Penrose: Past and Present
Sherry Johns
The early history of Penrose began on the banks of Beaver Creek, east of present-day
Penrose. In the early 1860’s, pioneers from Iowa settled along Beaver Creek with
its lush grass, plentiful game, and wild fruit. The Callen family established a
cattle ranch, while John Mc Clure built the Glendale House / Stagecoach Inn. This
was a popular restaurant and hotel. Mail riders delivered and picked up mail, acquired
fresh mounts, then continued south along the creek to the settlements of Toof, Juniper,
and Woodruff. The stagecoach route handled passengers from Colorado Springs and
Pueblo. Contrary to some tales, the Pony Express did not operate in Fremont County,
although the mail was delivered on horseback.
Vegetable gardens flourished and the farmers made a lucrative trade hauling their
produce up to the mining towns such as Alma, Fairplay, and Buckskin Joe. By 1910,
the Census showed over 200 people living in Glendale, with almost 150 people living
on lower Beaver Creek. Both settlements had a school, which also served as a church,
cemeteries (both of which still exist), and Post Offices. Many ranched were established
with over two-dozen cattle brands registered along Beaver Creek. Land patents of
40 acres or more, were granted to returning Civil War veterans, such as Lafayette
Coffman who settled down with Mary Ellen Callen. Margaret Baldridge also lived on
Beaver Creek, homesteading and ranching, which was unusual for the times. She even
had her own cattle brand.
By the early 1900’s, the Beaver Creek area caught the eye of Spencer Penrose. He
was a businessman in Colorado Springs, with a knack for making money. His fortune
had been made from Cripple Creek gold and he decided there was money to be made
in Beaver Creek water. He organized the “Beaver Land and Irrigation Company” and
began buying water rights along the creek. By 1907, his company began building the
Schaeffer Dam and Lake Mc Neil, which were west of present-day Highway 115. The
project took over two years to complete and was a massive earth-moving enterprise.
The monthly reports from the Schaeffer Dam Project, 1907 – 1909, are available for
check-out in the Penrose Community Library.
Penrose’s dream included the 722-acre platted town site of Fremont, at the same
location of present Penrose. It was to be alcohol free, which is interesting because
Spencer Penrose kept bootleg liquor in his private cellar during Prohibition. However,
his grand ideas about the town and surrounding are never materialized. His original
plans included three reservoirs west of Penrose, a railroad spur to transport produce
and passengers, and an abundance of productive farms. The 1909 City Directory shows
a full-page ad touting the town-site as well as a horticulturist whose services
were available to “resident and non-resident owners to have their lands planted
and cultivated under his direction, at cost”. Numerous irrigation ditches were dug
and fruit orchards were planted. Local farmers grew melons, beets, tomatoes, string
beans, spinach, squash, peas, and pumpkins.
In 1909, “Beaver, Land and Irrigation Company” built a railroad, named the “Beaver,
Penrose, and Northern”. A spur was built from the cannery, southeast of present-day
Apple Shed, and this 6 ½ mile line snaked through southeast Penrose and connected
with the Denver and Rio Grande line that ran along the Arkansas River. “Beaver Station”
was built north of downtown, while another station was established at the confluence
of Beaver Creek and the Arkansas River, south of present-day Highway 120. The new
railroad consisted of one locomotive engine and one passenger car. Additional cars
were leased as needed. Residents of Penrose could now easily travel to Canon City
and Pueblo. Produce was shipped as far away as Denver. “The Beaver, Penrose, and
Northern” steadily lost money and in 1919, the line was abandoned. The tracks were
torn up and used elsewhere, and neither station remains standing.
In addition, Penrose and one of his partners, Charles McNeil, built a hotel that
served as their business headquarters. The Pen-Mac hotel contained offices, a restaurant
and housed a newspaper, the “Penrose Pioneer”, later named the “Penrose Press.”
The upstairs contained apartments and “sleeping rooms. The Pen-Mac Hotel is still
standing in downtown Penrose. In 1909, the Post Office had moved from Glendale on
Beaver Creek, to the thriving downtown area. The Penrose Mercantile, a pharmacy,
lumber mill, and other businesses dotted Broadway Street in the early days. The
Kirkwood Memorial Presbyterian Church was built in 1908, but was partially destroyed
by a windstorm. It was rebuilt and dedicated in May 1909. It still stands on 5th
Avenue. The citizens were grateful for the economic boost given by Penrose and proposed
the Post Office now be called Penrose. The Beaver Park area became known as Penrose,
even though the town was never incorporated.
The Penrose School District was established in 1908. In 1911, Glendale consolidated
with Penrose and in 1916 the original Penrose School was built. Miss Louch was the
first teacher in the original school and earned $50 a month. Her desk was a large
wooden box with a nail keg for a chair, which she padded with the Montgomery Ward
catalog. The first graduating class in 1918 consisted of five young ladies. Over
the years, several additions were built and in 1959, Penrose School was consolidated
with Fremont RE-2 School District. The Class of 1960 was the last graduating class
and the alumni continue to hold yearly reunions. In 2005, a new addition was built
which houses grades K – 5. The old original Penrose School is no longer used but
is still standing at 100 Illinois Street.
Heavy rains fell in early June of 1921,and by June 4rd, cracks were appearing in
the Schaeffer Dam. An urgent message was sent via horseback to all the settlers
along Beaver Creek. Everyone heeded the call and took their livestock and as many
household goods as possible to higher ground. On the morning of the 5th, the dam
gave way and torrents of water raced downstream. The floodwaters continued from
Beaver Creek down the Arkansas River all the way to Pueblo, where horrible flooding
occurred. The fertile topsoil was washed away and most families did not return to
the homesteads. No lives were lost and all the livestock were safe, but this was
the end of the thriving settlements along Beaver Creek.
In 1916, Spencer Penrose bought a run-down hotel south of Colorado Springs, which
became known as the Broadmoor. By this time, his business ventures in Penrose were
not flourishing as he had hoped: the railroad lost money, the town lots did not
sell, Schaeffer Dam was gone and the Broadmoor was much more alluring and lucrative.
Spencer Penrose was a man who liked making money and being successful. Neither happened
in the Beaver Park area and he considered it a failure. Indeed, there is little
mention of the town that bears his name, Penrose, in his biographies and obituaries.
At present, Penrose is a rural town of about 6000 residents, and remains unincorporated.
Brush Hollow Reservoir provides water and recreation, the new school addition is
a source of pride and most residents enjoy incomparable views of Pikes Peak and
the surrounding mountains. The old settlements along Beaver Creek have been reduced
to rubble and are on private property. Lower Beaver Cemetery is accessible to the
public off Highway 120, while Middle Beaver Cemetery is inaccessible. The old Glendale
Stage Stop or Mc Clure House can be seen from the top of east 5th Street, but it
is also on private land. The Pen-Mac Hotel proudly stands on Broadway Street in
Penrose, while the Kirkwood Church quietly presides over the community. Penrose
Community Library plans to include a Local History corner in its new building and
the Penrose Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a “Centennial Celebration” in conjunction
with the annual Apple Day in October 2009.
I am currently researching and writing a book about the early history of Penrose.
If you have Penrose history you would like to share with me, I would like to hear
from you. Historian Barbara Tuchman defines history as “ simply a good story” and
I’m convinced there are many good stories about the history of Penrose. Everyone
needs to know their heritage in order to appreciate their own place in history.