The Mt. Vernon House, the longtime stage stop, hotel, post
office and more of Mt. Vernon
Courtesy "The Shining Mountains" by Georgina Brown
George Morrison, a stonemason from Montreal of Scotch-Irish descent, built the 2-story stone Mt. Vernon House hotel in 1860. For years afterward it would be at the forefront of business at Mt. Vernon, an unofficial town center that was a stage stop, hotel, post office, and more. It was the first Colorado enterprise of Morrison, who would go on to carve much more stone at the locale of the nearby town which would be named after him. The May 5, 1860 edition of the Rocky Mountain Herald reported that as of April 3rd Morrison was fast completing his house and 500-600 people were living in the town.
Mt. Vernon was growing, greatly benefited by two heavily used long distance wagon roads passing through it, the Denver, Auraria & Colorado Wagon Road, and the Denver, Mt. Vernon & Gregory Diggings Wagon Road. These were soon joined by the St. Vrain, Golden City & Colorado Wagon Road. Also contributing to Mt. Vernon's economy were a nearby lime quarry supplying all of the area gold rush towns, a pinery from which lumber could be milled, an extensive bank of coal, and an iron mine.
In the summer of 1860 the Western Mountaineer reported "Mount Vernon, situated at the base of the mountains, five miles from Golden City, twelve miles from Denver, and seven miles from Bradford, now has eight houses completed, and several more under way. Mr. G. Mallatt, a former resident of Golden City, writes us from Mt. Vernon under the date of June 22d: - "Through this village passes the greatest thoroughfares in this country, into all the principal mines in the mountains. The average number of teams going into the several mines, perhaps is 50 per day. Eleven or twelve quartz mills have passed through this road to Gregory Diggings. Improvements of various kinds are rapidly progressing. Dwelling houses are going up as if by magic. Many families have already located in this town. The Rev. I.R. Dean commences the summer term of school next Monday."
The Mt. Vernon School, 2nd school in Jefferson County, built
in 1860
Courtesy Claire Lewis, in "The Shining Mountains" by Georgina Brown
Mt. Vernon was Jefferson County's second town after Golden to have its own school, which was located at the corner of 2nd and Kendall Streets. Dean was a native of Vermont and was a graduate of Kalamazoo’s Theological Seminary. He had been a Baptist minister in New Hartford, Iowa, but he came down with tuberculosis and was compelled to stop preaching and go west in hopes to improve. However, he died on August 19, 1860 at age 30, and was buried at Mt. Vernon Cemetery. His funeral was presided over by Rev. Jacob Adriance of Golden's Methodist church, and Dean's grave remains visible today. From time to time relatives from Boston traveled west and visited his resting place.
Dean's school continued onward into the future. On October 10, 1860 a citizens' meeting at Bell’s Hall decided to build a new frame schoolhouse 16x20 feet, 9 feet high, with funds to be raised by subscription. Casto, John Emory Benjamin, B.H. Huyatt, Steele and William R. Nelson made up the building committee. $207 were raised and building commenced, with Casto, Benjamin and Nelson to seek a new teacher for the place.