Help save Staunton State Park's Historic Cabins

Friends of Staunton State Park (FOSSP) have declared restoring these important and historic cabins as one of our cornerstone projects.

These various cabins were built for a variety of reasons, and remain entirely original. The Staunton Ranch - Rural Historic Landscape was entered in the National Register of Historic Places in December 2012. Unfortunately, these cabins are showing marked deterioration and are in urgent need of restorative work to save them. Delaying the restoration of these cabins will dramatically shorten the life-span of these important structures that are already extremely vulnerable to place and time.

To date, FOSSP has taken actions to preserve and restore the Homestead Staunton Cabin to it's original beauty, and it is our hope to now extend our work to the other six cabins within the park. The cabins in need are the Blaine Cabin, where Archibald and Rachael Staunton first lived while they built their own cabin. The shower house, which was likely used for visitors to the ranch. The Policeman's Cabin, built for a policeman who lived on the ranch and helped watch over it when the Staunton's were in their Denver home. The old mill and bunkhouse. The Richardson Cabin, the little Brola cabin that was built for Rachael's music teacher, and we can't forget the old outhouse behind the Staunton Homestead Cabin.

Archibald and Rachael Staunton, both doctors, acquired their first 80 acres in 1918 and built the Staunton cabin as part of the requirements as a homestead. These doctors treated local citizens during the Spanish flu pandemic, treated injuries, birthed babies, as well as earning the trust of the area Ute Indians and attending to their medicinal needs as well. The Staunton's also gained a reputation for treating Tuberculosis patients on their homestead at a time when those patients were shunned in their own hometowns.

Rachael Staunton grew medicinal herbs in a terraced garden in front of their cabin which can be seen to this day. Many artifacts from the cabin have been collected and remain in storage, awaiting the full restoration of the cabin.

Our goal is to restore these historic structures to their original beauty and to museum quality, then open them to the public for guided tours so visitors can experience first-hand what life was like in the Rocky Mountains in the 1900's and learn about the important philanthropic work of the Staunton's.

Without immediate intervention these cabins are in certain danger of being lost. Please help us raise the needed money to use for grant matches to raise the needed funds to complete our goal.