| History | This original 27' by 27' square two-story log house was constructed by John J. Clark in 1883. It consisted of a living room, dining room, and kitchen downstairs and three bedrooms on the second floor. Dormers, a bay window, gingerbread window trimming, interior construction materials, and style are all typical of the Victorian Era, but fancy for a mountain town. The original 1878 homestead 12' by 12', 1 1/2-story cabin was added on as a bedroom on the main house. Clark came to Colorado in 1868 and met with success prospecting and invested in mining property. Clark became a merchant in Nevadaville and served as a town clerk, treasurer, and mayor. In 1878, he homesteaded 160 acres near Bergen Park on the Soda Creek Road. He built a cabin, improved his homestead and purchased another 160 acres. When he built the main house in 1883, Clark owned a meat and vegetable market in Central City. In 1883, Clark was elected to the state legislature. Clark died in 1912 and a piece of the property became Filius Park, a part of Denver Mountain Parks. In 1920, Lucius Edwin Humphrey purchased the ranch from Clark's widow. Humphrey commuted to Denver where he was head of the copy desk for 25 years and the Denver Post for ten years. |
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