Year Listed: 2002
County: Jefferson County
Construction Date: 1872
Threat When Listed: Natural Elements – Fire, Demolition by Neglect – Vacant
Status: SAVE-2006
Residence of Major Robert Boyles Bradford, a prominent Denver pioneer who founded the Bradford Wagon Road, a principal route in the 1860s from Denver to Leadville and South Park. Located in present-day Ken Caryl Ranch, a suburb southwest of Denver. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Previously considered an eyesore in the midst of a spectacular open spa
ce park, increased knowledge of the site’s significance created support for its preservation. The Ken Caryl Ranch Master Association and the State Historical Fund helped fund development of a site assessment and plan. In 2004, the Ken Caryl Ranch Master Association, the State Historical Fund, the Gates Family Foundation, the John B. and Mildred Holmes Foundation, the Boettcher Foundation, and others funded the structural stabilization to develop the site as an outdoor theater and interpretive education center. The site had been used as a laboratory for archaeology students from Metropolitan State College, the Colorado School of Mines, and the University of Denver. The project earned the Stephen H. Hart Award for excellence in preservation from the Colorado Historical Society in 2004.
Additional Links
Visit the Bradfor Perley House
Ken-Caryl Ranch Master Association
Jefferson County Historical Commission