Imagine it’s 1890 and you live in Colorado. Your husband has
done well in his business so you have the income to take a trip and you would like to escape the heat of the city
during the summer. Where might you go?
Or imagine you have skin issues. You’ve struggled with it
and have tried everything suggested by your doctor. He’s heard of one more
thing that might benefit you.
Both scenarios will take you to the same place--Wagon Wheel
Gap.
Situated north of Creede in the northwestern part of
Colorado, Wagon Wheel Gap is your destination. Once you arrive by train in
nearby Del Norte, you take the stage described at that time in the Colorado Daily Chieftain
as a “luxury for the tourist” and make the four-hour trip to Wagon Wheel Gap.
As early as 1877, the hot springs in the area of Wagon Wheel
Gap were well-known for curing skin problems. Beyond the health benefits of the
springs, the area drew tourists who wanted to fish for trout. While researching the
area for my novel A Bride for Darrell, I expected to find a local history
focused only on mining. The level of tourism truly surprised me.
By 1890, there were two hotels as well as cottages at the Wagon
Wheel Hot Springs resort. According to The Elk Mountain Pilot, the resort
hotel boasted a bath house (part of what is today the Creede Colorado Dude
Ranch property), hotels, cottages, a casino, as well as fish hatcheries. These
hatcheries were vital because of the heavy amount of fishing done by visitors.
Each year, one million trout were added to the streams from those hatcheries!
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| Fishing Party Photo from 4urranch.com/luxurious-colorado-ranch/history/ |
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| Vintage Postcard from picclick.com |
After it was established in 1908 by Theodore Roosevelt, tourists
also came to see the nearby Wheeler National Monument, now known as the Wheeler
Geologic Area. Around the time it opened, the Palisade Tribune declared it was "destined to rival the Yellowstone National Park."
An interesting fact I learned in my reading was that local men
came from the surrounding communities to keep the wagon trail to this monument
as well as the one to Wagon Wheel Gap in good shape. Once a year, they set aside a day
for “Good Roads Day” in the spring to keep the road into Wagon Wheel Gap
passable for tourists. (Creede Candle,
June 10, 1916) Imagine a community fixing their roads today—incredible!
Cool temperatures, a guaranteed catch of trout, hot springs, duck
hunting, and health benefits, Wagon Wheel Gap was the tourist mecca for Coloradans
for decades. Wagon Wheel Hot Springs is definitely where I’d go if I could just
find that time machine of mine…
A sweet, historical western romance in the Proxy Bride series...
If Darrell Dean wants to inherit half of the Silver Queen mine, he needs to marry. Though he doesn't even like the girl, he agrees to marry the local saloon owner's daughter. He doesn't expect the surprise that he receives when a woman interrupts the wedding.
If Willa VanDurring wants to escape the danger stalking her, she needs a new name and a somewhere far away to go. At her guardian's urging, she agrees to marry Darrell Dean by proxy and then immediately leaves to join him in Colorado. She doesn't expect to interrupt his wedding when she arrives.
Can a man who didn't agree to marry the proxy bride and a woman pursued by murderers make a life together? What happens when the danger finds her? In a town with no law, how will she survive?
If you are interested in reading articles about the Wagon Wheel Gap Hot Springs , I suggest two I found particularly interesting--
- https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=EMP19180502-01.2.4&srpos=2&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-creede+hot+springs-------0-
- https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=CFT18900705-01.2.4&srpos=1&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-wagon+wheel+gap+hot+springs-------0-
Both are from a fascinating archive known as the Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection. It is free and easy to use.
What interested me was the change that happened to the town when the Burlington and Missouri Railroad included it on its route. This happened in 1871. Businesses started popping up quickly that year. Banks were established. Even one of the most significant life insurances companies in that new state came into being in Nebraska City. This frantic business activity was what I used as the motivation for my hero agreeing to a proxy marriage in A Bride for Bode. Just look at the change in the appearance of the town's buildings by comparing the two photos.
The pontoon bridge wouldn't be built until the late 1880s and the cars needed to be unhitched and hauled across the river before they could continue on either east or west.
