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Sentinels of the Past
January 6, 1983
By Louann Kelley
Have you sometimes wondered what the stone pillars in
Pleasant View signify? Or are you like the majority
who drive by these conduits of history; looking but
not seeing? These crumbling portals of the past
blend well with the present, but at one time these
posts were the gateway to the homes of the elite.
The most significant local stone monument is
directly across South Golden road from the Denver
West Bank and Trust, near the junction of West
Colfax. Today's panoramic vista shows not a trace of
the once busy path that passed through these posts.
The decaying columns were once stately sentinels
guarding a rambling road that wandered through
fields and orchards to Lena Creek. It traversed a
narrow bridge, then curved around behind what is now
the Denver West Office Park through orchards of
fruit trees before the area was dissected by
highways, finally winding past the beautiful mansion
that housed the family of Governor Vivian,
Colorado's governor from 1943 to 1947.
Another magnificent home across the drive form the
Governor's home was a graceful colonial style
residence known many years ago as "Old John's
Place."
Both residences are still standing. The dusty path
circled around these prominent homes of the wealthy
and ended on Wide Acres Road, near what was then the
State Industrial Farm which was run by the Lookout
Mountain School for Boys. Sets of stone pillars
marked the entrance or the exit at Orchard Drive,
Meadow Street and Youngfield Street, but now stand
idle, the roads which passed under them re-routed.
Remnants of many of these rock monuments can still
be seen in and around Pleasant View and all along
Wide Acres road. The pillars at Youngfield have been
refurbished and guard the driveway of a newer home.
Other rock structures in the area have different
origins. When Pleasant View was young, nestled
between the Table Mesas on one side and the first
steeps of the Rockies on the other, the whole area
was covered with cobblestones. (Stream-worn boulders
or river rocks.) As pioneer families moved in to the
area, they spent many back-breaking hours collecting
wagon-loads of these rocks. With the help of
neighbors and friends, they designed and built their
homes. These buildings have defied time and endured
the elements, and to this day can be seen, many
along South Golden Road. One fine example is the
large cobblestone home at 16999 South Golden Road.
Another such home at Moss Street was the home of
Sheriff Johnson, the local sheriff in the 30s. Its
original appearance has been changed by the addition
of a brick veneer with a wood and stone front. At
the 16300 block of South Golden Road is another rock
home with an arch in very good repair. The house at
895 Nile Street was the home of District Attorney
Fugate. Another well-built rock home near Stevinson
Chevrolet on Indiana Street near Sixth Avenue was
reportedly the home of the only doctor to live in
the area during the 1930s.
Many rock homes and pillars with green shingled
archways sprouted up over the area due to the
prestigious connotations until this symbol of the
past became synonymous with Pleasant view. Even Camp
George West was built of native stones. Note the
officers' homes on the south side of the road.
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