Take a Closer Look At This Western Colorado Landmark on the Grand Mesa Scenic Byway
Have you seen this little fixer-upper on Highway 65 on the way up the Grand Mesa? Take a tour of this literal "open house."
You'll find this one-room structure on the Grand Mesa Scenic Byway shortly after you begin making the ascent up the Grand Mesa. It is located on the south side of Highway 65, at 4868 CO-65, roughly 1,600 feet after you turn off I-70.
A Western Colorado Landmark
Chances are you've seen this structure a thousand times over the years. You pass by it anytime you drive up to Powderhorn, Mesa, or Collbran. Have you ever stepped out to take the tour?
This place has it all: a window, a giant skylight, and built-in bookshelves. Granted, the roof could use a little work. As a matter of fact, the roof is pretty much nonexistent. That's okay, ceilings are overrated, anyway.
You could move in today! Someone was kind enough to leave a housewarming present in the form of a bottle of Corona.
History of This Western Colorado Building
What purpose did this building serve back in its day? According to an email from the Plateau Valley Historical Preservation Society:
The little building is all that remains of an early day weigh station. The Frank Lewis family had a home there, provided food and lodging for travelers. He had to place bars over the windows to keep his supplies safe. - Anis Kelley, secretary - Plateau Valley Historical Preservation Society
More recently some remember it as a place where you could find a Goji Berry Bush. The late Walt Kelley, a botany instructor at Colorado Mesa University, used to go to the site of this building all the time to pick Goji berries.
The structure has been there forever. Ask any lifetime resident of the valley, and they'll tell you they can't remember a time when it wasn't exactly what it is now, an abandoned building on the side of the road. The next time you're up that way, take a moment to pull over and give it a look.