Colorado Things of the Past, Oct.25, 2022

 

Thing of the past ...

Milwaukee Brewing Co.
Creator: Collier, Joseph
Date: [1890-1900?] 
The Milwaukee Brewery Company was established in 1859 by James Endlich at 10th and Larimer Streets in Denver, Colorado. In 1860, the brewery was sold to John Good, who enlarged it and renamed it after the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen. In 1901, the brewery merged with the Union Brewing Company to form the Tivoli-Union Brewery. The plant shown here continued to operate until 1969, producing Denver Beer. Several horse-drawn wagons are on the dirt street in front of the building.
Colorado Restless Native note: After a forty-three-year absence, Tivoli Beer began flowing again in 2012. To further develop the revived brand, the brewery’s owners embarked upon a $3.5 million renovation of the old building (with the help of ($975,000 in State Historic Preservation Tax Credits) to serve as their brewery and tap house. The non-historic additions of the 1980s were removed, and the historic interior features were restored. New brewing equipment occupies the space where Tivoli’s original mash tuns and copper kettles once stood, according to the brewery's information. 
Denver Public Library Special Collections

  

Thing of the past ...

Glen Eyrie
Date: ca. 1903
Photographer: unknown
The tower at Glen Eyrie under construction. Scaffolding is visible inside and at building at left. A worker is visible on the roof on the left side of the building. Rocky cliffs are visible behind the building.
Location: Colorado Springs (Colo.)
Carl Mathews Collection, Pikes Peak Library District

Thing of the past ...
Ramona Hotel
Date: 1899-1901
Photographer: Stevens, F. P.
Ramona Hotel in Cascade, Colorado, showing open porches on side and large stairway at left. Pine trees are in foreground and treed hillside is behind. "Stevens Photo Colo. Springs, Colo." written on lower left of print.
Carl Mathews Collection, Pike Peak Library District

Thing of the past ...
The Lake at Green Mountain Falls
Creator: Jackson, William Henry, 1843-1942 
Green Mountain Falls resort in El Paso and Teller Counties, Colorado; shows a gazebo in the lake, boats, a boat house, the hotel, and an approaching Colorado Midland Railroad train.
W.H. Jackson Photograph and Publishing Co.
History Colorado

Thing of the past ...
Artus Van Briggle working in 1887 at Holmes Ranch, east of Colorado Springs. Boy in background is William C. Holmes and his dog "Curley." Photo from Pikes Peak Library District.

No respect for Ramona

County officials waged war against the vice in Ramona

 By Rob Carrigan, robcarrigan1@gmail.com
Named after Helen Hunt Jackson’s famous book, the Colorado town of Ramona is barely remembered -- though it never was able to command much respect.
“When General Palmer created Colorado Springs he stipulated there would be no boozing and sinning in his beautiful new city,” wrote Perry Eberhart in Ghosts of the Colorado Plains.
As result, most of the sinning and boozing occurred in Colorado City or Manitou Springs. But every so often, those cities would make efforts to “clean up” as well.
“In 1906, when the ‘decent folk’ swept Colorado City clean of all bordellos and other sin centers, the ‘gang’ moved just north of Colorado City. It was a scattered, shanty-type operation for a while, nothing substantial to shoot at by local officials,” said Eberhart.
By 1913, however, incorporation papers had been filed for the town of Ramona.
“There is no secret that the purpose of starting the new town is to have that town given over wholly to the perpetuation of the liquor traffic, and all of its attendant evils …” preached the Colorado City Iris at the time.
“Ramona, the new booze annex to Colorado City opened Monday Night in a blaze of glory, and according to the papers, ‘carriages met the cars at Fourth Street to carry patrons.’ But were the carriages on hand to haul them home – after the festivities ended,” noted the Colorado City Independent.
The town boundaries as they relate to present-day features were generally: on the south by St. Vrain Avenue, on the north by Cash La Poudre Street, the west a half block west of 26th Street and on the east by 23rd Street.
As an interesting side note, multiple sources including Ring Magazine lists boxing legend Jack Dempsey’s first official professional fight as taking place in Ramona on August 17, 1914, though many other sources credit him with additional forays as “Kid Blackie” in the mining camps of Colorado, Utah and Nevada. Dempsey fought Herman Young to a draw on that hot August day in Ramona.
Though county officials waged war against the vice in Ramona with frequent raids, arrests, fines and even an attempt to cut off its water source, it survived until January 6, 1916. Eventually, annexation and prohibition marked the end of the town of Ramona.
The Colorado City Independent wrote the obituary.
“No more will the musicians sit before the piano at Ramona and tickle the ivories, while men line up before the bar and keep time with the clink of glasses. No more will Colorado City officials be required to spend most of their time at the corner of Fourth and Colorado Avenue to act as a steering committee to pass the booze soaked hides, on down the line to Colorado Springs. The oasis has vanished from the desert and the thirsty souls must go to greener pastures or be satisfied with H2O,” lamented the Independent.

Ramona, during its wilder days in 1914.
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