Towns of Routt County

History & Genealogy>Towns of Routt County

Routt County was created in 1877 and named after John Long Routt, the last territorial and first state governor of Colorado. Today Routt County is the home to nine towns. It's econmic base is mining, ranching, and tourism.

Clark
Columbine
Hahns Peak
Hayden
Milner
Mount Harris
Oak Creek
Phippsburg
Steamboat Springs
Yampa

Clark

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Clark began as a stage stop in the early 1880's and was named for Worthington Clark, co-partner in the operation of the stage stop. It became a small scattered community as ranching and mining activity in the area developed. In 1902 Jim Norvell built the Congregational Church near the Whitmer Ranch. The first store, post office and log schoolhouse were located in the same area until 1914. The store was run by a blind man named Cessna until 1914 when the store, post office and a telephone exchange were built on the Elk River at the Glen Eden Bridge in a building which still stands. The Clark school was built at its present location in 1915. In the early 1940's owner, Jim Sayers, built a new store and post office a mile south, just across the road from the present Clark Store. The telephone exchange was moved to the switchboard in Steamboat Springs in the 1940's but the store remained until it burned in the late 1950's. The Clark community included various sawmills, a blacksmith shop at the old Glen Eden store, and a community hall built in 1912 by the Woodmen of the World near the Whitmer Ranch which stood until the early 1920's. The hill above the Whitmer Ranch is the site of Clark's Pioneer Cemetery which contains the graves of many Elk River families.

The Clark store is still a popular stopping place for visitors traveling up CR#129 to Steamboat Lake and North Routt county. They are well known for their ice cream in the summer time.

Source: The Historical Guide to Routt County, copyright 1979 by The Tread of Pioneers Museum

Columbine

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Columbine was named for Colorado's state flower. The Columbine Mining Camp is listed on the Colorado Inventory of Historic Sites. It developed as a result of gold finds at higher elevations, travel over The Laramie Trail and the opening of a new road from the railhead at Rawlins. The camp probably started in 1880 or 1881 but it was not until 1897 that James R. Caron laid out an 11 acre townsite. A restored saloon and general store are reminders of a bustling mining camp that served as a major way-stop for travelers, stages and mail deliveries from Routt County's nearest railroad 115 miles to the north.

Two mines flourished:

The Master Key Mine operated until 1936 and is listed on the Colorado Inventory of Historic Sites. Manager, Tom E. Kleckner, who dyed his whiskers red and claimed that "nothing is done except by doing" is said to have chased his wife from the cabin at the mine to Columbine with a butcherknife because she could not locate the gold lode for him. Major discoveries were not recorded until 1919. Reports indicate that this is the only mine in northwestern Colorado where workers were ordered to drill through a solid vein of silver in search of a lode.

The Minnie D Mine was one of the most productive mines in the Columbine area and was named for Dan Stukey's first wife. Stukey's brother, Chris, an oldtime Routt County miner, owned and operated the mine at one time. In 1906 new rails were laid in the mine to correct unsafe conditions. The mine is still worked sporadically.

Source: The Historic Guide to Routt County, copyright 1979 by The Tread of Pioneers Museum

Hahns Peak

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Hahns Peak is Routt County's oldest permanent town and was the county seat for 35 years. It was named for German immigrant, Joseph Hahn who spelled his name Henn but pronounced it Hahn, and the misspelling has been perpetrated in the name of both mountain and town. Hahn came to Colorado in 1860 prospecting first around Georgetown, then in Middle and North Parks, and finally finding traces of gold while working the headwaters of Willow Creek in the fall of 1862. The Civil War delayed his return to the area until 1865 when he was accompanied by Captain George Way and William A. Doyle. The trio returned in 1866 with a party of 50 to 60 men who, due to a late start, did not arrive until August. By the first of October the miners had left for the East Slope and only Hahn, Way and Doyle remained at the peak. Captain Way was selected to go for the winter supplies necessary to maintain the camp, and the tragic events that followed dimmed any hopes of a major gold rush to northwestern Colorado. Taking all the gold in the camp in order to purchase supplies, Captain Way never returned. Hahn and Doyle survived on wild game until April 22, 1867 when they abandoned the peak on snow shoes. Doyle was rescued, snow blind and near death, by three men wintering near the present site of Kremmling. Hahn collapsed and died on the banks of Muddy Creek in Middle Park on April 30, 1867 but was not found until November 1867, when he was buried. The grave site, marked by a broken snowshoe, which has long since vanished, remains unknown.

