Volume 18, Issue 26, 2005 HISTORICALLYHISTORICALLY JEFFCOJEFFCO 1 Contents John Brisben Walker, 4 the Man and Mt. Morrison By Sally L. White Morrison’s Second Centennial 9 By Sally L. White HISTORICALLYHISTORICALLY JEFFCOJEFFCO The Brickmaker’s House 14 By Rick Gardner Celebrating 100 Years at 16 Lutheran Medical Center By Roberta Bhasin and Carol Salzman The Good Eagle: Robert O. 20 Lindneaux, Painter of the West By Milly Roeder Moving Norm’s Historic 25 Buildings By Milly Roeder Hall of Fame 2005: 28 Connie Fox Hall of Fame 2005: 29 Reverend Arthur Lakes Three Town Founders on the JCHC Publications Committee North Fork 30 Erlene Hulsey-Lutz, Chair By Lee Heideman Nina Kite, Vice Chair Milly Roeder, Editor, A Small Homestead 34 Historically Jeffco By Virginia Faluso Published by Jefferson County Great Memories of Red Rocks 36 Historical Commission (JCHC) By Alex Jorgensen Volume 18, Issue 26, 2005 ISSN 1532-6047 Jeffco Landmark Designations 38 Front Cover: Nurses stand on the History of East Street 40 front porch of the Chapel of the By Rick Gardner Good Samaritan A Dream Realized 42 This page: Morrison Town Band By Carolyn Tibbles at Red Rocks, circa 1910 Cover pictures courtesy of McIlvoy House Restoration 44 Lutheran Medical Center Volunteers By Kim Grant Design and Layout by FinePrint Golden, CO 2 HISTORICALLYHISTORICALLY JEFFCOJEFFCO Society Historical courtesyPhoto of Morrison 3 Photos courtesy of Greg Smith courtesyPhotos of Greg J.B. Walker and his sons by his first wife, Emily Strother Walker. Oldest son, J.B. Walker, Jr., became Morrison’s mayor in 1908. He also ran the Mt. Morrison Casino. John Brisben Walker, the Man and Mt. Morrison By Sally L. White Early Years in Colorado Catholic school in Morrison for its first session.3 uch has been written alker moved to Denver with his By the early 1890s, in 1888 about J.B. Walker, Wfirst wife, Emily Strother Walker, by some reports, Walker had returned “Jefferson County’s and young family in 1879-80. At the to New York to manage his latest Mwonder man,” a visionary and time of their marriage in 1870, they acquisition, Cosmopolitan Magazine. entrepreneur who has become a were said to be the handsomest couple The last of the couple’s eight children legend of local history in the 74 in the valley in Virginia. At 23, he had was born there in 1890. Besides reviving years since his death.1 New family already attended Georgetown College the magazine, Walker assisted the records and other documents and the Military Academy at West Point development and promotion of the add a dimension to his life and and was a veteran of the Chinese Army.2 automobile and the airplane, reportedly relationships here that have been He came to Colorado at the request offering his acquaintances, the Wright little reported, and generate more of the Department of Agriculture, to Brothers, room on his estate for their lines for investigation while also demonstrate the potential for irrigated work. As part of his promotion of the helping us understand his influence agriculture in what seemed to most to automobile, he founded the Automobile on the area in the early years of the be the “arid West.” In 1884, he enrolled Manufacturers Association and, with 20th century. his two oldest sons in the brand-new his son Justin, became the first person 4 to attempt to scale Pikes Peak by auto, Casino, including the opening of the ranges, freedom from smoke; cool reaching the 11,000 foot level.4 swimming pool to the public, as early as nights in summer and bright, warm, Walker sold Cosmopolitan July 1908.7 sunshiny days in winter.” So enthused to William Randolph Hearst in 1905 Much of the property Walker a brochure the Colorado Power, for a reported one million dollars.5 He bought in Jefferson County was Water, Railway, and Resort Company soon invested his considerable profit in purchased in the name of (or turned published in 1909.9 Of the town, this the acquisition of land near Morrison, over to) his newest ventures: the public-relations piece reported that including a large area of the red Colorado Resort Co., which purchased “It will be the aim to build a second sandstone outcrops he hoped to make the Mt. Morrison Hotel/Casino; Colorado Springs to be within half popular. Enthralled with the spectacular and the Colorado Power, Water, an hour of Denver’s stores, churches, scenery of the foothills and potential for Railway, and Resort Co., a company schools and theaters. A summer or development, he turned his inventive he established for the Red Rocks winter home near enough to get to mind to new ventures. enterprise. Walker personally owned early business in Denver.” several undeveloped but platted blocks By that time, the “railway