Guest Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 OK, it has been awhile. Here's another collection... Shawnee, Colorado was a place for tourists to stay a spell. The train noted in the preceding post would drop off Denver paying passengers at the Shawnee train stop for some relaxin', hikin', fishin', etc. About 100 years ago, looking east from Shawnee, this was the view. The tracks are unseen here, down and to the left alongside the North Fork of the South Platte River. But the wagon road is visible... The dirt wagon road is today's paved U.S. 285... Now, 100 years ago from the same location as above, if one turned 90 degrees to the right in the wintertime, and looked up, here is where some of the visitors would stay... It is one of the oldest remaining structures in Shawnee today... From a distance, one can see how Shawnee looked back then. Can see the above Grand View Hotel to the left of the access road. The really big lodge to the right burned down in 1929. Many of the lodges along the train route burned down mysteriously in the 1920's and 1930's as train traffic gave way to auto traffic. Travelers by auto could come and go from Denver without staying the night or weekend. The probable reason for these lodges turned to ashes? Insurance money. Well, I hiked up a hill through a garden of cow pies as far as I could go, but elevation gain was no more with a serious barbed wire fence hoping I would make its day. Turned around for Shawnee today. That tree in the field next to the plowed field could be the same one seen today... West Creek, about thirty miles west of Pikes Peak around 1896-1897... This month is the ten year anniversary of the massive Hayman wildfire, which consumed 138,000 acres and numerous scattered homes in the Westcreek area. Today, it is a quiet place, but what a diff versus 1896-1897... 1896-1897... Today, with a delightful power pole. There was a home behind me preventing a more elevated and precise "where the photographer stood then"... So I ride about a mile south along West Creek where a few structures of West Creek "suburbia" were placed. The larger structure is the West Creek Holiday Inn. Flash and dim mining communities often had many living in tents, including in the winter. At least it appears there is a wood stove fire in the white tent.... Guess it is fitting to have horses of the day stand in tribute to the past. Could have hopped the fence and joined them for a slightly better "now" perspective... Have passed through this canyon (back then a train bed, today a chip seal on the old bed) casually the past year or so trying to spot the location of this 100 year old image. No luck. Until a few days ago. "Poised Rock" is that round rock at the top of the sloping rock face. See that dot of a tree in front of it? The North Fork of the South Platte, about 30 miles SW of Denver. Some things change, some things do not... Here's the wagon access road to the canyon 110 years ago... Today's Foxton Road... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VFRJake Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 This has to be one of the coolest threads I've seen on any forum ever. Awesome idea and execution, thanks for these! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killbam Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 This is definitely the coolest thread here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee 2002 Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 I continue to be amazed. Still my favorite post. There is no doubt in my mind that the two trees you mention are the ones seen now all grown up. So cool. Please have a book published and ready to buy and have autographed by SumSum2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VFR4Lee Posted June 5, 2012 Share Posted June 5, 2012 Cool idea for a series of pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 Hey all, gracious comments and thoughts. I'll have another batch one of these days. Rode to the semi-ghost town of Montezuma today. Hope to stop by the Colorado meet later this summer! Steve In 1905 the community of Divide, west of Pikes Peak was a stop for the Colorado Midland Railroad... Many times I've ridden by blissfully on U.S. 24 and never noticed the historic depot! If you can trust me , the VFR is parked just out of view... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer mello dude Posted June 7, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted June 7, 2012 I'm in for the book! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V4 Rosso Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 my mom's side of the family comes from Rotterdam, and the images I've seen look similar to what you have place here! Excellent then and now. On the outskirts of Rotterdam you will still find villages similar to the one in this pic. Most of Rotterdam itself has changed beyond recogntion since it was destroyed during WWII. Next time I'm there I hope to remember to take a pic for this topic. Again a nice series of then and now images. I am amazed by the excellent quality of some of the old photographs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Dutchy Posted June 7, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted June 7, 2012 sfarson, see if you can find out where exactly they lived (town or even better street plus house number). am sure we will find a wauy to take some pictutres (with VFRs in them ofcourse) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer TheJay Posted June 7, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted June 7, 2012 Phenomenal!!! I absolutely love this. You've done a wonderful job and I