ELKHORN LODGE HISTORY:
 
The Elkhorn Lodge & Guest Ranch received its first guests in 1874. Prior to that it consisted of the old lodge and a barn. The 'old lodge' dating back to 1871 is still in use. It is the oldest continually occupied structure in Colorado. The James family started a cattle ranch but determined that lodging for Estes Park visitors, hunting elk and transporting the meat to Denver was more profitable. From the 1870's to the early 1900's this practice decimated the elk population.

In 1913 the Elkhorn Lodge & Guest Ranch, with others, arranged to have 40 specially built wagons created to transport elk to Estes Park to regenerate the elk herds - which had become essential to the continued flow of tourist to the area.

For thousands of years Estes Park was a hunting, fishing & mountain climbing paradise. Bushels of trout were caught from the Fall River prior to 1900 where the Elkhorn Lodge & Guest Ranch's guests would order their menu requests in the morning for their dinner that evening (these were the pre-refrigeration days). As the trout populations declined, the Elkhorn Lodge & Guest Ranch started Colorado's second fish hatchery in the 1890’s, in the area now occupied by the Elkhorn Lodge & Guest Ranch's private trout pond. The State of Colorado then operated the hatchery and subsequently moved it.

In a building now called the Woodshed, the Elkhorn Lodge & Guest Ranch operated the first ice house in Estes Park. During the winter months large blocks of ice would be cut from the Fall River and stored in the ice house for use during summer months. Some of our more senior regular guests recall their experiences of working at the Elkhorn Lodge & Guest Ranch and cutting and transporting the ice by horse wagons - hard and difficult work.

When you tour the Elkhorn Lodge & Guest Ranch, some historical highlights include Estes Park's first school house [1886]; Estes' first church; the original stage terminal - the Coach House; and the Elkhorn Lodge & Guest Ranch's hospitality was recognized throughout the world. Prior to the start-up of the Stanley Hotel [early 1900's], the Elkhorn Lodge & Guest Ranch was the premier lodge in the area with a dining room seating over 200 and remains today as it was 100 years ago. The Elkhorn Lodge & Guest Ranch's popularity was such that tents were erected each summer to accommodate guests.

Elkhorn Lodge & Guest Ranch's guests came from around the world. One of the most prominent, Pieter Hondius, related to a royal European family even married a James daughter. From that time the Hondius name has become an institution within the Estes Valley.

The Elkhorn Lodge & Guest Ranch's land holdings increased and included more than 3,000 acres in the Horseshoe Park area which was transferred to the Rocky Mountain National Park in the 1930’s; that area is one of the more popular locations for wildlife viewing. Elkhorn Lodge & Guest Ranch's guests would routinely ride Elkhorn Lodge & Guest Ranch's horses from the Lodge to horseshoe Park over Deer Mountain for picnics and enjoy the views.

Doctoral history students visit the Elkhorn Lodge & Guest Ranch in order to experience the early life of Teddy Roosevelt, who visited and traveled the area and, many years later after his political life, started his own ranch named the Elkhorn.

The Elkhorn Lodge & Guest Ranch was designated a National Historical District by the US Congress in 1977. Visit the Elkhorn Lodge & Guest Ranch today and you won't be disappointed.