Stone Building Traditional Cache

For younger geocachers: The Mystery of the Stone Building

Hidden in the woods near Mason Creek is an old stone building—and no one knows for sure why it was built! There are no clear records telling us who built it, when it was built, or what it was used for. The stones came from nearby, there’s no fireplace, no real floor, and the windows never even had glass. Long ago it may have had a wooden roof, but today all that’s left are the walls and a lot of questions.

Many people have lived and worked in this area over the years, including Native Americans, loggers, ranchers, and homesteaders. Some people think this building might have been a cabin, a barn, a place for workers to sleep, or even a stagecoach stop. As you look at the ruins, use your imagination and decide what you think it was used for. When you log this geocache, choose your best guess—or share your own idea—and help solve the mystery!

When we think of the parts of history that are well documented, they are often chronicled in the newspapers and other public documents. In today’s era of instant social media reporting of public and private events, we may not be aware of the difficulty of finding the details of events and records that are only a century old, especially for private property, let alone of those major events that occurred much earlier. In searching history, we often find mysteries about why things were built or happened, and look in vain for the evidence that will put the mysteries to rest.

A lot of history resides in Staunton State Park, and in the Staunton family documents that reside in History Colorado archives. Some of it is oral, and has been captured from interviews of those individuals who were there at the time, and some is documented in land record filings, journal entries and letters, tax records, genealogy records, and old newspaper files. We have access to much of what is known and documented, but there are significant gaps in the recorded and public record. The Stone Building near lower Mason Creek in Staunton State Park is one of these puzzling mysteries. Questions about it include:

• Who built it?
• When was it built?
• Why was it built here, and what was its original purpose?
• Why was it built from stone, when it is near forest lumber?
• How was it used by subsequent owners?

Most of these still remain unanswered, and we ask you to think about them as you examine the ruins of this building. The stones are all local, found right here or at least very near here. Concrete appears to be added for stability and potentially wind proofing, in the otherwise dry stacked walls, and there are even wires sticking out of the walls in places. There are wood-framed windows that apparently have never seen any glass. A wooden roof has been reported to have topped this structure at one time, but there is no evidence of a fireplace or that anyone ever cooked inside, and no evidence of anything but a dirt floor. There is livestock watering device some distance from the building, probably of more recent vintage.

Many different people are recorded as living in this area, but no solid evidence has been uncovered on who built and used this mysterious structure. A few of the area’s previous residents were:

• The Ute Indians lived here at least as early as 1100 AD and hunted in this valley. Evidence of their presence is a trove of arrowheads, major trails, and a rich cultural history that is woven into Western history.
• Sawmill workers arrived in the area in the mid 1800’s to support the building of railroads and the mines near Leadville. The remains of a portable sawmill are located near the paved Meadow parking lot, which is not far north of the stone building.
• County records indicate that the property where the Stone Building sits was homesteaded by Henry Richards in 1889, but he died in 1896 with no heirs, and it was sold to J.W. Green in 1898. Mr. Green lived in Buffalo Creek, where he was involved in the lumber business, and he owned a mercantile store there. There was a major fire in that town in 1897, which burned the mercantile store and many of the other buildings. The store was rebuilt with stone walls.
• After the Stone Building property passed through several other owners, it was acquired by members of the Shaffer family (of Shaffer’s Crossing) who owned it from 1914-1920.
• Charles Hurlbutt acquired the property in 1920, and his daughter Catherine or “Birdie” was a friend of Frances Staunton, who was a neighbor of the Hurlbutts. Rachael and Archibald Staunton had homesteaded nearby, and were providing medical care to those in this general area.
• The property was acquired by Rees Davis in 1934, whose family owned the property including the Stone Building until the State purchased much of the Davis ranch in 1999. Interviews with the Davis family and their foreman Don Whetsel indicated they heard that the stone building had been a stage stop, on a line that connected the railroad in Pine up Calfee Gulch to then went up Mason Creek on its way to Evergreen. The USGS map that shows many of the early roads and companies running transportation services in the Denver area does not show any such stagecoach line, but it is probably not complete. Don also recalled that the roof was made of wood and had a fairly steep pitch. There is also a report of an original 4-foot wide door in the wall that has since collapsed.

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  Help the park decide what the stone building was used for; list the letter of your guess in the geocache log and we will tally the results.

  For what purpose do you think the stone building was built?

  1. A homestead cabin for the first owner of the property.
  2. A stage coach stop on the way between Evergreen and Pine Junction.
  3. A place for sawmill workers to sleep during the summer.
  4. An early Illuminati headquarters.
  5. A barn for livestock.
  6. A storage room for hay or equipment.
   

  If you have another theory, please add that to your log entry also, and we may include it in the list above for future finders to consider also.

  This cache is located within Staunton State Park, which has one public entrance along S. Elk Creek Road, six miles west of Conifer, about 1.5 miles off U.S. Highway 285. Parking along either side of S. Elk Creek Road and Upper Ranch Road adjacent to the park boundary is prohibited. All vehicles entering the park must have a daily park pass ($10) or a CO state park annual or special pass.

  The Park is open year-round, and day use hours at 6:00 am to 10:00 pm. A walk-in campground (up to ¼ mile from parking) is open for public use, and overnight parking is currently permitted only for those staying in the campground. During summer and autumn weekends, the park may reach capacity, and cars are allowed to enter only if a parking space is available. Horse trailers are admitted if space is available for parking trailers in the new, dedicated, unpaved parking lot. All Park trails are natural surface, some trails are hiker-only, but other trails are multiuse for bicycles and horses also. Information about the park can be found at Staunton State Park website

  All visitors must follow park rules and regulations. These include dogs on leash at all times, clean up after pets, travel on developed trails to the extent feasible, leave no trace, respect areas closed for resource management, and be careful around wildlife (especially mountain lions, coyotes, and black bears). Fires are strictly prohibited, except for camp stoves with an on/off switch in the designated campsites and grilles found in the picnic areas. No motorized vehicles are allowed on trails within the Park. An exception is the special tracked chairs that the Park offers to visitors who cannot access selected trails on their own mobility. Pack your own trash out of the back country, and trash receptacles are located near the parking areas. Also, be prepared for changing weather, bring adequate water and footwear, and trails may be snow-covered or icy in winter.