Colorado Springs

 

 

We had lunch at The Grubsteak

The story of the Stanley Hotel itself began in 1903 when Yankee inventor Freelan Oscar Stanley arrived in the valley, weak and underweight from the symptoms of consumption (tuberculosis). To his amazement, just one season here was enough to restore his health to better than before! Overjoyed, he vowed to return each summer for the rest of his life.

However, he and his wife Flora were used to the sophistication of East Coast society. Together, they resolved to build a beautiful grand hotel and when the Stanley Hotel opened in 1909, the first guests who pulled up in stylish Stanley-designed steam cars were astonished at what they saw. Here in this mountain wilderness, surrounded by the rustic haunts of the hunter and homesteader, was an edifice that withstood comparison to the posh hotels "back east." Electric lights, telephones, en suite bathrooms, a staff of uniformed servants and a fleet of automobiles were at their disposal.