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Sunnycrest, the Story of the Cheyenne Cañon Inn

railway for $350,000 that major improvements took place. Within the next two
years, he spent another two million dollars upgrading the rolling stock and
building new lines. Besides the one that stopped across from the Sunnycrest
resort house, other branches now reached the Broadmoor, Manitou Springs,
Prospect Lake, and Roswell. Overall, there were forty-one miles of track.

The trolley system was well managed and was regarded as one of the best
anywhere in the world. Around 1911, though, ridership began to decline. In
1919, the big trolleys were replaced with smaller ones, but times were changing.
Riding the trolley steadily lost favor as automobiles and buses replaced its
usefulness as a means of transportation. Finally, on April 30, 1932, after 45
years of operation, the interurban railway shut down for good. On that last day,
some 40,000 people turned out to take their final streetcar ride.

Following the demise of the trolley system, the tracks were removed and the
Stratton Estate sold Stratton Park Meadows and the trolley station. There are
still a few signs of the old trolley route left, however. One is the steel streetcar
bridge that spans Cheyenne Creek at the entrance to the terminal area. Another
is the outline of the driveway around the station, showing where the trolley tracks
once circled the building.

The Stratton property that lay directly west of the terminal became part of a
10,OOO-acre park that contains much of the scenic beauty found in South and
North Cheyenne Canyons. Today, the Starsmore Discovery Center sits between
the entrance to each canyon. It's use as a nature and visitor center introduces
people to the network of roads, trails, and natural features found in the park. As
in the past, the center is also located just footsteps from Sunnycrest, now the
Cheyenne Canon Inn.

A UNIQUE WAY TO ACQUIRE PROPERTY: 1904-1918

Family stories passed down through generations tend to distort the truth. In this
case, the collection of kindred rumors suggests that Lillian may have acquired
Sunnycrest in 1904 with misappropriated money. If there is any truth to this, she
may also have used a portion of these funds for investment in another
questionable enterprise later on. For the time being, however, she was focused
on the welfare of the Casey family. Lillian's decision to redirect someone else's
money was clearly illegal, but her reason for doing such a deed was probably
based on her perception of frontier justice rather than performing a criminal act.

Such providence began after the Casey family moved from Mount Vernon,
Illinois, to the Colorado community of Florence, located about 30 miles south of
Colorado Springs. Florence thrived economically as a smelter town and supply
center for the Cripple Creek gold mines. Jobs were plentiful. Mr. Casey and

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