The old La Veta Hotel was built in an era of incredible dynamics. In 1876 the old west was evolving into the new west. The arrival of the railroad brought with it the need for a town at this particular proximity. Streets were platted and the new town of La Veta served as a gateway community for the Denver and Rio Grande line as it entered and exited the great Rocky Mountains. Rooms, meals and baths and were in demand and the hotel provided exactly that.
Today, the only known tangible relic of the old hotel is found in the fragile pages of the front desk register from the years 1883 through 1885. Within those pages are found the names and hometowns of the people who called the hotel home for a night or more. The ornate handwriting and signatures of the people of those times brings life to this record of history. Railroad employees and passengers with points of origins as far away as New York, Europe and beyond fill the pages. Doodling and written communication amongst those who manned the front desk demonstrated both boredom and excitement about such things as an anticipated visit by the circus.
An identifiable and unique signature by W.H. Jackson of Denver reveals that on Thursday, May 10th, 1883 the now famous pioneer, photographer and artist William Henry Jackson called the La Veta Hotel home for at least a night. At that time, Jackson lived and worked in Denver as the owner of a publishing company. His tenure as photographer for the Hayden Survey had ended in 1878 and he now found himself working for the Railroad producing images that were to be used to promote rail travel. It is likely that his night at the La Veta Hotel appeared on some sort of expense report to be reimbursed by the D&RG. Much of his work resides in the Smithsonian Institute and the Library of Congress. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
There have likely been more owners and proprietors of the Inn than there have been U.S. Presidents since the La Veta Hotel first opened its doors in 1876. The same statistic holds true for the building that is standing today. The first brick of the current La Veta Inn was set on foundation back in the 1940’s, another dynamic era. America was emerging from the greatest of all wars and depressions and the ground at 103 W. Ryus stood empty after a recent fire had reduced the old La Veta Hotel to a pile of rubble and ashes. The new and improved La Veta Hotel would be offer modern amenities and would require little investment in maintenance for at least thirty or forty years. Today, a stroll through the La Veta Inn reveals the handiwork of a procession of hard working, mostly undercapitalized owners and proprietors who in some way admired the character of the physical space and its colorful history and had hopes and dreams of preserving it. The charm of the place goes unnoticed by few.
