The Beth Lists
  • Homepage
  • Little Bear's Adventures
  • Diverse Dining List
  • 90 Notable Nights
  • Happy List
  • Quilt Adventure Blog
  • Not So Happy List
  • The Texas Twenty List
  • Mom's Picnic List
  • 18+ Dance Adventures
  • 55 Strangers
  • The Barbie Bucket List
  • 60 Celebrations
  • 57 Celebrations of the Fifties!
 90 Notable Nights

#109 The Creede Hotel

12/28/2015

2 Comments

 

​Creede, Colorado

​I don't even remember how Don heard about this old hotel, but he made reservations for a stay, 3 years ago.
Picture
Picture
We had to cancel those reservations from the car, in 2013. There were devastating wildfires that summer. The only roads into town were barricaded.

​
​No Fires

So we made an attempt to return this past fall.  When we arrived, it almost looked like smoke, lingering from 3 years ago.  
Picture

​

But the quiet little town was just soggy with fog and cold, drizzle.

Funny Little Hotel

​
We arrived on September 22,  just a day or two before the hotel was going to close down for the winter.  
Picture
It looked dark, so we hoped it hadn't already!  Don and I were determined to stay at this historic place that was once the best of about 100 hotels in the once booming town of Creede. 

Signs

​There were 3 doors.  The one on the left was to the darkened restaurant.  The middle door entrance had a barrel with a closed sign.  Luckily, the door to the right had a note welcoming us.  
Picture
Picture
There were only 4 rooms listed and ours was the only one with a name next to it.  It looked  like we might be the last guests of the season.

Heading Up
​
The hardware on the door was pretty ancient, so the door wouldn't click shut after we entered.  ​
Picture
Picture
We headed up the steep stairs and hoped there were decent locks on the 4 guest rooms upstairs.

Calamity Jane Room
​
​I was pretty delighted we had gotten the room that Calamity Jane supposedly stayed in.  
Picture
Picture
Her portrait in the room looked nothing like Doris Day, who played her in a very silly musical in 1953.

​Jane Style?

I'm not sure if Ms. Jane would have loved this decor?  
Picture
The white iron bed would have suited her fine. But would she have adored the two pink walls and ruffled curtains?

Cozy

​It was chilly and damp, so we cranked up the heat to enjoy our little room.  There were some old bits of furniture that might have been around in Jane's day.  ​
Picture
The dresser and mirror looked about right... if you blurred your eyes and imagined a white pitcher and bowl, instead of the coffee maker. 

The Bathroom
​
​I'm
 guessing there were no bathrooms when this small hotel was built over 120 years ago. I would love to know the history of this funny bathroom.  
Picture
​
The floor was sort of tilted, which made me chuckle as I stumbled on the linoleum.  I appreciated the attempt at creating a "place for stuff" next to the sink... with a little shelf. 

The Mystery Shower

​The toilet was sort of tucked into a niche in the wall and the vintage metal shower was a hoot.  At 5 am, the shower was less amusing, when Don and I both woke to the sound of water sucking down a drain.
Picture
I staggered in to investigate and the floor of the shower was still draining water.  When I reached up to feel the shower head, it was dry.  "Calamity!  Get out of this shower!" I laughed as I turned to crawl back in bed.  Jane's ghost?

Relaxing Spots 

​Inside our small room, we did have a little tea table of sorts.  It just made me laugh to look above the table cloth and flowerpot to see the portrait of Calamity.  
Picture
Picture
She was holding that gun like she was angry about this frilly room decor.  Or was she just proudly protecting her guests?  I preferred the porch table instead.

Porch in the Morning

​It was chilly in the morning, but we had a little coffee and enjoyed our view of Main Street, which was as quiet as the evening before.
Picture
Picture
I was glad to see there was an emergency ladder draped over the railing... in case the ghost of Calamity Jane got any wilder!

The Rest of Hotel

​The Western Room 
was beneath the 4 guest rooms. I'm not sure how this space was used originally when the hotel was called "Zang's".  
Picture

There were enough tables in this space to probably hold every resident of the town of Creede.

Western Memorabilia

​Maybe in the summer tourists fill the space, but we got it to ourselves.  We took our time looking at the western movie posters and antique toys.
Picture
Picture
I felt the need to pose with my cowboy boots, but they seemed to get lost in the shadows.  I should have known I could not outshine Gene Autry, smiling down from his poster in his fancy hat!