In 1868 an early explorer, Bibleback Brown stumbled upon the remains of Hahn's camp and while drunk in Wyoming confided his discovery to Bill Slater. During the spring of 1870 Brown and Slater began sluicing operations on Willow Creek at the base of Hahns Peak and by the end of the year other miners were working placer claims in the area. A second mining district, the Hans Peak Mining District, was formed. The first major operation to employ miners was launched in 1875 on "String Ridge" at the head of Ways Gulch by Chicago entrepreneur John V. Farwell and his partner B. G. Jacobs. Robert McIntosh built a 27 mile ditch from the north fork of the Elk River to the mining site at a cost of $160,000 per mile. Neither the ditch nor the Continental Mining Company paid off and Farwell sold out to a banker in Rawlins who financed and resold the operation to Robert McIntosh.

International Camp, the first gold camp in Routt County, was established by Farwell to house his miners, who called it Bug Town because of the "big bugs" - Farwell and his wealthy eastern friends who were frequent visitors. International Camp was also called National City and had a boarding house. Saloons, dancing and gambling were prohibited. The first post office in the newly created county opened at International Camp in 1877. A bar was the term used to describe an area of placer mining: Arizona Bar, Ways Bar, Poverty Bar, etc. Poverty Flats, the village, became the town of Hahns Peak.

The total yield from the Hahns Peak area is estimated at little more than $500,000 to $600,000 despite the excitement caused by placers, mines and sprouting new camps.The three major mining operations at Hahns Peak were Poverty Bar Placer Mine, Royal Flush Mine and Tom Thumb.

By 1912 when Steamboat Springs was named the county seat, after a bitter struggle, Hahns Peak was dying. Placer mining was not producing significant amounts of gold. There was no "mother lode" and transportation over mountain roads was poor and with snow, impassable. Hahns Peak never became a true ghost town though and some cabins at the original townsite have been maintained, primarily for summer use.

Special Places
Hahns Peak Cemetery
Hahns Peak Schoolhouse
Judges' House
Larson House
Mahler Cabin
Nate Hall House
Neuman Bishop House
Sandhoffer Houses
Wither Cabin

Source: The Historical Guide to Routt County, copyright 1979 by The Tread of Pioneers Museum.

Hayden

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Major James B. Thompson and Porter M. Smart, who reportedly ran an Indian trading post in 1875, were the first white settlers in the region. Both filed homestead claims in 1876, and Thompson, who moved his family to the area the following year, is credited with naming Hayden for Professor Ferdinand V. Hayden. Hayden had camped in the area while exploring, mapping and surveying for the federal government in 1873 and referred to the site as Haydenville on his maps.

When Routt County was created in January 1877, four men had established claims and built homes for their families in the Hayden area. Because two of those men, Gordon C. Smart and Thomas Iles, were appointed temporary County Commissioners by the Governor, the first meeting of the Board of County Commisiioners was held in a log cabin on the Walker Ranch near the present townsite. Hayden continued to serve as the county seat until 1879 when records were moved to Hahn's Peak.

Hayden did not grow rapidly. Threats of Indian problems in the aftermath of the 1879 Meeker Massacre discouraged homesteading. The first mail route and post office for the area did not open until 1882, the same year a temporary store and school were established near the S. B. Reid Ranch on Dry Creek. The first permanent school started classes eight years later. Hayden began to expand only after William Walker and his son Martin laid out the townsite on part of their ranch in 1894. E. D. Smith built the Central Hotel; a blacksmith shop and saloon opened; and by 1896 town limits included the first store and a large hall where dances were held downstairs and lodge meetings upstairs. By 1902 two major stores, both of which operated banks, supplied the Hayden Valley.

