Trolley tour of historic downtown Castle Rock
This year’s Town Trolley tour will feature eleven historic properties made from
locally-quarried rhyolite, including The Cantril School and Victoria’s
House/Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce.
By Elizabeth Wood West; photos provided by Castle Rock Museum
The Castle Rock Museum and Town of Castle Rock are inviting the public to celebrate National Historic Preservation Month by offering its annual free Town Trolley tours of historic landmark properties. The trolley tours will be held on May 31 and feature at least five tours throughout the day – 9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:00 p.m., and 2:00 p.m.
“The tour theme this year will be ‘Rhyolite’ and will feature all the rhyolite buildings in Castle Rock and highlight the importance of the local rhyolite quarries,” said Angie DeLeo, executive director for the Castle Rock Museum.
The tour will take trolley passengers to eleven well-known historic sites in Castle Rock and give a brief history for each. The sites on the tour will include the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad Depot/Castle Rock Museum, St. Francis of Assisi/Old Stone Church, Victoria’s House/Castle Rock Chamber of Commerce, First National Bank of Douglas County/Masonic Lodge, Keystone Hotel/Castle Café, Upton Treat Smith House, Cantril School, Hammer House, Doepke House, Ball House, and Christ Episcopal Church.
Castle Rock has approximately 25 historic landmarks and five properties that are designated as National Historic Landmarks on the National Register of Historic Properties. In addition to its annual trolley tours, the Castle Rock Historical Society offers free monthly presentations at the Philip S. Miller Library in Castle Rock and walking tours.
For more information, contact Angie DeLeo at 303-814-3164 or e-mail, or visit www.castlerockmuseum.org.
The Cantril School, built in 1896, was Douglas County’s first high school
and will be part of the Town Trolley’s historic tour.
