This cache is a gallon-sized, cammo'd can that started with lots of goodies for the kiddos!
I'm guess it's not going to be accessible in the winter due to snow.. although this lot is often plowed for parking!
At this site... The Columbine Lodge was first established in 1924 by J.R. (Joe) and Stella Goff. By July of 1925 they were making arrangements for a new dining hall and cabins. In Oct 1929 -- 29 cars passed by in one day! It was a great stopping point being as Walden to Steamboat was 62 miles and Kremmling to Steamboat was 57 miles at the time -- the Columbine Lodge was in the middle of both routes!
The lodge was only open in the summers, although the Goffs stayed through the winters and communicated to Steamboat by phone and kept track of news through the radio. They kept track of the snow levels (40' in 1929) and this was a place to measure the snow for many years to come.
By 1932 there were 6 double, furnished cabins and 2 double, unfurnished cabins. Water (cold only) was piped from the lodge to all the cabins but hot water was available at the lodge.
By 1953, Ted Schefler owned the Lodge -- he also owned the Texaco Station in Steamboat. The Columbine Lodge had a filling station by this time and offered AAA emergency roadside service. It was the Scheflers who drilled the well in the summer of 1953 that allowed the lodge to stay open in the winter months. They also added 5 new guest rooms and a modern bath to the 2nd floor of the lodge that year. In 1953 a "full course T-Bone steak dinner" was $2.75!
The Columbine Lodge was sold to a Greeley couple, Richard & Virginia Laurdisen in December of 1962. They opened it back up in January 1963.
The Columbine Lodge was still standing through 1975 although I haven't been able to confirm at this time how long exactly it operated. I will edit the cache when I get an answer!
One ironic note, Stella Goff died in 1942, due to injuries from being struck by a car while crossing the street in Steamboat at the intersection of 10th & Lincoln... the site of the Texaco Station that Ted Schefler later operated (by 1955)!