Shelf Road transformed an untraveled wilderness into a major route for stagecoaches and freight wagons traveling between the Arkansas Valley and the Cripple Creek Gold Mining District. The rugged route's name comes from "The Shelf," a five-mile stretch of road that hugs the sheer rock walls above Fourmile Creek. This dramatic section of roadway remains one of the most scenic and memorable drives in Colorado.

Originally called the Cañon City and Cripple Creek Toll Road, Cañon City's business leaders financed the road's construction. Toll collectors lived in small cabins nestled at either end of The Shelf and collected tolls every time a horse, wagon, or stagecoach passed. The toll varied from 30 cents to $1.75 for single riders, wagons, and stagecoaches. Ranchers driving cattle along the road paid for each head.

Eventually, competition from railroads put the toll road out of business. Fremont County purchased the road and opened it as a free public route. This road has made for a memorable trip since its construction in 1892, so be prepared for a driving adventure through some of Colorado's most spectacular canyon scenery.

In 1880, a grain miller named Gabriel Bowen filed a claim to an oil spring on the east bank of Fourmile Creek. Within two years, A.M. Cassidy and his partners had acquired the oil spring and drilled a well—the first oil well in Colorado. Wagons hauled the oil to Denver, Pueblo, and Santa Fe to be used as lamp oil and machine lubricant.

This small oil well eventually led to the discovery of the Florence Oil Field in 1881, which transformed the region's economy. The Florence field became one of the most productive oil fields in the state during the late 19th century, and Florence developed into a major center for oil production and refining. Today, this marker commemorates the humble beginnings of Colorado's petroleum industry.

Garden Park is a classic example of a fertile down-thrown valley, lying at the base of and surrounded by uplifted rocks of the Rocky Mountain Front Range. Fourmile Creek runs through Garden Park and provides a water source for irrigated agriculture. This irrigation capability made Garden Park an attractive location for settlers who took advantage of free land offered by the Homestead Act during the post-Civil War period.

By 1900, over 60 families made a living in agriculture by providing produce for export to the mines in Cripple Creek and Victor. Investors from Cañon City built a toll road that today is part of the Gold Belt Tour and is known as Shelf Road. The Shelf Road, along with the Florence and Cripple Creek Railway through Phantom Canyon, were two of the three major supply routes to the mining district.

For 25 to 30 years following the discovery of gold in Cripple Creek, Garden Park operated as a prosperous agricultural community. However, the downturn of the mines following World War I and the end of the Gold Standard resulted in a major loss of market for Garden Park produce. As a result, homesteaders sold off land and water rights and left the valley.

A few individuals consolidated the 60-plus homesteads into a handful of moderate to large ranches that persisted until recently. Starting in the late 1990s and early 2000s, these ranches began to be sold off and subdivided into home sites of approximately 35 acres. Once again, Garden Park has approximately 60 families, though most are not practicing agriculturalists.

While visiting Garden Park, be sure to stop at the historic Garden Park School, constructed of adobe bricks made from local soil in 1895. You may also wish to take a short walk to one of several famous sites where dinosaur fossils have been discovered, or scale the cliffs of The Bank climbing area.

The school structure that still stands today was originally completed in 1895 as the second Garden Park School. The first school was lost to a fire in 1891, as it had been constructed of wood in the late 1870s. The last classes were taught here in 1963. With only six students that final year, the school was no longer needed and closed its doors after consolidation with Cañon City School District.

During its time, the school housed many public and religious events as a local community center, serving as the social hub for Garden Park's farming and ranching families. The adobe brick construction, using local soil, gave the building durability that wooden structures of the era could not match.

Restoration work began on the building in 2010. The west wall you see today was nearly collapsed, but with the help of Colorado State Historical Funds, the wall was disassembled, a new foundation was installed, and then the wall was rebuilt using many of the original bricks. The restored school now stands as a testament to the community that once thrived in Garden Park during the gold rush era.