to “Mt. Morrison: An All-the-Year- at the south side of town, part of which the peak” was nearly complete, and the Round Resort” is now home to the town’s new (in company’s brochure extols the glories of the trip to alker the top (see Whimself sidebar on moved to next page). Morrison, Walker returning planned to from the east dedicate Historic Postcard courtesy Postcard Historic with a new McKinney of Jan the Mt. bride, Ethel Morrison Richmond Incline Rail Walker, and Road on their four July 31st of children. She that year, had been his extending secretary at invitations Cosmopolitan, to 800 and prominent Coloradoans, continued Mt. Morrison Casino as it appeared around 1910. This grand hotel, to be a great built by former Governor Evans in 1874, was demolished in 1982. including the supporter governor.10 of his The grand dreams. They moved into a house on 1984) post office but most of which opening culminated two years of work the outskirts of Morrison, strategically remains undeveloped. Properties on Mt. on the steep project, but such were located at the base of his new holdings Falcon, bought for his new home and the wonders of Morrison’s climate that on Mt. Falcon. The 4,000 acres he his proposed Summer White House, during the period from October 1907 bought in the Morrison area included were also listed on the county tax rolls to April 1908, there were “only three large areas of Mt. Falcon and Red under Colorado Resort Co. ownership days and two hours during which Rocks, but it is unlikely he ever owned, by 1910.8 the workmen on the mountain side, as is often reported, “the entire town From 1906 to 1928, when constructing the ‘Railway to the Peak,’ of Morrison.”6 In 1909, he added to Red Rocks Park was purchased by the were not at work.” his holdings when he purchased the City of Denver, he worked tirelessly to Among the workers Walker property of Sacred Heart College from promote the Foothills as a destination had hired for this huge undertaking his friends, giving it a new name, the for tourists and a haven where weary were representatives of many Mt. Morrison Casino. Although this city dwellers could refresh themselves. Morrison families. Manley Sawyer, transaction officially occurred in 1909, “To the visitor Mount Tom Matthews, and others assisted according to records at Regis University Morrison offers a dry, invigorating the project, and its progress and archives, the Jefferson Co. Graphic atmosphere, the most life-giving on the challenges were tracked weekly in announced events at the Mt. Morrison continent; water direct from the snowy the Jefferson Co. Graphic throughout 5 the summer of 1908 (see sidebar). across the country to Morrison, showed The Railway to the Peak Walker also hired Morrison them the spectacles of Red Rocks residents to work on his other projects, and the Denver Mountain Parks, and From the Jefferson County Graphic from building the dance pavilion in tirelessly promoted the glories of the the Park, to hauling materials to the foothills of Jefferson County. His Manley Sawyer and Tom Matthews top of Mt. Falcon for his new home efforts won success in 1912, when he are engaged in hauling rails to the there, to stabling and caring for his persuaded the Denver City Council to Mt. Morrison Incline railroad this week horses. Single-handedly, he must have develop a system of mountain parks May 30, 1908 provided a boon to the entire local to take advantage of the refreshing economy. George “Pete” Morrison, scenery and environment of the area Over 25 men are now employed on grandson of the town’s founder, near Morrison and Evergreen. For this, the Mt. Morrison Incline railroad reported to Georgina Brown that he he is rightly known as the “Father of the and the work is being rapidly pushed and his brothers were hired to work Mountain Parks.” toward completion. About 1000 on Walker’s new “castle” home on Mt. We sense Walker’s public feet of the road grade is complete, Falcon. According to Pete’s unpublished relations touch also in a proposal to ready for the rails and ties, and a memoirs, this change the name few feet of tracks has already been would have been of the town’s post laid. The roadbed for the remainder of the distance is partially graded. about 1909- office in 1908. One cannot imagine the enormity 10; the boys Although it seems of such an undertaking without also worked on Morrison itself viewing the scene of operations and remodeling the never adopted it is well worth your while to take Sacred Heart the change, the a walk over the steep incline, which College back into post office did is to become one of Colorado’s a hotel about the become known greatest achievements in railroad same time.11 officially as “Mt.