At the turn of the century Hayden flourished. The Edison School was completed in 1900. That same year the Babson Coal Company began supplying area residents with coal from a mine south of Hayden. The Routt County Republican began printing on a press freighted in from the railroad at Wolcott in June 1903. In 1906 Hayden was incorporated and R. E. Norvell was elected its first mayor.

The Hayden Concrete, Gas and Electric Company formed in 1910. A water system was completed in 1913 and a sewer system in 1919. By 1915 the town boasted 714 people, two general stores with banks, three livery barns, three blacksmiths, two hotels, a newspaper, church and school, one doctor and four surveyors. "The Pump" provided access to a deep, pure water well in the middle of the main thoroughfare, Walnut Street. Two major landmarks were erected during the 1920's. The first was the Solandt Memorial Hospital, built as a tribute to the only physician in Hayden between 1897 and 1916. Dr. John V. Solandt was killed in 1916 when his Ford overturned on a steep hill while returning from a call in Trull. The second was the Hayden Union High School which was a huge two story structure which became the center of community life. It included a swimming pool, and meeting and social facilities for young and old alike. The Hayden Valley Transfer, a livery stable, survived until the 1940's when Ripley's Belive It or Not hailed it as the only livery in operation on U. S. Hwy. 40, from coast to coast.

The railroad arrived in 1913 solving the areas transportation problems. Regular service began on December 1, 1913; the telegraph line was completed in August 1914; and the depot was built in 1918. The railroad assured prosperity to Hayden's catttle and grain operations.

The growth in energy production impacted the little ranch town. In 1960 Colorado Ute launched construction of coal-fired electric plants which were fired in 1965 and 1977. Hayden's population almost doubled between 1970 and 1977 when it reached 1,362. Much of the growth is attributable to existing and planned coal development in the area.

Yampa Valley Regional Airport (YVRA) is owned and operated by Routt County, Colorado. YVRA (Airport Code HDN) is the only commercial service airport serving all of Northwest Colorado and is located just east of the Town of Hayden.

Special Events

Routt County Fair: Since it was first held in September 1914, the three-day festival has expanded to include an annual September rodeo, parade, barbecue and 4-H auction. It was organized in 1913 by the Routt County Fair and Racing Association which purchased the 37-acre fairgrounds adjoining the town of Hayden where events are still held.

Source: The Historical Guide to Routt County, copyright 1979 by The Tread of Pioneers Museum.

Photo courtesy Hayden Heritage Center.

Early Hayden [Click here to view full size picture]

Milner

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Milner was named for merchant and banker F. E. Milner who settled here in 1898. The town served as supply headquarters for surrounding coal mines for over 50 years. Well before cattle ranching became the county's major industry and well before any other farmers in the area, the Hitchens brothers, James, Billy and Joe, began to raise grain in the area in the early 1900's.

The Moffat Road arrived in Milner in 1910, three years after F. E. Milner imported the town's first automobile from Denver. The town sported a store and recreation hall, barber shop, bakery and school by 1912.

Today Milner is a residential community and is experiencing growth with new residentail development.

Source: The Historical Guide to Routt County, copyright 1979 by The Tread of Pioneers Museum

Mount Harris

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The townsite of former Mount Harris is located on Hwy. 40 between MM 114 and MM 115 between Milner and Hayden, Colorado. The community began to be settled in June 1914 when brothers, George and Byron Harris opened the first mine at the mouth of Bear River Canyon. The Colorado-Utah Coal Co. mine was situated on the south side of the river, and a large conveyor carried coal across the Yampa to the tipple and railroad cars. The Town of Mount Harris became the hub of activity for three additional mining camps: The Victor American Fuel Co., The Pinnacle-Kemmer Co., and Bear River. By 1916 Mount Harris was a nationally recognized model company town. A large sandstone building housed the company offices, a general store, post office, drug store, barbershop and pool hall. Main street also sported three boarding houses, the Colburn Hotel, a church, offices for two doctors, a fire department and a community center for meetings, Saturday night dances and movies. A unique two-level filling station served US 40 from the top floor and Mount Harris residents from the lower floor. By 1920 Mount Harris was not only the largest town in the county with 1,295 residents but boasted a two story outdoor bandstand.

