Kennicott Cabin

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997, the Kennicott Cabin north of Westcliffe still looks much as it did when Frank Kennicott built it in 1869–70.

Located about three miles north of Westcliffe in the Wet Mountain Valley, the Kennicott Cabin is a rare example of a two-story log cabin. It is significant in the early settlement of the area. Frank Kennicott built the cabin on his original homestead, and his family lived there until the early 1890s. In 1988 the Kennicott Ranch was recognized as a Colorado Centennial Farm.

Sheltered between the Sangre de Cristo Range and the Wet Mountains, the Wet Mountain Valley has a long history of human use. Muache Utes hunted there, and Zebulon Pike passed through the valley during his 1806–7 expedition. Hispano shepherds from the Upper Huerfano Valley later ventured north into the area. The first permanent white settlers—Elisha Horn, John Taylor, William Vorhis, and brothers Frank and George Kennicott—arrived in 1869.

Originally from Illinois, the Kennicotts came to Colorado because they were suffering from tuberculosis. They recovered quickly and took 160-acre homesteads in the valley. They soon went into the cattle and freight businesses. Frank Kennicott probably built his log cabin in 1869–70, before the brothers returned to Illinois in 1871 to find wives.

The exterior of the Kennicott cabin had a rustic, rough-hewn appearance with round peeled logs and simple corner joints. However, the interior surfaces of the logs were hewn flat and covered with muslin and wallpaper. The cabin is also distinctive in Colorado because it was built in an Eastern or Midwestern log cabin style, with side-facing gables and longer front and rear walls, reflecting the Kennicotts’ Illinois origins. Frank Kennicott’s family lived in the log cabin until 1892, when they bought the adjacent Freer Ranch and moved to a larger ranch house there. Around 1900 the cabin had a one-story log building extending perpendicularly off the back, but that addition had burned by the early 1910s.

In about 1910, Frank Kennicott’s first daughter, Mary Louise Thorpe Kennicott, moved into the log cabin. Her husband, Lou Comstock, had died of tuberculosis, leaving her a widow with two young sons, Walter and John. For a while Mary Louise made money selling honey. Later, John Comstock and his uncle Edwin Rogers started a cattle company called Comstock and Rogers. Walter and John Comstock lived in the old log cabin until their deaths in 1990. The cabin had no plumbing and remained largely in its original condition. After the Comstock brothers died, the Kennicott Cabin passed to their cousin, Gertrude Schooley. She was one of Edwin Rogers’s children.

Today a small sign on the west side of Highway 69 identifies the log cabin, and the surrounding land has been placed in a conservation easement.

The Kennicott Cabin north of Westcliffe is a rare example of a two-story log cabin. It still looks much as it did when Frank Kennicott built it in 1869–70. The Kennicott Cabin. It sits in the Wet Mountain Valley, about three miles north of Westcliffe. It is important in the early settlement of the area. Frank Kennicott and his family lived there until the early 1890s. In 1988 the Kennicott Ranch was recognized as a Colorado Centennial Farm. In 1997 the cabin was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Location

The Wet Mountain Valley lies sheltered between the Sangre de Cristo Range to the west and the Wet Mountains to the east. Muache Utes hunted in the valley, and American explorer Zebulon Pike passed through the valley during his 1806–7 expedition. Hispano shepherds from the Upper Huerfano valley ventured north into the area. The first permanent white settlers, including brothers Frank and George Kennicott, arrived in 1869.

The Kennicotts came to Colorado from Illinois because they were suffering from tuberculosis. They recovered quickly, and took 160-acre homesteads in the valley. They soon went into the cattle and freight businesses. Frank Kennicott probably built his log cabin in 1869–70. In 1871 the brothers returned to Illinois to find wives.

The cabin Frank built is a rare example of a two-story log house. The exterior had a rustic, rough-hewn appearance. The round logs were peeled, and had simple corner joints. However, the interior surfaces of the logs were hewn flat. They were covered with muslin and wallpaper. The style of cabin is also distinctive. It is an Eastern or Midwestern log cabin style. This style, with side-facing gables and longer front and rear walls, reflects the Kennicotts’ Illinois origins. Frank Kennicott’s family lived in the log cabin until 1892. At that point, they bought the adjacent Freer Ranch and moved to a larger ranch house there.

In about 1910, Frank Kennicott’s first daughter, Mary Louise Thorpe Kennicott, moved into the log cabin. Her husband, Lou Comstock, had died of tuberculosis. She was left a widow with two young sons, Walter and John. For a while Mary Louise made money selling honey. Later, John Comstock and his uncle Edwin Rogers started a cattle company called Comstock and Rogers. Walter and John Comstock lived in the old log cabin until their deaths in 1990. The cabin had no plumbing and remained largely in its original condition. After the Comstock brothers died, the Kennicott Cabin passed to their cousin, Gertrude Schooley. She was one of Edwin Rogers’s children. The cabin was recognized as a Centennial Farm—one that has remained in the same family for at least 100 years—in 1988.

Today a small sign on the west side of Highway 69 identifies the log cabin. The surrounding land has been placed in a conservation easement.

The Kennicott Cabin is north of the town of Westcliffe. Frank Kennicott built the cabin in 1869–70. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.

The Kennicott Cabin is rare because it is a two-story log cabin. The cabin is in the Wet Mountain Valley. The Wet Mountain Valley is in southern Colorado. It lies between two mountain ranges, the Sangre de Cristo Range to the west and the Wet Mountains to the east. Humans used the valley for centuries. Muache Utes hunted there. Explorer Zebulon Pike passed through. Hispano shepherds came with their flocks. In 1879 Frank and George Kennicott arrived. They were among the first white settlers to stay.

The Kennicott brothers came from Illinois. They had tuberculosis. People thought Colorado’s dry air was a cure. The brothers recovered. They applied for land under the Homestead Act. Under this act, people could get 160 acres of land for free. Frank and George each took homesteads. They raised cattle. Frank Kennicott probably built his cabin in 1869–70.

On the outside, Frank’s two-story cabin was rough. He peeled bark from the logs. Then they were stacked like tinker-toys. Inside, the cabin was fancier. Here, the logs were cut so the walls were flat. Muslin fabric and wallpaper covered them. Frank Kennicott’s family lived in the cabin until 1892. Then they bought a nearby ranch with a larger house.

In about 1910, Frank Kennicott’s daughter Mary Louise moved back. Her husband, Lou Comstock, had died of tuberculosis. She had two young sons, Walter and John. Mary Louise made money selling honey. Later, John Comstock and his uncle Edwin Rogers started a cattle company. The old log cabin had no plumbing. There was no water inside the house. But the Comstock brothers lived there until they died in 1990.

In 1988 the Kennicott Ranch got an award for being in the same family for more than 100 years. This made it a Colorado Centennial Farm.

The land near the cabin is now protected. There is a small sign on the west side of Highway 69 that identifies the cabin.