LHS Hosts Castle Rock Bus Tour

The Castle Rock Historical Society’s Bus Tour of Larkspur

August 16, 2008

It was a dismal wet and sometimes bone chilling day when over forty hearty souls boarded a bus in Castle Rock to tour the wilds of Larkspur. Our sometimes unpredictable weather did not disappoint us and as it turned out Larkspur did not disappoint. Wet or dry we can’t deny that our area is still exciting, beautiful and filled with history.

Our bus driver, Mr. Larry Yohe, kept us out of the tightest spots. He was able to take us to the heights of Perry Park where the clouds had lifted a bit to give us a glimpse of the green grass of the golf course and a hint of the hills of the Rampart Range along with the famous red rock formations that Perry Park is known for. Larry’s expertise in driving kept us on time for each stop. Larry restores large touring buses and his career with the National Transportation Safety Board made us feel that we were in safe hands.

Our tour started with a stop at the American Federation of Human Rights, where Rosario Menocal graciously took us into the heart of the Federation and explained its rich history. Her nephew, Matias Cumsille, joined us and took us through the Federation’s years in Larkspur, answered questions and later gave us a tour, upstairs, of their Masonic Temple.

We continued with a short tour of what used to be downtown Larkspur, before the flood of 1965. We stopped, on higher ground, at what is known as the “Frink House” which is actually a Denver Foursquare now owned by the Mayor of Larkspur, Sherilyn West and her husband Gerald, who boarded our bus and shared their love and history of their beautiful home. The heavy rain and size of our group prevented us from taking advantage of the West’s gracious offer to see inside. We had already walked on the beautiful rugs of the Federation and thought it better to come back on a dryer day.

We also stopped at the Lincoln Fox Farm on Fox Farm Road, saw the Lamb Ranch from the comfort of our bus and then it was time for lunch at the Greenland Trail rest area.  The Castle Rock Historical Society provided a delicious lunch for us and Ida May “Grandma” Noe was able to join our merry, but wet, group. After lunch Ida May guided us as we stopped at the Eagle Mountain Ranch, which is a centennial ranch having been in the Noe family for over 100 years.

We drove past the Babcock house, another historic foursquare with a rich history, the Emily Griffith Center and the Ben Quick and John Kinner Ranches with houses made of Rhyolite. Our tour ended with a tour of the Crull/Hammond cabin near the settlement of Huntsville. The rain had stopped, as if on cue, and we were able to stretch our legs and see inside the historic cabin, furnished with all the trimmings of an early homestead.

This tour was filled with much more than we are able to mention here.  Our guides, Danna Hamling, Larry Schlupp, Penny Burdick, Ida May Noe and Sue Koller, wish to thank the Castle Rock Historical Society for taking the time to visit our area of the county and for their donation to our society.  We, also, wish to thank Dave Hamling for his help with lunch, our bus driver, Larry Yohe, for the safe ride and all you tourists who braved the elements. It was a joy to meet with you and share our beautiful area.

Sue Koller – Secretary, Larkspur Historical Society

 Photos (c)2008 - Julia Schlupp