Garos general store

[Jeff Young]

So I got down today and measured up the Garos general store.

The building is currently covered with composition shingles and narrow (1-1/2") window and door trim.  Under the shingles (at least on the two side walls) are wood shakes with wider 4" trim, and under those are 5" clapboard.  Truly a most interesting building.

Here's a picture showing the Strohmeyers installing the shakes over the clapboard in the 30's (note the bundle of shakes leaning against the fence, and the tar-paper between the clapboard and shakes):



and a couple of pictures (also from the 30's) showing the finished shake walls:





(All pictures Park County Archives.)

[Jeff Young]

It would appear that the false-front was not covered in shakes.  What I failed to notice is whether or not the back wall was.  (I took a picture, but it will of course only show the even later composition shingles.)

Robert, what period do you model?  If it's the late 30s I'll go back down and find out; otherwise I might let it slide....

Cheers,
Jeff.

[Jeff Young]

Here's a photo of Clara Lilley in January 1935 which further nails down the siding change date (also Park County Archives):

[South Park]

  Technically speaking, those are shingles.  Shakes are split and much more
coarse in their shape and surface texture, as the breaks followed the natural
wood grain.  Shingles are saw-cut and uniform in parallel sides and wedge
surface contour.

[Jeff Young]

Here's a teaser of the back doors:

[Robert McFarland]

I model the 1879-80 period,but have always liked the store ever since I first saw it in 1977.I've taken lots of photos of it,and enough measurements of it to build a freelanced version of it without the side wings.Thanks for measuring it.

[Jeff Young]

Right, first draft ca. 1900 (the earliest I have pictures for).

Let me know if you see anything that can be improved.









Cheers,
Jeff.

[Robert McFarland]

Thanks!!Thats a beautiful plan.Although I've done a lot of walking around the store I never noticed the double door in the back.From the way the back wall is laid out it would appear that it was almost a second "front'',figuring the railroad ran right behind it and Bayou Salado describes railroaders coming in that way to do business.Now I'm wondering where the depot was located before it got moved to Fairplay.

[Robert McFarland]

When I was there about 2 weeks ago during the DSP&P convention I saw that somebody had ripped the particle board covering that had covered the right hand door and jammed it in the bottom of the the door opening as a ramp to get inside.Somebody with the authority to do so needs to board up the door again.

[Southpark]

Ernest Strohmeyer worked on the C&S section in the 1930's.  Several years ago I interviewed his son Ray.  The Strohmeyers lived across the road from the store in a log home that is no longer there.  The kids went to school there in Garos and finished off in Fairplay.
Ray said one Easter, must have been about 1933-35, Ernest was staying at the section house on Boreas Pass and the family took the Alma train to Como and then the passenger train to Boreas.  One of Ray's memories was taking a scoop shovel to the 2nd floor of the section house and sliding down the drift from the 2nd story window.  The other "kid" memory was the fudge that "Dutch" made.  Dutch's name was has been lost in time but a few years ago a photo surfaced of a group of men in Como and one was identified as "Dutch".  That blew Rays mind.  Ernest was involved in scrapping the Clear Creek line from Forks Creek to Golden and continued to work on the standard gauge C&S.  Ray also had a lasting memory of the cold wind at the section house.
See you at the section house on Railroad Days Sat. Aug 20.
Tom Klinger

[Keith Hayes]

The Garos Store today.



Robert, I don't imagine the building is long for this world. It is too close your the road, draws attention to those who don't know better, some that do and worst of all someone who will start a fire to keep warm. It seems too far from habitation to save. If someone makes the case, the best outcome would be to move it to the building zoo in Fairplay. The building will survive and Garos will be gone.

[Chris Walker]

Wonderful shots of my favourite landscape.  Thanks Keith for sharing to those of us unable to be there.

  Ever since I first opened the Mineral Belt at our Library after requesting volumes I & II on interloan in 1981, I have yearned to see these awesome vistas time and time again.

[Robert McFarland]

The building is within a stones throw of the Rocky Mountain Land  Library and the parking area in front of the building  is a stop on the local school bus route plus there's a mailbox there too.There are ranch buildings within 1-2 miles and a whole slew of high dollar private residences on the ridge line north of there.To add to that there is the "monstrosity" across the road from it.Somehow its managed to survive 100+ years and with a little help it can continue to survive.

[Robert McFarland]

Jeff,was the particle board door covering torn off when you were there,or was it covering the door?

[Jeff Young]

Hi Robert,

It was already down.  One of the back windows was also uncovered.



Cheers,
Jeff.

[Robert McFarland]

Now if somebody would just put a new particle board over the door.