You can't miss it driving on 72nd Avenue past Newton Street. The tall red brick structure with gray shingles and details commands your attention. The architecture stands out in Historic Westminster, piquing the interest of residents and visitors alike. An icon in its own right, the Bowles House is overflowing with history throughout its hallways, and you’re invited inside.
The story of the Bowles House begins in 1863 when a young Edward Bruce Bowles first came to the Colorado Territory. The fearless and entrepreneurial 17-year-old had already become a man of the Wild West, making a career of riding on horseback and escorting cargo from his home state of Missouri to the rapidly expanding frontier towns of Denver, Salt Lake City, and Santa Fe.
By the time Edward Bowles decided to settle down in the area we now call Westminster, he had successfully crossed the plains of the American West 11 times.
Edward was 24 years old when he married Mahalia Elizabeth Longan in 1871, and the couple chose to homestead a parcel of land that same year. The Bowles' first built a wood frame cabin to live in and then started building a proper brick house. It took five years of construction, but in 1876 the finishing touches were added to the red brick Bowles House we know today.
The two-story house was an architectural anomaly because even though the house was the center of a working farm and ranch, there were many fashionable and high-end features included in the design. The brick arches over the rounded windows, as well as a highly decorative front porch, gave the home a more cosmopolitan feel. This Italianate-style home would have been more common in an urban 19th century setting, rather than on a working horse farm.
“It speaks to the quality of how things were built back then,” said Gary Shea from the Westminster Historical Society. “It’s an investment to build a worthy place to raise your family and pass on for generations to come.”
As a well-traveled cowboy, Edward Bowles had a knack for raising horses, especially draft horses suited for hauling heavy cargo across the plains. Many prized horses came from the Bowles property in Westminster, and Edward rode his best stable horse each year on Colorado Day in the Denver Pioneer Parade.
Along with agricultural interests including planting an apple orchard, wheat, barley, and alfalfa, Edward Bowles worked hard to bring railroad service to the area. He even built a depot on his property to serve as the community hub for shipping agricultural goods and travel. The Bowles' raised nine children together at their homestead and routinely opened up their home on Sunday mornings for community church services. It was the only functioning church in the area, and all denominations were welcome.
Later in life, Edward Bowles started shipping supplies to and from the mining town of Central City during the gold rush. “That was one of the many businesses he was involved in,” Shea said. “With those big draft horses he could haul the heavy equipment like milling machines up into the mountains.”
Edward Bowles became a wellknown and respected pioneer of Colorado before his death at the age of 76. The Bowles children remained in the house and continued the family tradition of community service up until the home was sold in the 1930s.
Over the years the house fell into disrepair, and in the 1970s the City of Westminster bought the property for the fire department to use in practice fire training and rescue drills.
However, thanks to the efforts of the former Skyline Vista Elementary School students and the Westminster Historical Society, the Bowles House was preserved, and the City was able to restore it to its original 1870s appearance. The property now serves as the Bowles House Museum, where the community can experience the ornate architecture filled with hundreds of artifacts and learn more about Westminster’s pioneering families.
To learn more about the Bowles House Museum, plan a visit or volunteer, check out www.westminstercohistory.com.
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