Doyle Settlement

 
 Presentation1.5454pptx
Year Listed: 2018
County: Pueblo County
Construction Date: 1859
Threat When Listed: Demolition by Neglect; Vandalism 
Status: IN PROGRESS
Video courtesy of CBS4

 

“This listing is a great way to bring many organizations together to work on the restoration/preservation of an early Colorado school and cemetery ~ Tamara Estes

The Doyle Settlement was established by Joseph Bainbridge Lafayette Doyle in 1859 when he purchased 1200 acres of land along two miles of the Huerfano River from the Vigil and St. Vrain Land Grant.  Doyle was born in 1817 in Virginia (later West Virginia) and traveled to the West and Southwest as a young man.  He was one of the builders of Fort Pueblo in 1842, and worked as a trapper and trader before becoming a pioneer agriculturalist, businessman, and territorial lawmaker.  He married Maria De La Cruz “Cruzita” Suaso in 1844 in New Mexico.  After he passed away suddenly in 1864, he left the property to his wife, whose mother, Maria Teresita Sandoval, took over management of the ranch.  It remained in the family for decades, and represents Colorado’s multicultural pioneer heritage.

Joseph Doyle was elected the first county commissioner for the newly established Huerfano County and was appointed postmaster, establishing a post office at his home Casa Blanca, which no longer stands.  Doyle was elected to the State Council (upper chamber of the Territorial legislature) in 1864, representing Huerfano, Pueblo, Fremont, and El Paso Counties.

Slide2 Slide3

Today the Doyle Settlement retains the cemetery and school building and is a beacon overlooking the Huerfano River Valley at the very southern edge of Pueblo County, about 25 miles southeast of Pueblo.  The cemetery is one of the oldest burial grounds in Colorado and contains the gravestones of the Doyle family, early pioneers, and other members of the Doyle Settlement.  The Doyle Settlement is recognized as a significant local historical site by people throughout southern Colorado, especially those residing in Pueblo and Huerfano Counties.  It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and owned by Pueblo County.

“It was quite the operation he had going on around here for a number of years.  He irrigated over 600 acres and also built a flour mill.” ~ Terry Hart, Pueblo County Commissioner

A strong partnership including Pueblo County, the Territorial Daughters of Colorado-Southern Chapter, Pueblo County Historical Society, Goodnight Barn Preservation Committee, and many neighboring farmers, ranchers, and residents, including descendants of the Doyle family, is working to preserve, protect and rehabilitate the school building and cemetery site and interpret it significance to future visitors. Recent work on the site includes mothballing and the installation of protective fencing, which was done in partnership with the county during a cleanup day. The site was also nominated to the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s 11 Most Endangered Places List in 2020.

 

Donate to CPI

We hope you will extend your appreciation for Colorado's heritage by helping us take advantage of this $1 to $1 matching campaign. Learn more about our matching campaign and make your tax-deductible donation today!

Featured Project

Preservation for a Changing Colorado

Historic preservation has a direct economic benefit to communities and Colorado! Take a look at the 2017 study, which considered the ways adaption of historic places has a direct financial effect on the state.

This updated, most resent study, was the result of a partnership between Colorado Preservation, Inc and History Colorado, funded by a grant from History Colorado's State Historical Fund. Prepared by Clarion Associates, the new report document the economic benefits of rehabilitation projects, analyzes property values and neighborhood stability in local historic districts, and summarizes the increasing impact of heritage tourism, private preservation development and the success of Colorado’s Main Street program.

In a key finding, researchers determined that for every $1 million spent on historic preservation in Colorado it produced $1.03 million in additional spending, 14 new jobs, and $636,700 in increased household incomes across the state!

The 2017 report also considers the important role preservation plays in helping Coloradans provide new spaces for creative communities and co-working, create and sustain meaningful places, responds to the state’s changing demographics, and addresses climate concerns.

Click Here to see download and read the full report, "Preservation for a Changing Colorado".