The discovery of the dinosaur site known as the Cleveland-Delfs Quarry was made in the summer of 1954 during a field expedition by the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. The rare dinosaur Haplocanthosaurus, meaning "simple spined lizard," was found along an eroding bend of Fourmile Creek in a layer of mudstone.

Now housed in the Cleveland Museum, "Happy" is a giant plant-eating sauropod from the late Jurassic period, 155 to 152 million years ago. This specimen represents a new species called Haplocanthosaurus delfsi, named after Dr. Edwin Delfs, M.D., leader of the original crew who located this rare dinosaur in Garden Park.

Dr. Delfs returned to Garden Park in 1991 for the dedication of a plaque in recognition of his discovery. This is the largest known and only Haplocanthosaurus to be mounted and on permanent display in the United States. The quarry site remains an important location in the history of American paleontology and adds to Garden Park's reputation as one of the world's premier dinosaur fossil locations.

The Marsh-Felch Quarry story began in 1877 when O.C. Marsh sent employee Benjamin Franklin Mudge to Cañon City to investigate claims of large fossils being discovered and shipped to his rival Edward Drinker Cope by local schoolteacher Oramel Lucas. Mudge attempted to persuade Lucas to send specimens to Marsh instead, but after little success, he began working with a local farmer named Marshall P. Felch.

Felch had started his own quarry in 1877, located only about a mile from the Cope Quarry. The excavated dinosaur bones were sent back to O.C. Marsh at Yale University. This site became one of the most productive dinosaur quarries of the famous "Bone Wars" between Marsh and Cope, yielding numerous important specimens that advanced scientific understanding of dinosaurs.

Today, the trailhead provides access to this historic paleontological site. Visitors can walk to the quarry location and learn about the intense scientific rivalry that put Garden Park on the map as one of the world's most significant dinosaur fossil areas.

Shelf Road was built as a means of travel between Cañon City and Cripple Creek. After the discovery of gold to the north, businessmen from Cañon City saw the road as an investment opportunity and began to charge a toll for its use. A stage line was established around 1894 along the road by Charlie Canterbury Sr. and E.C. Higgins.

Canterbury operated the lower toll gates while Higgins drove the stage. The stage line only lasted a few years until railroad routes were established, offering faster and more reliable transportation to the mining district. However, Canterbury saw opportunity in the location and decided to homestead in a canyon near his toll gate.

The Canterbury Homestead represents the entrepreneurial spirit of the gold rush era, when settlers found ways to profit from the constant flow of people and goods heading to and from the mines. Today, remnants of this homestead serve as a reminder of the strategic importance of Shelf Road during the Cripple Creek boom.

Marigold was a stage stop between Victor and Cripple Creek and later served as a construction camp for the Carlton Tunnel between 1930 and 1941. The town had a post office between 1895 and 1902, indicating a permanent population during the height of the gold rush. Today, the site is seasonally occupied with several era structures still standing.

During its heyday, Marigold provided essential services to travelers and workers along this remote stretch of road. The construction of the Carlton Tunnel brought renewed activity to the area, as workers needed housing and supplies during the decade-long project. The tunnel was designed to drain water from the deep mines around Victor, allowing mining operations to continue at greater depths.

Visitors to the Marigold site can see remnants of the community that served both the gold rush transportation needs and the later tunnel construction effort.

Completed in 1941, the Carlton Tunnel was built as a drainage tunnel stretching from Vindicator Valley to Marigold, a distance of over six miles. This remarkable engineering feat further increased the drainage abilities of the deeper mines around Victor. The tunnel was dug so straight that workers could see a tiny pinpoint of light from the opening more than six miles away.

The tunnel allowed mines like the Ajax, Portland No. 2, and Cresson to reach depths between 2,300 and 3,000 feet below the surface without flooding. Water drained to an elevation of 6,893 feet, more than 3,000 feet below most mine entrances. This capability extended the productive life of the Cripple Creek Mining District well into the 20th century.

