Saddlehorn Caretaker's House and Garage
Encyclopedia
The Saddlehorn Caretaker's House and Garage, also known as the Stone House, the Rock House and the Superintendent's Quarters is a house in Colorado National Monument
. The National Park Service Rustic
house was designed in 1934 by the National Park Service
Branch of Plans and Designs and built in several phases by the Works Progress Administration
and the Civilian Conservation Corps
, using native red sandstone
in a coursed ashlar
pattern. Plans specified not only the general layout of the house and garage, but the specific dimensions of each stone and its location, using a technique of "built by detail".
The house and the associated properties are located at the intersection of Rim Rock Drive
and the Saddle horn Loop, named after a distinctive nearby rock formation. Design was executed by W.G. Carney of the western division of the Branch of Plans and Design. Construction was carried out by craftsmen, known as LEM's (Local Experienced Men), with suitable skills, reputedly stonemasons of Italian descent. Much of the material came from Rim Rock Drive construction.
The three Saddlehorn National Register properties were nominated to the National Register of Historic Places
as a multiple property submission on the basis of their related design and history. The residence and garage were the first structures built in the area, by CCC camp NM-2-C. A planned park headquarters adjacent to the house was designed but never built.
Colorado National Monument
- Trails :The Monument contains many hiking trails, with lengths and difficulties to suit all tastes. Summer storms can cause flash floods as well as dangerous trail conditions. Rattlesnakes are found on the Monument, and rough terrain exists everywhere, but most trails are well-maintained...
. The National Park Service Rustic
National Park Service Rustic
National Park Service rustic, also colloquially known as Parkitecture, is a style of architecture that arose in the United States National Park System to create buildings that harmonized with their natural environment. Since its founding, the National Park Service consistently has sought to provide...
house was designed in 1934 by the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
Branch of Plans and Designs and built in several phases by the Works Progress Administration
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
and the Civilian Conservation Corps
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
, using native red sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
in a coursed ashlar
Ashlar
Ashlar is prepared stone work of any type of stone. Masonry using such stones laid in parallel courses is known as ashlar masonry, whereas masonry using irregularly shaped stones is known as rubble masonry. Ashlar blocks are rectangular cuboid blocks that are masonry sculpted to have square edges...
pattern. Plans specified not only the general layout of the house and garage, but the specific dimensions of each stone and its location, using a technique of "built by detail".
The house and the associated properties are located at the intersection of Rim Rock Drive
Rim Rock Drive
Rim Rock Drive is a scenic road in Colorado National Monument. The 23-mile drive follows the upper rim of a series of canyons, extending from the vicinity of Fruita, Colorado in the west to near Grand Junction, Colorado in the east, connecting points only eight miles apart in a straight line...
and the Saddle horn Loop, named after a distinctive nearby rock formation. Design was executed by W.G. Carney of the western division of the Branch of Plans and Design. Construction was carried out by craftsmen, known as LEM's (Local Experienced Men), with suitable skills, reputedly stonemasons of Italian descent. Much of the material came from Rim Rock Drive construction.
The three Saddlehorn National Register properties were nominated to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
as a multiple property submission on the basis of their related design and history. The residence and garage were the first structures built in the area, by CCC camp NM-2-C. A planned park headquarters adjacent to the house was designed but never built.