One of the worst mine disasters in Colorado occurred at Mount Harris on January 27, 1942 when a methane gas explosion in the Wadge Tunnel killed 34 miners. Four survived the tragedy. Most of the dead were buried at Hayden because Mount Harris did not have a cemetery. The end of the 1940's and the availability of petroleum brought an end to the need for coal to power locomotives and industrial plants in the east. The Victor American Camp shut down in the early 1950's and on May 20, 1958 the Mount Harris Mine closed. In order to avoid taxes, the company dismanteled the town and auctioned off all the buildings, some of which are still in use throught the county. Only a few sidewalks and foundations remain today.

On August 19, 1990 an Historical Marker was dedicated at the former townsite of Mount Harris by the Mt. Harris Committee Members and the Last Frontier Group.

Source: The Historical Guide to Routt County, copyright 1979 by The Tread of Pioneers Museum.
History of Hayden and West Routt County, 1876 - 1989, copyright 1990 by Curtis Media Corp., Hayden Heritage Center Museum

Photo courtesy of Roger Cusick

Mount Harris Historical Marker [Click here to view full size picture]

Oak Creek

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Oak Creek was created by coal. Even before the railroad arrived, the economic and social life of south Routt County was clearly linked to the development of "Routt County Gold." Small wagon mines opened as early as 1887 when William Mahoney and homesteaders John and Henry Meyers pioneered wagon mining at a site just outside of the present town.

In 1907 three businessmen from the Cripple Creek area: Sam Bell, John Sharpe and D. C. Williams, bought the B. G. Schuster Ranch at the head of Oak Creek Canyon in order to lay out a townsite. The trio formed the Oak Creek Town, Land and Mining Company and filed a town plat. On December 26, 1907 Oak Creek was incorporated and three additions were filed in the following four years.

By 1908 the town boasted 50 residents, a store owned by Sam Bell and a store and post office run by Miss Pepple, the first postmistress. For a short while the town was called Belltown for brothers Sam and Ed Bell, but the thick scrub oak on the banks of the creek running through the town prompted the official name.

Oak Creek boomed only after the railroad reached town in January 1909. By that time the town was home to 200 residents and included the two general stores, the Pacific Hotel, a lumber yard, short order restaurant, two barber shops, two saloons, a pool hall, livery stable, laundry, drug store and dairy. That same year the first church, the Methodist-Episcopal Church, and first school were built.

By 1915 Oak Creek was becoming a melting pot, attracting men from all over the world to work its rich coal deposits. A stroll through the cemetery finds stones inscribed in many languages, reflecting the many nationalities of the families who lived and worked in area mining camps. The town grew to 2,000 residents, three churches and more than 30 businesses of which six were saloons. Electricity was provided by the Perry Mine and water and sewer services by a municipally owned system. A hospital and school for 160 elementary and high school students were built on the hill above town.

Oak Creek made a serious bid for the county seat in 1912. The town offered the county free land on which to build a courthouse and housing for government officials. Despite predictions of success, the town lost the election to Steamboat Springs by 700 votes.

Nationwide labor problems weakened Oak Creek's coal industry in the late 1910's and early 1920's. Production slumped and Theodore Lucero spearheaded early efforts to unionize around 1910. The first strike occurred in 1913; and the militia was called in, camping on the hill where the present high school is located.

From 1926 until the Depression Oak Creek again boomed. Businesses prospered and the Hickory Flats "red light district" flourished. During the Depression the mines cut back and many closed. The mines at Oak Creek and the town died together.

Today Oak Creek is a busy and active community and is experiencing a surge of residential development.

The Mines At Oak Creek

Arrowhead
Haybro
Juniper
Keystone
Moffat
Pinnacle
White City

Source: The Historic Guide to Routt County, copyright 1979 by The Tread of Pioneers Museum

Phippsburg

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Before Alexander Gray homesteaded at the site of the present town in 1883 it was called Wilson and contained enough residents to contribute an election board plus one voter to 1882 county elections.

