Photo of the original Elkhorn Lodge by Ken Jessen.
In the early 1870s, William James moved from New York to Colorado with his wife, Ella, and their three sons — Homer, Charles and Howard. (Baby Ella came along later.) William settled into cattle ranching and in 1874 built a small hunting lodge in order to take advantage of the hunters and sightseers who traveled up his way. Buildings were added over time including Estes Park’s first school, a ranch house, a coach house that over time was both a stage stop and casino, several cabins, a horse barn, dormitories, and a small chapel. The property is also the site of one of Colorado’s first golf courses.
As the oldest, continuously operating hotel in the state of Colorado, it was added to both the National and State Registers of Historic Places in 1978. But without a local preservation ordinance in Estes Park, the property is not protected against the possibility of demolition. In 2010 it was added to the Colorado Endangered Places list as development pressures, coupled with the fact that the property was on the market, brought home the reality that a developer could potentially raze the historic buildings.
In 2014, the Elkhorn Lodge received a State Historical Fund grant of $10,000 for the emergency stabilization of barns on the property. But the lodge remains on the market and its fate hangs in the balance.
Photo of the chapel at Elkhorn Lodge by Historic Larimer County member Ken Jessen.
Photo of the first schoolhouse in Estes Park by Historic Larimer County member Ken Jessen.
This article first appeared in the Historic Larimer County newsletter that was sent out on July 16, 2018.
Just visited The Elkhorn on Friday, June 26th. Not clear on why Estes Park is not helping to preserve this important piece of their history. As important as Stanley and it was saved and restored.
This is a beautiful landmark in the Estes Park area and without doubt must be protected from land developers.
We must save historical buildings and property.
I wish so desperately that I could own and operate this magnificent place. It is my favorite place on earth!!
I pray that this historic lodge is not torn down. It is the old places that remind all of us of the past.
I think the government needs to pay more attention to historical buildings and protect such structures from greedy developers at all costs. Many years will pass and it will be a real rarity!