really appreciate the care taken in trying to capture the correct perspective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ommata Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 Magnificant thread! Thank you for sharing this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 my mom's side of the family comes from Rotterdam, and the images I've seen look similar to what you have place here! Excellent then and now. On the outskirts of Rotterdam you will still find villages similar to the one in this pic. Most of Rotterdam itself has changed beyond recogntion since it was destroyed during WWII. Next time I'm there I hope to remember to take a pic for this topic. Again a nice series of then and now images. I am amazed by the excellent quality of some of the old photographs. Thanks V4 and Dutchy! I will follow with my mom to see if she has any extra info. The image she showed me not too long ago was my great grandmother standing in front of her Rotterdam home, and there was a housing resemblance to your images V4. But this would have been pre-WWII. Both sides of her family are Dutch, but thinking out loud, I need to ask her if both came from Rotterdam. Her maiden name is Kingma. Once I was having lunch on the square in Brugge, Belgium, and struck up a conversation with a couple from a nearby table who were on holiday from Amsterdam. I mentioned "Kingma", and the couple noted knowing others with that last name. Speaking of WWII destruction, was told Brugge was spared by the German commander when he refused to turn the town into rubble as forces retreated in the face of the Allied offensive. Later, the citizens of Brugge honored the commander for disobeying his orders. Well, this is what I was told. Was in Brugge numerous times on business, and once, drove east through the Netherlands, past Antwerpen and Eindhoven on my way to Germany for other meetings. Wonderful memories. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Muff Posted June 8, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted June 8, 2012 Great thread. Thank all for the effort Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer TexOz Posted June 10, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted June 10, 2012 Lurv your work sfarson -> is it my imagination, or would you say that, on average, there's more trees and shrubs to be seen in the new pictures than is showing in the older pics of the same areas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 Tex... It isn't your imagination. Back then trees in the vicinity of early Colorado mountain communities would be cut down for construction, furniture, heat, etc. Plus forest fires usually ran their course. Many more trees nowadays... but the forests aren't as healthy given fire suppression efforts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V4 Rosso Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 Once I was having lunch on the square in Brugge, Belgium, and struck up a conversation with a couple from a nearby table who were on holiday from Amsterdam. I mentioned "Kingma", and the couple noted knowing others with that last name. Kingma is a common name in Friesland, our northern most province. That's still close to both Rotterdam and Amsterdam as The Netherlands is quite small compared to e.g. the USA. It's only one sixth the size of the State of Colorado Brugge, beautiful city. Looks a bit like the old centre of Amsterdam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 Montezuma, Colorado is a semi-ghost town about five miles west of the Keystone ski resort. It sprung to life in the 1860's after silver was discovered in the area of nearby Argentine Pass. By 1890 the population was up to 1,000 coinciding with the Colorado Silver Boom. Well, the population of Montezuma also coincided with the Colorado Silver Bust three years later in 1893, and since then the decline of the population and structure kind has continued. Five fires over the years have not helped with "historic preservation", but nevertheless some old buildings remain and can be viewed on a ride to this high 10,200ft. elev. place. Here's a look east down Montezuma's main street in the late 1800's... And today with a population around 40-50. Note the similar snow patterns on the peak 120+ years later! Ride the horse through town and turn around looking west back then... And today... I did come across this 1940's image of one of the old hotels still standing... But it is no longer is standing today... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Hope you all are having a fantastic summer of riding. A few more... A few then/now of Jefferson, a small ranching community in the high meadows of South Park, Colorado. This is from just after the train tracks were pulled up in 1937 and a dirt road placed down. That's the train depot on the left... And it is still the "historic" train depot on the left, along with a caboose like structure to the right offering summertime fare like BBQ, burgers, etc. The size of the community hasn't changed much over the years, usually hovering around 50... In the color image above, see the home with the white window trim? Here it is in the late 1800's... A few decades later, some new surrounding structures, and some new area residents... And 90 years later, some new aspen. Well not so new, but doing well. Angle of the sun is almost the same... Looking down this residential street back with the same home on the right... Maybe I'll return with a chainsaw for a better now perspective :)... Paused at Barker Reservoir above Boulder, Colorado. It was built just over 100 years ago by the city of Boulder as a storage and flood control