By 1884 a post office and school were opened and a water-powered lumber mill was in operation, but the town has never incorporated.

In 1900 when the Gray Ranch was sold to the Moffat Railroad, the town provided housing for the work crews, a roundhouse to service locomotives and a division headquarters. Wilson was renamed Phippsburg in honor of Colorado United States Senator Lawrence O. Phipps (1921-31) who was instrumental in bringing the railroad into northwest Colorado.

In 1910 the Perry Mine at Oak Creek opened a boarding house and built homes for miners because the town of Oak Creek would not provide housing; a special "dinky train" carried employees to and from the mine. Railroaders were relieved of both tension and cash at a gambling house-saloon which operated 24 hours a day.

Phippsburg grew from 527 to 716 between the 1930 and 1940 census and became a center for railroad repairs and services as well as the main shipping point for south Routt coal, vegetables and cattle.

Source: The Historical Guide to Routt County, copyright 1979 by The Tread of Pioneers Museum

Steamboat Springs

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For hundreds of years, the Steamboat Springs area was the summer hunting grounds for the Ute Indians. In the early 1800's, white trappers passed through the area spreading word of the lush grass and mineral springs. In 1875, James Harvey Crawford, a Civil War veteran from Sedalia, Missouri, brought his young family to be the first permanent settlers in Steamboat Springs.

The Crawfords and the Utes lived peacefully in the area, until the Meeker Massacre motivated the government to relocate the Indians to a reservation in eastern Utah. Other pioneer families settled in the area, and in 1884,Crawford convinced some Boulder, Colorado, investors to assist in the organization of the Steamboat Springs Town site. By the time the town was incorporated in 1900, there were about 1000 residents.

The natural hot springs attracted tourists after the railroad was completed in 1908. Ranches near the town shipped thousands of head of cattle on the new transportation system. Short lived mining operations in gold, silver, and onyx gave away to the much more lucrative coal extractions. Routt County continues today as Colorado's leading coal producer.

Norwegian stonemason, Carl Howelsen, arrived in 1912 and introduced "skiing for fun" starting the Winter Carnival and Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club. Historic Howelsen Hill still remains today as the premier producer of Winter Olympians. The large ski area on Mt. Werner opened in the 1960's.

Steamboat Springs is now a world-class ski resort, a high producing coal-mining area, hunting and fishing mecca, and an active Western ranching community. In the last century, the population of the town has increased ten fold.

TIMELINE OF STEAMBOT SPRINGS HISTORY

Over 10,000 years ago, primitive hunters sought big game in the area. Later the Northern Utes were the primary summer residents hunting wild game and bathing in the therapeutic hot springs.

Middle 1800's - Trappers, mountain men, and pathfinders crossed the area. French trappers named the area "Steamboat Springs" for the distinctive chugging sound of one of the springs.

Mid to late 1800's - Gold and silver miners were active in the area, but coal proved to be more lucrative, and remains so today. Ranching was developing as a prime industry and remains important still.

1865-Hahns Peak was established and served as the county seat from 1879 until 1912.

1875-Colonel James Crawford, a retired military man from Missouri, built the first white settler's cabin in Steamboat Springs on a piece of land that he had staked the previous summer. Late in the summer of 1875, he brought his family to live on the banks of the Yampa River.

1876- Colorado became a state.

1877-Routt County was officially created.

1881 - Following the Meeker Massacre, the Utes were permanently removed to a Utah reservation.

1888 - Major stage routes extended into the Steamboat Springs area.

1900 - The town of Steamboat Springs was incorporated.

1900 - Electricity and the telephone were available.

1908 The railroad reached Steamboat Springs.

1909 - The large Cabin Hotel was built in Steamboat Springs to accommodate train passengers who came to visit the town's warm springs.

1912 - The county seat was moved to Steamboat Springs.

1912 - Carl Howelsen, "the father of recreational skiing in Colorado", arrived in Steamboat Springs.

1913- The first Winter Carnival was held for locals on Woodchuck Hill.

1913 - The first session was held at the Perry-Mansfield Camp

1914 - The Steamboat Springs Ski Club established. It was later called the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club and remains the oldest ski club west of the Mississippi.

