Woody Creek Tavern reviews and talks
Rachael Ray visited us on her "pub crawl" on her way to Denver.
George Stranhan at the tavern..."Abby shoots, Ibby talks about George and Hunter"
Breakfast with George at the Woody Creek Tavern.
Alien abduction at the Woody Creek Tavern.
Frommers review
Ramona Bruland and Oliver Sharpe take a trip to the Woody Creek Tavern to experience the restaurant that locals, tourists, and even celebrities rave about.
Woody Creek History Class
You may be wondering when the building you are sitting in was built; so are we.
The Tavern opened in September of 1980. Prior to that, the building housed the Woody Creek Store and the Woody Creek Post Office. When this building was constructed is something of a local mystery.
It is known that at one time the Woody Creek Store was a short distance down the river from its present location (where Upper River Road crosses at the old railroad tracks). It is possible that the store existed as early as the late 1800s when silver mining was king in Aspen and ranching and farming were booming in Woody Creek. Around 1948 Virginia and Lee Jones purchased the store and relocated to where it sits now. They also opened the Woody Creek Trailer Park at about the same time.
Unless they moved the original store to this location, it would seem that the building you are sitting in was built in the late 1940s. Unfortunately, both Virginia and Lee Jones are deceased and can shed no light on our little mystery.
Another popular theory was that aliens built the store many, many years ago, intent upon establishing an intergalactic space station in Woody Creek. Evidence has been found that, more or less, substantiates that theory. It was, and still is, believed the aliens abandoned their plans once they discovered how expensive it was/is to live in this valley!
........
by Gaylord Guenin
I don’t know much of Woody Creek
history before the depression (1930).
I suspect Woody Creek was established
as a railroad switch area. The
Post Office included a grocery
store. I remember Mr. and Mrs.
B.M. Stranfridge and the next owners,
Mr. and Mrs. Jesse R. Bouge. Mrs.
Bouge was the Post Mistress. Then
there were Mr. and Mrs. Ernest
Jones. Virginia (Mrs. Jones) was
also the Post Mistress. The Jones’
moved the Post Office and grocery
store to the present location,
just southeast of the old location.
The old location delivered freight
to the rural areas of Brush Creek
via Rio Grand Railroad. Livestock
pens were loaded with cattle, sheep
and hogs and transported to the
market in Denver. Many car loads
of potatoes, grain and hay were
weighed at the railroad station
and shipped out of Woody Creek.
Lenado, located up the hill from
Woody Creek, was known for their
supply of ore. Steam engine trains
refilled at the available water
tank then continued on to Aspen.
Four to five railroad workers lived
at the station house and maintained
the livestock and the building
in which they lived. Today, the
railroad no longer goes to Aspen.
Iron ore was mined in Castle Creek
and brought to Woody Creek on trucks.
The iron ore was processed, loaded
and shipped out by train. Woody
Creek also had its own public rural
school; grades 1-8 averaging 25
students each grade. In 1950 the
school district was consolidated
and now the students are bussed
to Aspen. The old school house
is now someone’s private home.
Over the years there have been
tremendous changes and there are
many more to come.
.......
by Stanley Nadel