The Pioneer County Office/Doc Garvin's Cabin

This little old cabin sits in Bancroft Park, in Old Colorado City on the west side of Colorado Springs. Believe it or not, this unassuming building was the first "capitol" of Colorado! You see, in 1862, when Colorado was still a territory, our second territorial congress convened in Old Colorado City (then called Colorado City), in Doc Garvin's cabin. Conditions in there were so uncomfortable, everyone decided to hightail it to Denver after only five days, thus Denver was christened the capital city! Its glory days were brief, but the cabin managed to survive decades of varied use (the morgue, the county courthouse, home to various families, a Chinese laundry, an opium den, a pastry shop, and years of vacancy), until Thayer Tutt, Jr purchased it in 1929 for $40. It was relocated to the Broadmoor, where it sat on the golf course and was used for storage (!!!), but eventually its historical significance earned it a spot in Bancroft Park in 1961, mere yards from its original location, after a brief spell on Capital Hill in Denver. I think it's a very interesting story. This little cabin played a big part in our state's history!