Glenwood Springs, Colorado is a magnet for outdoor adventurers worldwide. Two gorgeous, rushing rivers converge here, bringing Gold Medal trout fishing and crashing rapids for rafters and kayakers. Six world class ski resorts are all within an hour drive. And those mountains are filled with spectacular vistas and wildlife. Hunters and hikers alike flood the trails and backcountry. Glenwood Springs isn't all about outdoors, however. The area was a silver boom hotspot in the 1800s, and some of the trendy, luxury hotels that popped up are still around in all of their glory today.
In 1893, financier and silver tycoon Walter Devereux opened Hotel Colorado, a sprawling neo-renaissance Italian design resplendent with cornices and corbels, Palladian arches and twin bell towers. The grounds included a naturally fed pool, a massive fountain, an indoor waterfall and luxurious dining and lodging.
The decadence of the resort and the wonders of its hot springs drew celebrities and the social and political elite. Presidents William Howard Taft and Theodore Roosevelt had long stays at Hotel Colorado, and Herbert Hoover picked the location for an important speech on business and commerce. Notorious gangster Diamond Jack Alterie flaunted his wealth and muscle around the resort. Legendary gambler Doc Holliday spent the last months of his life attempting to battle tuberculosis in the area's vapor caves.
During World War II the resort was called into duty and served as a convalescence hospital for nearly 7,000 soldiers.
Today, Hotel Colorado is a thoroughly modern resort with wi-fi internet, a luxurious spa, and seasonal equipment rental services, all the while maintaining its historical originality and furnishings. The place is even reputed to be haunted.
In the early twentieth century the riverfront district of Glenwood Springs was replete with saloons, gambling houses and brothels. When Prohibition crushed the town's economy a few local businessmen were able to buy up properties and businesses cheap. The Hotel Denver was born in 1938 as the result of the merging and expansions
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