1914 - A summer road was opened over Rabbit Ears Pass.

1914 - Carl Howelsen organized a larger Winter Carnival to attract tourists and held it at a new location now known as Howelsen Hill.

1932 - John Steele was Steamboat Springs first Olympian competed in the jumping event in Lake Placid. Since then Steamboat Springs has sent 53 more athletes to the Olympics: more than any other community in the country.

1947 - Steamboat Springs was dubbed "Ski Town, USA" declaring that of the 1700 residents, 1685 were skiers.

1956 - Exploration and study was begun to establish a major ski area east of the town of Steamboat Springs.

1959 - The Tread of Pioneers Museum was founded.

1960's - Routt County became the leading producer of coal in Colorado.

1961 - The large ski area opened its first lift, Cub Claw, on Storm Mountain.

1964 - Buddy Werner, an Olympic skier and Steamboat's favorite son, was killed in an Austrian avalanche. Storm Mountain was renamed Mt. Werner in his honor.

1969 - The Mt. Werner Ski area was sold by local owners to a large corporation, and a $10,000,000 upgrade and expansion was started. It has been sold four times since then.

1972 - Steamboat Springs was being considered as the Nordic site for the 1976 Olympics. Mysteriously the 90-meter jump burned: Colorado voters later denied hosting the 1976 Winter Games in the state.

1973 - "The mountain village" was annexed to the town, doubling the geographic size. Later that year a home rule charter was accepted.

In the two decades since the 1970's, Steamboat Springs has experienced growth in population and valuation. The area continues to be a leading coal producer, an active ranching community, and a year around recreation resort.

Yampa

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Yampa is the gateway to the Flattop Mountains. Originally named Egeria, Yampa was first inhabited by white men as a hunting camp. Peter Simon, Sam Fix and Henry Crawford filed the first claims in 1881. Both Simon and Fix owned the Antlers property at separate times between 1910 and 1913. The town was renamed Yampa in 1886 after the many yampa plants that grew in the area. Yampa, from 1880 to 1900, was a shipping center for goods hauled by horse-drawn wagons from the railroad in Wolcott to the homesteaders and farmers in the Steamboat Springs area and Hamilton. The first school was established in 1885. The first store, Hernage’s was established in 1886, as was the first inn, which was the site of the Montgomery Ranch. That same year, a sawmill was in operation alongside the Yampa River. By 1902, approximately 400 people lived in the town of Yampa, the same number that lives here today. They were providing services to the homesteaders and ranchers, railroad workers, timber crews and coal miners who worked close by. By 1902, three sawmills and a brickyard were in operation. By the time Yampa was incorporated in 1906, there were 12 sawmills. The Monte Cristo (later, the Grand) and the Antlers Hotels were built next to each other on Moffat Avenue in 1902 or 1903. This was and still is the main street through town. Both hotels were later destroyed by fire. Moffat Avenue was part of the main stage line from Wolcott to Steamboat and the stage stopped at the Antlers Hotel and Saloon. The street was built double the width as it is today to accommodate daily business, the stagecoaches, rodeos, horseraces, and July 4th celebrations. It was also wide enough for the cattle and sheep drives that headed to the stock pens on the railroad line just east of the town.

By 1908, the railroad stopped in Yampa on its way from Denver to Craig and eventually replaced the stagecoach. The railroad brought tourists to visit Trapper’s Lake in the Flattops and sportsmen to fish and hunt in the area. In response to the growing number of tourists, Yampa’s third hotel, the Royal Hotel, was built in 1910. It remains just east of the Antlers on the other side of Moffat Avenue. The railroad also made it possible to transport to other parts of the country the large lettuce and spinach crops, which were produced in the meadows around Yampa. However, by the 1950’s Yampa could not compete with the California and Arizona produce markets. A few bad growing years and a dwindling labor pool also led to the final decline of Yampa’s lettuce industry.

The population of Yampa has remained at approximately 400 people since the early 1900’s. Cattle, sheep and hay now support the local economy, along with the income that comes from tourism. Yampa continues today as a friendly, rural, family-oriented town.