Traveling With Grace: The Beauty of Colorado

This week’s entry for our #TravelTuesday series: Traveling with Grace continues her visit through Colorado. As mentioned in earlier posts, the language and prejudices used in Grace’s writing are very much of her time and may be disturbing or uncomfortable to read. To read more of Grace’s travels, click here. 

Colorado, Estes Park Odessa Lake and outlet. Photo by Fred Payne Clatworthy, c. 1911. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Monday, August 4, 1947

Craig to Boulder

Weather: Fine

We left for Boulder about 9. Steamboat Springs was a very pretty town with a hot out-door and in-door mineral plunge. We had lunch at Hot Sulphur Springs (nothing to brag about) and soon after reached the entrance of Rocky Mt. National Park ($1.00 fee). The road rises constantly until we are on a level with the snow spotted crests and rise above the timber line (the trees up here look scrawny and misshapen, many with huge tumors on them) and stop at the highest point in the road, 12,810 feet high. The chipmunks are scampering about tame as squirrels. We went into the curio shop (“museum” as they are called here) and looked at the Indian made merchandise. I tried on a coat but didn’t like it and Helene treated me to a lovely beaded belt of Indian design. After leaving Estes Park we entered a beautiful canyon and Roosevelt National Forest. The scenery along here is wildly beautiful and the road full of hairpin turns. We arrived in Boulder about 7, registered at Glacier View Motel (no glacier in sight except the sign) and don’t like it too well. Had dinner at the Boulderado Hotel, pretty fair, and glad to go to bed.

Vintage postcard, Glacier View Motel, c. 1950s. Via.

Vintage postcard, bird’s eye view, town of Estes Park, CO, c.1940s-60s. Via.

Tuesday, August 5, 1947

Boulder, Colorado

Weather: Fine

We had brunch in our apt (Helene did the marketing – fruit, buns and milk) then went to Lyons, Estes Park, and made a circle back visiting several dude ranches en route, very interesting. Scenery everywhere around here magnificent. Estes Park an attractive town with a different atmosphere than most. On our return to Boulder had dinner at Wayne’s Café, excellent. Am hoping to move tomorrow either to Estes Park or Denver, but reservations very hard to get. Farms are beautiful in this area, lots of fruit trees, chickens and turkeys.

Vintage postcard, South St. Vrain Canyon, Estes Park, c. 1920. Via.

Wednesday, August 6, 1947

Estes Park, Colorado

Weather: Fine

Left Boulder about 11 (proprietor of Glacier View didn’t like it much) but when we had breakfast at Wayne’s I phoned Stanley Hotel in Estes Park as per agreement yesterday and we were lucky enough to get a room. Charles is staying here and will have to commute as they don’t take colored people in Estes Park. However, he is with a nice colored family in Boulder and is happy. Before leaving we rode around the beautiful campus of the University of Colorado and a lovely residential section. Rode through St. Vrain’s canyon to get here.

Thursday, August 7, 1947

Weather: Fine

The above is the autograph of a Blackfoot half-breed, his father was white, who entertained us last night for an hour and a half.

He was most interesting, wore a beautiful native costume, every detail of which he explained, had a fund of humor and funny stories, gave a song and dance, explaining the significance of each number, but above and beyond all else he was a brilliant man (graduate of Columbia University), a philosopher, anthropologist, actor, and he had a very definite message, a plea for his people the Indians whose champion he is and whose cause he pleads with great sincerity. He spoke of their history and the important contributions they have made to society in the interest of economy and democratic government and mathematics. He ended with a question period and left his audience deeply moved.

Vintage postcard, Devil’s Gulch. Via.

We moved to a new room today, simply enormous. It has 3 double beds, 3 desks, 3 large rockers, 3 bureaus, all our luggage and is far from crowded. Two dormer windows overlook the mountains and the views are lovely. This afternoon we had a beautiful ride through Devil’s Gulch. The canyons are just gorgeous around here and I am always surprised to see the pretty flowers hidden away in the wildest and most secluded spots. There are also innumerable picnic spots (always equipped with two little wooden boxes marked MEN and WOMEN. Everyone one sees fisherman and women. I have never seen so many as in this western country. In Estes Park there is a pond stocked with rainbow trout where they rent you rod, hook, bait, etc. and clean your catch but you have to pay 1.80 a pound for whatever you catch and they run up to 3 lbs. each. I was going to try my luck but it really isn’t any sport as the poor fish are so hungry they will bite at everything (they use popcorn for bait and the children are throwing it to them continuously) so I decided not to pay this exorbitant rate for fish and I have trout at the hotel every day if I want it. Some of the cottages along the canyons have natural fireplaces in the rocks where they cook, and some have little water wheels to harness the mountain streams which run past their doorsteps. The wildflowers everywhere are a constant joy. There are also many little cultivated gardens. Tonight, we had horseracing and cowboy roping in the lounge.

Bear Lake Lodge and Glacier Gorge, Estes Park, Colorado. Courtesy of the Bobbie Heisterkamp postcard collection. Via.

Friday, August 8, 1947

Weather: Fine

This afternoon we enjoyed our second ride in Rocky Mountain National Park. This scenery grows on one. We went to Bear Lake, a lovely mountain town hemmed in by pines and huge boulders. Nearby is Bear Lake Lodge. There are many hotels and camps all through the park. We saw one beautiful falls cascading from the heights. We rose to Steads Ranch and then back to the Stanley. Sat on the porch until dinner. Tonight, we watched a bingo game and later dancing in the cocktail lounge. The meals here are particularly good.

Cover, New Orleans Woman by Harnett T. Kane.

Saturday, August 9, 1947

Weather: Good (a few brief showers)

Helene and I sat on the porch all afternoon (air delightful). I read my prayers, also a book “New Orleans Woman,” and watched the horseback riders and enjoyed the lovely scenery. We have met a very nice couple, Mr. and Mrs. George Raymond Falk of Fort Smith, Arkansas and have had several pleasant conversations with them. After dinner we played a little bridge with 2 D.A.R.’s from Texas. At 10 o’clock they gave a very unusual fashion show. The models were the hotel waitresses (and one boy), some very pretty girls and they modeled typically western clothes, original and very well made.

Vintage postcard, Brown Palace Hotel, c. 1930s-40s. Via.

Sunday, August 10, 1947

Estes Park to Denver, Colorado

Weather: Rainy to Fair

Left Hotel Stanley at 2:30 after a good dinner. Rode through Big Thomson Canyon, Loveland, where we saw a lot of people picnicking at long tables in a pretty part beside the river, Berthoud, and Longmont, very nice towns. The farms look very prosperous, lots of beets, corn and wheat. We saw a lot of fisherman as usual. Arrived at Brown Palace Hotel in Denver at 5:30. Went to Lindy’s restaurant for a light supper, rode through the Civic Center, municipal building and state capital looked very good with indirect lighting, and rode through the retail business area, well lighted.

Thanks for reading “Traveling with Grace,” a series where we’re sharing (and annotating) posts from the travel diaries of Grace Amelia Hecht, native Baltimorean, b. 1897 and d. 1955. As mentioned in my introductory post transcription errors sometimes occur and I’ve made my best guesses where possible, denoted by [brackets]. – Rachel Kassman, marketing manager