Twenty Mile House - Parker, CO
N 39° 31.123 W 104° 45.794
13S E 520352 N 4374368
The 20-Mile House was an important stage stop located twenty miles south of Denver.
Waymark Code: WMGE26
Location: Colorado, United States
Date Posted: 02/20/2013
Views: 13
Due West 1/4 mile stood the
TWENTY MILE HOUSE
(Twenty miles from Denver)
First house built in Parker, 1864.
On the Smoky Hill Trail, an
emigrant route that was dotted
with unmarked graves of pioneers.
Junction of the Smoky Hill
and Santa Fe stage lines.
A refuge for early settlers
against Indian attacks.
Hostelry kept in turn by Nelson
Doud and by James S. Parker (for
whom the town of Parker is named)
Colorado Historical Marker text |
The 20-Mile House was a stage stop and refuge for travelers at the junction of the Cherokee and Smoky Hill trails. It was one of six "mile houses" named for their respective distance to Denver along the Cherokee Trail. In 1864 the house was used as a post office for the early settlement known as Pine Grove. By 1870 James S. Parker bought the house and helped develop the present day town that bears his name.
The original Pine Grove Post Office portion of the house has been restored and is located on the opposite side of US 83 (Parker Rd) near the library. [see map]
Source: Parker Area Historic Society
Group or Groups Responsible for Placement:
State Historical Society of Colorado
American Pioneer Trails Association
County or City: Douglas County
Date Dedicated: 1945
Check here for Web link(s) for additional information: [Web Link]
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