Denver's Four Mile House

 As promised, we did return to the Four Mile Historical Park, on a day it was open. The name comes from the fact that the house, built in 1859, is exactly 4 miles from downtown Denver, at the corner of Colfax and Broadway. This roadway is part of the original Cherokee Trail, which was the major north/south highway through Colorado in the first three decades of the 19th century. The House wasn't built as a stage stop or inn, but did serve in that capacity various times in its history. Settlers came to the Denver area in search of gold, which was plentiful in the foothills of the Rockies. Inside this fence reside several horses, used to pull the wagons and stagecoaches used for festivities at the park during the summer.

 We were greeted by a friendly, but strange-looking goat named Betsy, who showed her teeth for a picture! She and her 2 cohorts had the freedom to roam the park grounds.

 This is the House. It began as a log house, to the left, later covered with clapboard, then built onto with planed boards, to the right, and eventually with a brick addition. It has the distinction of being the oldest building in Denver. The inside and the outside have been restored beautifully, and furnished with many of the owners' original furniture and household items. The white picket fence encloses a garden.

 A root cellar beside the House.

Here is a typical covered wagon used to cross the prairie. The Mennonite gentleman to the right was our tour guide, and a very knowledgeable one he was. We enjoyed his explanations and stories of old time life. I was surprised to see that the old wagons were so narrow, only 4 feet wide. Our guide said the people who owned the wagon mostly walked alongside and slept on the ground because there was no room inside the wagon! Our RV, with slides out, is 16 feet wide! We're living in a palace! We truly enjoyed visiting the Four Mile House. There is so much to see and learn in this part of our country, as well as in every place we've visited. We are grateful for the opportunity to live this lifestyle!