project. Looking east as construction continued and water started to fill the meadows... and cattle saw shrinking pasture land... The dam has been rebuilt since then... Looking west before there was a Barker Reservoir... Ehhh, a bit of a change.... OK, the image above shows the historic mining town of Nederland in the distance, with the ski runs of Eldora up higher. Nederland was a consolidating kind of town, providing central services for the productive mines and now ghost towns up higher. Men from the Netherlands named it Nederland for the town was located on a somewhat small, but nevertheless flat piece of land reminding them of their European home. And how about this, a color "then" image from ~60 years ago... I had lunchtime chow down the street, and after some nice consumption strolled up the hill, turned around, strolled some more, framed things... Rosita, Colorado was once the Custer County seat, boasting a population of over a thousand in the 1870's, along with hundreds of structures. The discovery of silver nearby brought the people. Soon, larger lodes of silver bearing ores were discovered elsewhere in the vicinity, like in nearby Silver Cliff in the 1880's. Goodbye Rosita as many of the transient residents moved north 7 - 8 miles. I guess back then, commuting that kind of distance was a BIG deal. The county seat was relocated to Silver Cliff and by the 1890's Rosita was in a state of decline... Ehhh, a bit of a change. This was taken when a fire had claimed some of the structures... Silver Plume, a flair and fade mining town that was hitched to the fortunes of silver prices, is just off I-70 on the eastern climb to the Eisenhower Tunnel. It's just one exit west of Georgetown. 72 years ago this is how it appeared... Today, at almost the same time of day and season given the shadows. It has not been prettied up like some other historic towns in Colorado, but I kinda like that it hasn't... At the very least, if there is hint of weakness or affection for freshly baked bread, then absolutely exit for Silver Plume, ride the dirt 100 yards to and through the setting above, and then stop at the Sopp & Truscott Bakery at the east end. If it isn't open there will be a metal chest at the door with wrapped loaves of soft and freshly baked bread of sundry kinds. The honor system has a small chest inside for your $4 - $5. If you turn around from the images above, here it is... Georgetown, a community that thrived from the late 1800's silver boom, and continues to fare well today. It is located on I-70 where the eastern climbing grade to Loveland Pass and the Eisenhower Tunnel increases notably. Interesting how starting ten miles east of Georgetown the fever came ores of gold, but not here, nor Silver Plume on the other side of the interstate. Georgetown is also at the northern base of the Guanella Pass Scenic Byway, and the north side was re-engineered and repaved last year. Here's the Alps like Guanella Pass Road... The last switchback before the summit is attained... But anyway, this is a then/now thread, and here is Georgetown over 100 years ago... I-70 comes up this Creek Creek drained valley and hugs the slopes on the left, though one can hardly tell from this treed image from the same location on the Guanella Pass Road (which was constructed as a wagon road for the silver mines up above)... Parades were big events back then, communities large and small often had them for Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day. Three images a photographer captured from the same spot as the parade made a turn... Today. Thankfully those mountains in the background helped find the location, for the buildings hardly do... At the rear end of the parade. Dressing up was a common practice for events like a parade, but seemingly it was the thing to do whenever out in public... Today. More trees and some structural changes... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monk Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 In the 2nd to last pic, it makes me wonder why all the suits. You sure wouldn't see it now days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer vanion2 Posted July 17, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted July 17, 2012 Keep the awesome flowing....loving this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V4 Rosso Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Again a great series of pictures. Amazing how some of the wooden houses have stand the test of time. Here's the Alps like Guanella Pass Road... Maybe we can start an here & there topic as the resemblance is amazing: pic taken by Keny of me and douglasthecook, and some goats, on a pass near Sölden, Austria. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer dude Posted July 17, 2012 Member Contributer Share Posted July 17, 2012 Simply Awesome!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 V4.. You have an idea there... resemblance pics! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Thanks all. Monk, yes how about the dressing up. If scrolling back through the pages of old images here, will see putting on fine attire was quite the normal occurrence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monk Posted July 18, 2012 Share Posted July 18, 2012 Thanks all. Monk, yes how about the dressing up. If scrolling back through the pages of old images here, will see putting on fine attire was quite the normal occurrence. Yes, it drew my attention since there were so many of them grouped together in one picture. Again, thanks for your pictorial. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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