Pine History Series #4--SP Hotel Traditional Geocache
Pine History Series #4--SP Hotel
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10 inch cookie tin. 100 foot scramble up a hill. Great View of the Namesake and up the South Fork of the South Platte River and Valley. Bring a drink and snack and enjoy the view.
Welcome to "South Platte" Colorado, and the South Platte Hotel. It operated at this small settlement with a post office and a rail stop, untill 1938, when the South Park & Pacific Railroad narrow gauge line disbanded and pulled up the tracks. People would visit the area to fish and pic nic and enjoy the river & mountains, from Denver.one of the stops along the way to Buffalo Creek, Pine and eventually as far west as Leadville.
The vacated building still stands today. HOWEVER! The original South Platte Hotel building stood until August 2, 1912, when stage driver George Bellew shot and wounded Mr. and Mrs. Charles Walbrecht (the hotel owners), visitor James McWhorter, and shot at other patrons and employees, drove all from the hotel, and burned it to the ground with kerosene while holding a crowd at bay by gunpoint. The present building was constructed to replace the original, likely by Charles Walbrecht.
The building is now owned by the Denver Water Board. Who knows if it will ever be refurbished.
If you have time, you should leave your car in the lot and walk the one mile down river (north side) and enjoy some outstanding scenery. It's a flat easy hike on the old narrow gauge railroad bed. Remnants of the old railroad can be found. If you are here in the early morning, chances of seeing a Bald Eagle are good.
If you did your homework coming here.....there are two more caches along the walk, and one on the trail on the other side of the river.....ENJOY!
[NOTE: FR 538 as shown on this and other maps no longer exsists. The ravaging the forest took from the Buffalo Creek Fire of 1997 wiped out the last few miles of that route to the river. In fact, since 1997 Three major forest fires; Buffalo Creek, High Meadow,and Hayman fires, wiped out FIFTY PERCENT of the North Fork Fire District!! ALL HUMAN CAUSED. That is 50% of 125 sq. miles!! And close to 50 homes as well. BE CAREFULE WITH FIRE AND CIGARETTES DOWN HERE !!! If you throw a cigarette on the ground and get caught, it's a mandatory court appearence and usually $1000 fine by the judge in Jefferson County Court.]
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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