The Ken Caryl Manor House

This is an overview of my suburban community of Ken Caryl Ranch in the state of Colorado. It is snuggled up against the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, along the Front Range. This area has a wealth of history --artifacts as early as 10,000 B.C. have been found in this area! (All photos in this post will enlarge for easier viewing by clicking on them once, and then again to see them full size)

As you can see, we are close to quite a bit of wild, open space, and some of the homes have spectacular views of the hills. The mighty Rockies are located not far behind the rows of foothills, but we can't see them, as we are too close. It's sort of a paradox, but in order to see the mountains above the foothills, one has to drive away from them, further east.

Living close to so much open space is one of the reasons we see so many wild animals in our vicinity, especially mule deer, who like to come down into our valley and graze.

This is a beautiful place to live!

At the highest point in our community's valley, and where I took all the overview photos above, is The Manor House.

The Manor House is one of Colorado's most historic residences.

The 8,000 square foot Manor House was built in 1914 by John Shaffer, the editor, and publisher of the Chicago Tribune as well as the owner of the Chicago Post and The Rocky Mountain News. Shaffer purchased 3,500 acres of land now known as Ken Caryl Ranch, named after his two sons, Kent and Carroll.  Over time, Shaffer added on more property until his cattle ranch was over 10,000 acres large. The Manor House was the site of frequent entertainment in the Shaffer years, and frequent guests were President Theodore Roosevelt, and President William Howard Taft, as well as industrial chieftains from around the world and celebrities of the time.

For nearly a century, the house passed on to be the private residence of other ranchers and a continuing gathering place for Denver's society. To see more historical photos of the Shaffer family and The Manor House look on the Manor House website - click here.

Today, the mansion is privately owned and is a popular event center, used as a setting for weddings, corporate events, and holiday celebrations. My husband and I went to one of the three evenings per week that the house is open to the public when they offer cocktails and light food fare menu.  It was a beautiful evening and we sat on the veranda.  We each had a martini and shared a platter of sliders, while we watched the sun go down and a beautiful moonrise.  I wanted to take photos of the mansion's beautiful interior, but I was told by a waiter that was not allowed as they had their own "official photographer." You can see some photos on the Manor House web site at this link.

One of the reasons many area brides and grooms like to have their wedding reception at The Manor House is this wonderful view of the skyline of Denver that can be seen from the house through the hogback structures that our valley rests behind. It looks very dramatic as the background for wedding photos!  The wild open spaces and The Manor House itself also looks fantastic in photos, in every season of the year.

 A closer view of the city of Denver.

No matter which direction one looks, the view from The Manor House is spectacular!

My husband and I feel fortunate to be part of this wonderful community and we are enjoying learning about the history of this area and the West in general. The city of Denver has a colorful past, and I have been enjoying learning more about it.


No matter where one goes, or where one lives, life is interesting and there is something new to learn. Don't you agree?