Carpenter, Colorado
Encyclopedia
Carpenter is a ghost town
in Mesa County
, Colorado
, United States
, twelve miles northeast of Grand Junction
at the end of an extension to 27¼ Road. The settlement was established by William Thomas Carpenter early in 1890 to provide the miners who worked in his two Book Cliff mines
with a place to live. He began building shacks to house his single miners and later erected small houses for the employees with families. As a result of the town's rapid growth, a request to the U.S. post office to establish a branch there in June 1890 was quickly obliged and the community was officially dubbed Carpenter. However, the town never attained a population of over 50, and the post office closed its doors after only a year. After the closure of its post office, Carpenter built a company store and a combination boarding house/restaurant. Book Cliff company stone cutters and masons constructed several buildings and many foundations at Carpenter, using stone from the company quarry near the cliffs. One of the finest examples of a building made of Book Cliff sandstone is the Fruita, Colorado
Catholic church. Several years of prosperity followed the arrival of the Little Book Cliff Railway
at the townsite in 1892. Carpenter began to formulate big plans for his village. He envisioned it as a tourist resort complete with hotel, dance pavilion, picnic areas, and even a lake that was to be fed by a spring located near his Book Cliff mines
. Carpenter renamed the camp Poland Spring
after a noted resort of that name in Maine. It was variously referred to as Polen, Pollen, and Polan Springs, despite the fact that Carpenter’s intended name was evidenced by his having it emblazoned on the side of one of his railroad excursion cars. The resort plans were never completed because Carpenter went broke shortly after the Panic of 1893
. Isaac Chauncey Wyman, a wealthy Massachusetts investor, became the next owner of the Book Cliff company. The town continued to enjoy an active existence because he did much to improve the mines and thus created a need for additional employees. The old eating house, referred to as the Hotel de Carpenter on occasion, was converted into a school and church for the camp’s inhabitants, and many company structures were rebuilt and improved during Wyman’s tenure as owner. The new name Book Cliff was applied to the town but did not adhere any better than did Poland Springs. Usually people referred to the place as the “Book Cliff Mines.” The town reached its zenith and then began a gradual decline following Wyman’s death in 1910. In his will Wyman left the town, railroad, and mines to Princeton University
. Princeton managed everything for 15 years then decided to abandon it all in 1925. By the end of that summer nearly everything had been sold, dismantled, and hauled away.
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
in Mesa County
Mesa County, Colorado
Mesa County is the fourth most extensive and the eleventh most populous of the 64 counties of the state of Colorado in the United States. The county was named for the many large mesas in the area, including Grand Mesa. The county population was 146,723 at the 2010 United States Census. The...
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, twelve miles northeast of Grand Junction
Grand Junction, Colorado
The City of Grand Junction is the largest city in western Colorado. It is a city with a council–manager government form that is the county seat and the most populous city of Mesa County, Colorado, United States. Grand Junction is situated west-southwest of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. As...
at the end of an extension to 27¼ Road. The settlement was established by William Thomas Carpenter early in 1890 to provide the miners who worked in his two Book Cliff mines
Book Cliff mines
The Book Cliff Mines were coal mines located near Grand Junction, Colorado. They closed in 1925.-History and Description:By the time Grand Junction was three years old it had become apparent to its citizens that they needed a good coal supply if the town was to grow and prosper. Early in 1884 an...
with a place to live. He began building shacks to house his single miners and later erected small houses for the employees with families. As a result of the town's rapid growth, a request to the U.S. post office to establish a branch there in June 1890 was quickly obliged and the community was officially dubbed Carpenter. However, the town never attained a population of over 50, and the post office closed its doors after only a year. After the closure of its post office, Carpenter built a company store and a combination boarding house/restaurant. Book Cliff company stone cutters and masons constructed several buildings and many foundations at Carpenter, using stone from the company quarry near the cliffs. One of the finest examples of a building made of Book Cliff sandstone is the Fruita, Colorado
Fruita, Colorado
The City of Fruita is a Home Rule Municipality located in the western part of Mesa County, Colorado, in the United States. It is part of the Grand Junction Metropolitan Statistical Area and within the Grand Valley...
Catholic church. Several years of prosperity followed the arrival of the Little Book Cliff Railway
Little Book Cliff Railway
The Little Book Cliff Railway was a narrow gauge railroad that operated in Colorado, United States, from 1889 to 1925.The LBC was incorporated on September 11, 1889, by William Thomas Carpenter and several other prominent Grand Junction, Colorado, business men...
at the townsite in 1892. Carpenter began to formulate big plans for his village. He envisioned it as a tourist resort complete with hotel, dance pavilion, picnic areas, and even a lake that was to be fed by a spring located near his Book Cliff mines
Book Cliff mines
The Book Cliff Mines were coal mines located near Grand Junction, Colorado. They closed in 1925.-History and Description:By the time Grand Junction was three years old it had become apparent to its citizens that they needed a good coal supply if the town was to grow and prosper. Early in 1884 an...
. Carpenter renamed the camp Poland Spring
Poland Spring
Poland Spring is a brand of bottled water manufactured by a subsidiary of Nestlé and sold in the United States. It was founded in 1845 by Hiram Ricker. Despite the name, the water does not come from the country of Poland...
after a noted resort of that name in Maine. It was variously referred to as Polen, Pollen, and Polan Springs, despite the fact that Carpenter’s intended name was evidenced by his having it emblazoned on the side of one of his railroad excursion cars. The resort plans were never completed because Carpenter went broke shortly after the Panic of 1893
Panic of 1893
The Panic of 1893 was a serious economic depression in the United States that began in 1893. Similar to the Panic of 1873, this panic was marked by the collapse of railroad overbuilding and shaky railroad financing which set off a series of bank failures...
. Isaac Chauncey Wyman, a wealthy Massachusetts investor, became the next owner of the Book Cliff company. The town continued to enjoy an active existence because he did much to improve the mines and thus created a need for additional employees. The old eating house, referred to as the Hotel de Carpenter on occasion, was converted into a school and church for the camp’s inhabitants, and many company structures were rebuilt and improved during Wyman’s tenure as owner. The new name Book Cliff was applied to the town but did not adhere any better than did Poland Springs. Usually people referred to the place as the “Book Cliff Mines.” The town reached its zenith and then began a gradual decline following Wyman’s death in 1910. In his will Wyman left the town, railroad, and mines to Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
. Princeton managed everything for 15 years then decided to abandon it all in 1925. By the end of that summer nearly everything had been sold, dismantled, and hauled away.