#334 - Teller House in Silverton, CO

A Night at Teller House

I'm guessing there are at least 75 historic mining towns in Colorado. Don and I have visited about 20.

On the 11th night of our recent Colorado road trip, we spent the night in one of the most picturesque mining towns... in a charming red-brick "Rooming House".

Victorian Mining Town
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Silverton is located in a remote part of the western San Juan Mountains, a range of the Rocky Mountains. 

Mining began in mountains above Silverton, in 1860. By the 1930's, there was an interest in the “Old West” which attracted tourists from around the world. By the 1970s almost all mining operations had closed, but the train continued to operate, for the purpose of tourism.

Durango to Silverton

Sad to say that Don and I did not arrive by train. But I hope we do that little adventure someday.

However, we saw the train! We stayed in Durango the night before and walked over in the morning to watch the steam train depart the depot. After lunch, we headed for Silverton.  

Views From the Car

I can just imagine the scenery from the passenger car windows. 

Of course from our car window, we had a pretty cool view! On our drive to Silverton, we spotted the train at about 2:30!

Pinkerton Hot Springs

Shortly after that, we made a quick stop to see this roadside oddity.

This is actually a man-made rock pile, with natural hot springs oozing from the top! Weird!

During our 1+ hour drive, I snapped some photos out the window.

Before long we had a pretty fun view of the town!

​Greene Street

There are quite a few dirt roads in town, but Greene Street is paved and mighty wide. We headed east on Greene, past the corner building with patriotic banners. 

That large 40-room structure holds the Grand Imperial Hotel. Someday we'll try that one!

8-Room Teller House

Our hotel on the opposite side of the street, was a little less grand.

But it was a sweet and simple set-up, with shops on the lower level and 8 guest rooms on the second floor.

From 1896

In 1896, brewery owner Charles Fischer built the Teller House, to offer up accommodations for travelers.

At the turn of the century, the rooming house offered guest rooms above and shops below. Just like today.

Between 1896 and 1997?

In 1997, the building was purchased and restored. That's about all I know!  

I would love to know about any of the people who stayed or owned the hotel during its first century. What kinds of shops and businesses were housed below? Is that a vintage HOTEL sign? I found little info on the internet. I needed a host with a little knowledge.

In We Go

But I didn't actually expect to get answers. Our hotel had a self-check-in plan. 

We parked in front and headed for the middle door, between the Holiday Stop (Christmas shop) and White Eye Gallery.

Luckily we didn't have too many bags to lug up the long stairway.

What a curious little set of doors, midway!

The stairs took us right into the middle of an alcove, beneath a skylight. 

Most of the 8 rooms opened to this bright space.

We stepped through another small space that connected us to the "office".

I paused to looked at the framed "art" on both walls.

Hmmmm...

This would have been a lot more disturbing, if been prepared for these images. It helped that I'd read a little something earlier.

These were cartoons that had been sketched onto the walls by tenants long ago. They were discovered during the renovation nearly 2 decades ago.

A couple of the caricatures were just fine. An old man in a top hat. Even a baby on a chamber pot, was amusing. But mostly the drawings put a spotlight on 19th century bigotry. Instead of being funny, these cartoons were sad and sobering. 

The Office Area

In the back room, we found a lovely old desk/counter, a cash register and a framed message welcoming guests.

There were a couple of comfy chairs and shelves of books and more doors leading to a couple of guest rooms.

The Portrait

We read the message board and went to find our room. 

Heading back towards the stairs I noticed a portrait above the radiator.

Henry Moore Teller
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Henry Teller was the man in the frame. The hotel was named for the  Colorado businessman/ and politician. He was known for having some outspoken views.

As a Colorado senator he spoke out against the allotment of Native American lands. He was concerned that Native Americans would be left displaced. He sounds like the kind of man who would have had something to say about the sketches on the walls.

Room Change

It was pretty simple finding our room. There were welcome tags next to each open door, with names of guests.

We stepped into ours and I felt a little disappointed. The window was too high to see out. The queen bed was pretty and so were the chairs... but it felt a bit claustrophobic.

Quick Peek!

I made a quick peek to see if there might be a better room. The door to #9 was open and there was no tag with a name.

I took a fast look. King bed. Comfy chairs. Windows facing Greene Street!

Much Better!

I called Talia at the number listed on the Welcome Board. Talia said we could switch rooms, but it would be an 11-dollar upgrade.

Best 11 dollars ever spent! The bed looked fresh and new. The chairs were the comfiest we've had in a hotel, in a long time!

The fabric headboard and needlepoint bench were pretty sweet. I sort of chuckled at the oddly low and narrow bench. I decided it must be for bedtime prayers. I tested the cushion with my knees, put my palms together and grinned. "Thank you Thank you Thank you for this nice room!" 

Antiques

For being 128-years old, our little hotel felt surprisingly fresh. I love antiques, but I appreciate when old places don't overdo. There were 2 very nice pieces that didn't overwhelm.  

The marble-top was pretty, with a handy metal stand that held our key and our internet code! The non-cluttered shelves and table top, gave us space for our own things! The large wardrobe mirrors made the room feel larger.

Tiny Bathroom

The bathroom was quite tiny, but it was clean and fresh and the towels were soft. 

We had a decent mirror and a tiny glass shelf and a mini table.  Just fine for our 1-night stay.

Cheers for the Window!

Our cozy room felt bright and open for 2 reasons. The 14-foot ceilings helped.

Three tall windows helped even more! 

I loved that we could pull the shades down at night, and pull the lace back in the day.

You have to love the little curtain holders! Miniature plates! 

The View

We only had one night in Silverton, so not a ton of room time. But with our great windows, we could sort of be "on the town" and in the room at the same time!

What a view! Colorful buildings, green mountains and blue sky!

Chairs and a Fan!

Don and I are pretty easily delighted. He loves a good chair and I love a fan... mostly for sleeping. We had both.

After checking in, we decided to grab some water from the "water station" in the hall. With a 9,301-foot elevation, we needed a little sit & hydrate time.

We opened the window and relaxed a bit, while looking up some local history on our phones. 

I took a quick break from research and snuck a "candid" photo, with the mirror. How clever I am.

On the Town

​After a bit of relaxing we were off to enjoy our tiny town. Drinks first, at the Grand Imperial Saloon.

Then dinner at a very lively Handlebar's Restaurant. 

​Coffee
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It was still light out at 8:15, when we finished dinner. We headed back across the street and I was pleased to see our Hotel sign illuminated. 

We headed upstairs and found the hotel as quiet as we'd left it. (No TVs at Teller) We made coffee in the little room off the office and enjoyed our comfy chairs before turning in.
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Morning

We slept well. There were shades on the upper windows, but we didn't use them. I allowed the early light to wake me and get me outside to explore early.

The photos above show mostly early morning photos. But some others are thrown in and labeled.

What's Notable?

The Teller reminded me a bit of an old red school house. Solid and quiet and orderly. It might have been fun meeting the host or other guests, but our stay in #9 (upper left 3 windows) was just perfect, as is.

Staying in the middle of historic Silverton was the biggest plus. Sure it's touristy, but I loved absorbing the beauty of the buildings and mountains, as we wandered. And in the early morning, the locals were the folks who greeted as I explored. Love this little town and love our little rooming house!
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