The Restaurant
​
​Attached to the north end of the hotel is the restaurant that is oddly enough known for it's delicious food.  Don and I had reservations for 7, but there were only a couple tables being served, so we had a drink at the bar, first.  
Picture
Dave who has been the owner and chef for 15 years came out and chatted a while.  He showed us a photo of John Wayne at the bar in the 1950's.  Our western road trip seemed to be connecting us with John Wayne and Calamity Jane over and over!

Our Quiet Feast
​
​Dave told us how he moved to Creede to escape the new Colorado Boom Towns. He was tired of watching the old mining boom towns, like Boulder and Telluride being taken over by the wealthy.  
Picture
Picture
As we feasted on crab cakes and Caesar salad, pork tenderloin with spinach... and mashed sweet potatoes with bacon, brandy and maple syrup! We tried to imagine how a tiny place like this could serve such a feast!

Breakfast

​In the morning, we were back for breakfast, which was included in our stay.
Picture
Picture
While our egg scramble cooked, we sipped our coffee, nibbled muffins and browsed through books about haunted hotels, which featured The Creede Hotel.

​What's Notable?
​
This was not the first time Don and I have been the only guests at a hotel or inn. But usually the host or caretaker has a room in the building.  I'm not sure which is more eerie, knowing you're all alone or knowing the host (whom you've just met) is sleeping in a nearby room.  
Picture
But compared to our other stays, this was the most dreamlike and mysterious.  The very thought that we could enjoy a gourmet meal on a rainy night in a deserted town in an empty hotel  just makes the whole memory more surreal.  I'm so glad we finally got to have our stay!
​

2 Comments
Jessica
4/13/2021 09:27:40 am

My Mother owned the Hotel in the late 70's, early 80's. It was my "job" to go up and clean guest rooms. I cannot tell you how many times I would get done with one room, move on to another only to hear the water running full blast in the room I just left. I hated going up there! Even guests would come down the next morning and say things like "I felt someone crawl in bed with me"! This is all true, and there are so many more stories I could tell. The West Room-used to be the dining room, dining room presently used to be the bar. And out back of the hotel was the "crib", where the ladies of the night stayed. Agh....The Creede Hotel-where no-one sleeps!

Reply
Beth
4/13/2021 02:05:35 pm

Jessica, I can’t thank you enough for sharing! I’m both laughing and cringing to read about your experience cleaning the rooms! I spoke pretty lightly about the shower water, in my post. But that really was strange and creepy. I couldn’t figure out an explanation!
I’m so curious if you’ve been back to the hotel since the days when your mother owned the hotel. I wonder how the place has changed, if at all. Hopefully you've gotten some mileage out of the stories you collected! I would sure love to hear more! And wow! The “crib” in back! Lol!
Thanks so much. If other stories surface or you find an old photo, here’s my email: bz@comcast.net.
I love having. A new connection to The Creed!!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    Ninety Notable

    ​       Nights


    My New Year's Resolution for 2014 was to start documenting some of the memorable overnights I've had in some very odd and curious motels and hotels. Like the adventures in my Dining Blog, I have learned to enjoy the surprises that happen when you step out of the comfort zone, far away from the well-known chains.    

    I began with a few entries recalling my very first home away from home memories from my youth.  Then, I started sharing about some of the quirky and unforgettable motels, hotels and inns that my husband and I have discovered in recent years.

    ​The best part about this challenge was making some lists with Don and getting on the road in search of new overnight adventures.  I gave myself a 2-year goal to write up 90 stories and the goal was met. Now we just keep on adding!

    Archives

    March 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    March 2022
    January 2022
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    March 2021
    September 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    00 The Blog's Beginning
    0 Foreign Bermuda
    0 Foreign Chile
    0 Foreign Curacao
    0 Foreign - Guatemala
    0 Foreign Italy
    0 Foreign Japan
    0 Foreign Mexico
    0 Foreign Roatan
    0 Foreign Thailand
    Alabama
    Arizona
    Arkansas
    California
    Colorado
    Florida
    Georgia
    Hawaii
    Idaho
    Illinois
    Iowa
    Louisiana
    Michigan
    Mississippi
    Missouri
    Montana
    Nevada
    New Mexico
    New York
    North Carolina
    Oklahoma
    Oregon
    South Dakota
    Tennessee
    Texas
    Utah
    Vermont
    Washington
    Wyoming

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Homepage
  • Little Bear's Adventures
  • Diverse Dining List
  • 90 Notable Nights
  • Happy List
  • Quilt Adventure Blog
  • Not So Happy List
  • The Texas Twenty List
  • Mom's Picnic List
  • 18+ Dance Adventures
  • 55 Strangers
  • The Barbie Bucket List
  • 60 Celebrations
  • 57 Celebrations of the Fifties!