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Sunnycrest, the Story of the Cheyenne Cañon Inn

decorate. Instead of using new materials that were available through their store,
they recovered the floors and windows with the odds and ends of job scraps.
The formerly elegant interior was transformed into a hodgepodge of eclectic
leftovers. Fortunately, the original heating fixtures, all the bathroom fixtures, the
original silver wall switches, and many of the permanent light fixtures remained in
tact.

In 1980, Dr. David Huffman and his wife Lois purchased Sunnycrest as their
family home. However, there were some intervening years between their arrival
and the Spangler's departure when the house stood vacant and suffered some
damage to the southwest portions of the roof and foundation. Rainwater
eventually leaked through the rotting roof, staining some of the interior walls and
floors, while puddles of water and snowmelt weakened the foundation enough
that a new concrete retaining wall had to be built. When the new wall was
constructed, it closed off the secret tunnel forever. Some vandalism and theft
also took place. The silver chandelier hanging in the entry foyer was stolen, but a
smaller one above the stairway and all the silver light switches were spared.
This probably happened because the chandelier had become so tarnished and
the wall switches had been painted, disguising what lay underneath.

The Huffman household included several children that grew up at Sunnycrest
during a thirteen-year occupancy. Sara Huffman Miller was mentioned earlier as
being responsible for writing the first history about Sunnycrest. One of the most
valuable parts of her research was an interview with 84 year old Grace Casey
Brink prior to her death on July 20, 1984. Grace was 85 years old when she
died. According to Sara, she was still very alert, but suffered from paranoia
about her involvement with the Dixieland Casino.

SUNNYCREST BECOMES THE CHEYENNE CANON INN: 1993-PRESENT

Sunnycrest made a full circle in its lodging history in August 1993. That was the
date when John and Barbara Starr acquired it with plans to refurbish the house
and turn it into a distinctive nine room bed and breakfast with an adjacent
cottage. This was also the year that the Sunnycrest name changed to the
Cheyenne Canon Inn in order to makes its location more prominent and
identifiable to guests.

Thanks to John and Barbara's vision and lots of hard work, Cheyenne Canon Inn
visitors enjoyed the same high standards of comfort and ambience that would
have made Lillian and Grace proud. As part of the refurbishing, John and
Barbara restored or replaced many of the original wall and bathroom fixtures.
They remodeled all the second floor bedrooms and added two more on the third
fioor. Each bedroom now had its own private bath and a distinctive decorating
scheme based on an" Around the World" theme.

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