Water from the Carlton Tunnel still flows today, running adjacent to Fourmile Creek. The rock visible at this location was excavated during the tunnel's construction. An older tunnel, the Roosevelt Tunnel, with its portal three miles to the north, was rendered obsolete when the Carlton Tunnel was completed. Both sites are on private property.

Settled by the Anson Rudd family in 1860, Cañon City quickly became a regional center for commerce. The Arkansas River and its numerous tributaries provided ample water for agricultural, residential, and industrial uses. Farms, ranches, and orchards flourished in the fertile soils along the river. Silver and gold discoveries in the surrounding mountains provided a ready market for Cañon City farmers and merchants.

Wagon roads and railroads proved critical to Cañon City's success. Wagon and stagecoach roads stretched south to the silver mines near Westcliffe and Silver Cliff and northwest to the silver and gold mines of Alma, Fairplay, and Leadville. In the late 1870s, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad and the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad arrived in town.

With the gold discoveries in Cripple Creek, a group of Cañon City businessmen quickly financed and built Shelf Road in 1892. When the railroad was built up Phantom Canyon in 1894, it proved a more efficient connection than the wagon road. Cañon City still managed to benefit by convincing the railroad to build a branch line into Cañon City and share facilities with the Denver and Rio Grande in 1899.

Today, Cañon City's downtown historic district contains 81 buildings that reflect the town's prosperity between 1870 and 1930. Downtown offers a variety of shops, restaurants, and galleries for visitors to explore.

Located on the western end of Cañon City, this unique museum welcomes visitors to explore the history of Colorado Corrections. Individual MP3 audio tours guide visitors through 32 cells filled with exciting exhibits and life-sized models that link the past to the present in dramatic presentation.

Artifacts and exhibits include the hangman's noose used for the last execution by hanging in Colorado, confiscated inmate weapons and contraband, and the last gas chamber used in the state. Visitors can also view rare historic photographs depicting life in prison facilities, displays of disciplinary paraphernalia used from 1871 to the present, and inmate arts and crafts.

The museum is housed in the former women's prison, built in 1935 and closed in 1968. Two Victorian-era apartments have been recreated to show how prison staff lived on the grounds. A gift shop offers unique souvenirs related to the museum's collection. The Museum of Colorado Prisons provides a fascinating and sometimes sobering look at the state's correctional history.

Originally built in 1871, five years before Colorado reached official statehood, the prison became the first in the territory. Construction began with inmate labor using locally quarried stone, and the facility grew over the decades to become one of the most significant correctional institutions in the American West.

After Colorado achieved statehood in 1876, the Territorial Prison became the first official state prison and housed Colorado's death row inmates for many years. The facility witnessed numerous escapes, riots, and executions throughout its long history. Notable inmates included Alfred Packer, convicted of cannibalism, and numerous outlaws from Colorado's frontier era.

Today, the original cell house and other historic buildings remain part of the Colorado Territorial Correctional Facility. The adjacent Museum of Colorado Prisons interprets this history for visitors, offering insight into more than 150 years of Colorado corrections.

Built in the 1880s for James Clelland, a local businessman heavily involved in real estate, merchandising, and grocery, the Peabody Mansion served as a focal point for meetings with governors, financial managers, politicians, and business leaders. The impressive Victorian home reflected Clelland's success and prominence in Cañon City society.

The mansion was named after future Colorado Governor James H. Peabody, who originally worked for Clelland as a bookkeeper. Peabody rose through Cañon City's business community before entering politics and serving as governor from 1903 to 1905, a tumultuous period marked by labor unrest in the Cripple Creek Mining District.

The Peabody Mansion stands as one of the finest examples of Victorian residential architecture in Cañon City. Its ornate details and substantial construction reflect the wealth that flowed through the region during the mining boom years. The home remains a significant landmark in Cañon City's historic district.