CENTENNIAL — The public can step back in time and come visit a 155-year old farm which served as a resting stop for pioneers traveling by wagon on the Smoky Hill Trail in the early 1800s.
Arapahoe County is inviting the public to visit the 17 Mile House Farm Park at an open house from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Saturday, March 11, to learn about the historic property and its significance to the Old West. The park is located at 8181 S. Parker Rd., Centennial.
Volunteers from the Cherry Creek Valley Historical Society will be dressed in period costumes and will provide history of the property along with free house tours. Special demonstrations will include wool spinning, quilting and butter churning. Previous residents of the house will also tell stories and tales about growing up at 17 Mile House in the 1940s and ’50s on their dairy farm.
The Arapahoe County heritage area includes a house, red barn, silo and milk shed, which were restored to their known condition in the early 1900s. The 17 Mile House is the only mile house in Colorado in its original rural setting. Other features at the farm house include two replica windmills, 30 acres of open space, a trailhead to the Cherry Creek Regional Trail, picnic tables, parking and restrooms.
The Cherry Creek Stewardship Partners will provide guided nature walks to Cherry Creek, we’ll have a live bird and raptor presentation and an old 1940’s dump truck for viewing.
The 17 Mile House Farm Park is managed by Arapahoe County Open Space. For more information, visit http://arapahoegov.com.
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