The Aspen Acres Fire was a devastating event for our community.  Sadly, a portion of The Pueblo Mountain Park was affected and The Historic Horseshoe Lodge was heavily damaged during the fire despite firefighters best efforts.  Luckily many towering pines continue to line the park and unlike almost every other structure that was burned during the intense blaze, the walls of The Horseshoe Lodge continue to stand proud!  It is a testament to the craftsmanship that built them nearly 100 years ago along with much of the infrastructure that create the park that we all know and love.

The Park was established at the guidance of Arthur Carhart in 1919 to offer urban Pueblo residents’ accessible outdoor recreation.  It was designed as an automobile-oriented getaway for steel mill workers and their families featuring rustic campsites, picnic spots and trails.  It was heavily improved during the 1930s by the Works Progress Administration and Civilian Conservation Corps which were established under President Roosevelts New Deal Program.  This added sports facilities, a large stone pavilion and the beloved Horseshoe Lodge.

The Park has served as an outdoor playground, classroom and retreat for Puebloans for over a century.  Over the last three decades alone it has welcomed tens of thousands of students.  Nearly all 5th graders from Districts 60, 70 and many private schools have had the fortune to camp overnight at The Horseshoe Lodge and many kids got to experience their first true outdoor experience because of it. 

Since the fire, the fate of the Mountain Park and The Horseshoe Lodge are unknown.  I firmly believe, and hope that ALL will support, that the Lodge should be rebuilt to its original grandeur.  Dave Van Manen already led an incredible effort to restore the property in 2006 and was able to raise over $1.6M for that effort.  His work, nor the WPA and CCCs should be overlooked.  And the value that property adds to the Mountain Park cannot be matched.  

There is incredible goodwill amongst Puebloans and The Horseshoe Lodge and The Pueblo Mountain Park.  And Now is the time to make your voices heard.  This petition is specifically asking that The Horseshoe Lodge be rebuilt.  The walls that continue to stand do not need to be structural, as new steel supports will be rebuilt from the inside out.  But those original walls can act as a facade, and will be a reminder to all of us the  vision that was laid out well before our times.  

The City of Pueblo is the owner of the property and will be receiving a large amount of insurance proceeds ($9M+) for the structures that were damaged.  This money MUST be used to rebuild what was lost.  In addition, there are grants available for historic properties (State Historic Fund) that will help to fund the project and that incredible goodwill from the community can be turned into financial and in-kind donations!  The restoration can be done in phases similar to Dave Van Manens efforts.  It doesn't need to be built all at once, but if the bulldozers are taken to the walls immediately, then any hope of a restoration will be lost.  

Unfortunately the natural landscape has changed and it will take time for the trees to regrow.  But in a much shorter period, The Historic Horseshoe Lodge can be rebuilt and visitors can begin the healing process by continuing to enjoy and cherish what the building and The Park means to them...an escape into nature and into our past.  

Please SIGN and SHARE this petition to show City officials why this building matters and needs to be SAVED!! 

Thank YOU!