Pine History Series #5---Firehouse Coffee

30 foot walk from your car. Plenty of parking room. Might need stealth.

Welcome to the heart of Pine Grove!

You are surrounded by amazing history! Pine Grove was a rail stop for the Denver South Park & Pacific Railroad. That is pretty much what established Pine. The train would bring people from Denver to Leadville and many stops along the way. Harvesting lumber from the surrounding forests to build Denver was a major reason for the railway. The last train left town in March of 1937.
The area became a popular vacation destination in those early days. Pine, Sphinx Park, and Buffalo Creek developed quite a following and more people settled up here.
A little about the surroundings here in town.
The red building was the “Odd Fellows” Hall at one time. They had a mission to care for orphans and widows. It was also a temporary post office when Charles Dake kicked the Post Office out of the Pine Mercantile (now the Pine Emporium).
Behind the red building, across the drive, is a little dilapidated building. That was the “ice house” to store ice that was cut in winter from Crystal Lake and the Lake in Pine Valley Park. The walls were packed with sawdust for insulation. You can still see remnants of it around the base of the building.
The white block building 100 feet south of the Odd Fellows hall, was Pine’s original Firehouse. The sign is still above the door. The red truck in front the coffee shop was originally a North Fork fire truck back in it’s day. It held water tanks on it’s flat bed for fighting fire. Believe it or not.....it still runs! I've had a ride in it. (Truck has been moved to the school house at 6th & Grove)
The little stone building next to the Firehouse, was a root cellar in the 1800’s. It was used for cool storage of good’s and serviced the railroad. There is more history about it on the inside of the entrance. The house next to it was a residence during the early 1800’s as well.
The wide flat area across highway 126 was the switching yard for the railroad. You can still see the black railroad base. The new North Fork Fire Station #2 was where the train station was.
Just around the corner at Grove and Park avenue’s is the old Prosser House Hotel. It has seen many uses thru history. A hotel number one, but legend has it, it was also a brothel at one time. AND! Room #6 is haunted !
At 7th and Grove is the old Pine school house. The PECIA building at 7th and 126 was a Methodist Church during the rail days. (It was just refurbished !) The little “Yellow House” on the left as you just start up Elk Creek Road, was the home of Joe and Olive Hill. Joe was the mail carrier in these parts for more than 30 years. Legend has it that the Ute Indians that shared this area with settler’s would steal cooling pie’s from the outside window sill by the kitchen at the Hill house. And as you will learn from “Whiskey Cache”, up Elk Creek Road, Joe Hill had quite the history in this town too.

Upstream further on Elk Creek road (1 mile) was an established summer community of Sphinx Park. The rustic log cabins still remain, perched precariously on rock outcroppings and ledges. The center of activity was the Sphinx Park Mercantile, which now houses the Buck Snort Saloon. This is now a real “mountain bar” with rough-sawn walls, logs-on-end bar stools, and cable reel tables.

This is only the tip of the iceberg for local history here. Try and find the Book “The Upper Side Of The Pie Crust”
Enjoy our town!
Make sure you come back for the Rhubarb Festival in June!!