118 Years Ago
The June 11, 1908 Colorado Transcript announced the opening day of the Castle Rock Resort. This was five years before the funicular railway was built. In 1908, visitors had two ways to reach the resort. A wagon road had been built across the top of the mesa. The special opening day price for a round trip to the summit was 25 cents. The other alternative was riding in a burro train. Both the stage and burros left from the Tramway depot at 13th and Washington.
The resort owner, Charles Quaintance, invited the Golden community to join him on Castle Rock to enjoy the sunset and looking over the lights of Denver. Mr. Quaintance had constructed a dancing pavilion on Castle Rock, “with a fine hard wood floor.” To celebrate the opening, dancing would be free all night. At 8 o’clock, Mayor Vivian would turn on the electric lights, “converting the top of the rock into a glaring tower of light, and opening the resort.”
The reason we have so many photos of people on burros is that Quaintance was a photographer. He took photos of tourists before they headed up the mountain and offered them for sale afterwards. The photo above features a big sign saying
PHOTO CARDS WITH BURROS
CASTLE ROCK IN BACKGROUND
4 FOR 50 CENTERS $1.00 per DOZ
Burros For Hire 35 cents per Hour
Trip To Castle Rock 50 cents
Lookout Mountain $1.00.
KODAKS for RENT
DEVELOPING AND PRINTING
