was partially destroyed by a windstorm. It was rebuilt and dedicated in May 1909. It still stands on 5th Avenue. The citizens were grateful for the economic boost given by Penrose and proposed the Post Office now be called Penrose. The Beaver Park area became known as Penrose, even though the town was never incorporated.

The Penrose School District was established in 1908. In 1911, Glendale consolidated with Penrose and in 1916 the original Penrose School was built. Miss Louch was the first teacher in the original school and earned $50 a month. Her desk was a large wooden box with a nail keg for a chair, which she padded with the Montgomery Ward catalog. The first graduating class in 1918 consisted of five young ladies. Over the years, several additions were built and in 1959, Penrose School was consolidated with Fremont RE-2 School District. The Class of 1960 was the last graduating class and the alumni continue to hold yearly reunions. In 2005, a new addition was built which houses grades K – 5. The old original Penrose School is no longer used but is still standing at 100 Illinois Street.

Heavy rains fell in early June of 1921,and by June 4rd, cracks were appearing in the Schaeffer Dam. An urgent message was sent via horseback to all the settlers along Beaver Creek. Everyone heeded the call and took their livestock and as many household goods as possible to higher ground. On the morning of the 5th, the dam gave way and torrents of water raced downstream. The floodwaters continued from Beaver Creek down the Arkansas River all the way to Pueblo, where horrible flooding occurred. The fertile topsoil was washed away and most families did not return to the homesteads. No lives were lost and all the livestock were safe, but this was the end of the thriving settlements along Beaver Creek.

In 1916, Spencer Penrose bought a run-down hotel south of Colorado Springs, which became known as the Broadmoor. By this time, his business ventures in Penrose were not flourishing as he had hoped: the railroad lost money, the town lots did not sell, Schaeffer Dam was gone and the Broadmoor was much more alluring and lucrative. Spencer Penrose was a man who liked making money and being successful. Neither happened in the Beaver Park area and he considered it a failure. Indeed, there is little mention of the town that bears his name, Penrose, in his biographies and obituaries.

At present, Penrose is a rural town of about 6000 residents, and remains unincorporated. Brush Hollow Reservoir provides water and recreation, the new school addition is a source of pride and most residents enjoy incomparable views of Pikes Peak and the surrounding mountains. The old settlements along Beaver Creek have been reduced to rubble and are on private property. Lower Beaver Cemetery is accessible to the public off Highway 120, while Middle Beaver Cemetery is inaccessible. The old Glendale Stage Stop or Mc Clure House can be seen from the top of east 5th Street, but it is also on private land. The Pen-Mac Hotel proudly stands on Broadway Street in Penrose, while the Kirkwood Church quietly presides over the community. Penrose Community Library plans to include a Local History corner in its new building and the Penrose Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a “Centennial Celebration” in conjunction with the annual Apple Day in October 2009.

I am currently researching and writing a book about the early history of Penrose. If you have Penrose history you would like to share with me, I would like to hear from you. Historian Barbara Tuchman defines history as “simply a good story” and I’m convinced there are many good stories about the history of Penrose. Everyone needs to know their heritage in order to appreciate their own place in history. Please contact me @ 719-372-9675.