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Sunnycrest, the Story of the Cheyenne Cañon Inn

Lillian, who was a smart girl with a college education, found employment at a
prosperous sawmill. Although Mr. Casey's position there is not known, his job
was not working out. The sawmill owners treated him unfairly, even though he
continued on as a loyal employee. Lillian on the other hand, reacted differently.
She must have had an office job that allowed her to handle money, making it
easy to deposit unaccounted for cash into her own account and vindicate the
unjust treatment she thought her father was receiving.

No record exists stating that the sawmill owners suspected any wrongdoing, nor
is there any accounting of how much money Lillian may have taken. Most likely,
she used some of the sawmill money to buy Sunnycrest with, but any additional
funds would have come from the Casey family. In any event, it was a good
purchase. Lillian had accomplished her goal of moving the family to abetter
place where they would all be together in their own home and could operate their
own business.

The resort house business did have a few peculiarities, however, that affected
how the Casey family lived in their new home. Since the summer tourist season
generated the highest income, it was probably necessary for them to move into a
neighboring cottage so the resort house could operate at its maximum capacity
during these months. During the winter when business was slow, everyone
moved back into Sunnycrest.

BUILDING A GRAND SUNNYCREST: 1918-1921

The Casey family was evidently well off financially, but they were not wealthy. As
time went on though, Lillian and Grace shared unique ways to create the
impression that they were rich. Money bought education and culture, two
objectives the family willingly invested in to improve their social position. Lillian
already had a college degree. Teenage Grace took piano lessons in Colorado
Springs and was sent to finishing school for a little while back East. By the time
she was a young lady in her early twenties, she had acquired enough polish to
be an established name in the Colorado Springs Social Register.

Income from the Sunnycrest resort house was sufficient enough to pay for
Grace's upbringing as well as generate the money Lillian needed in 1918 to build
a brand new grand Sunnycrest. This was also the same year that the wealthiest
of the Cripple Creek millionaires, Spencer Penrose, began construction on his
world famous Broadmoor Hotel a half mile away, and within sight of the proposed
new Sunnycrest. Lillian's decision to build, however, was based on more than
smart timing to coincide with the economic spillover the completed Broadmoor
Hotel would create for neighboring resort houses. It was necessary. Lillian's
Sunnycrest resort house had accidentally burned down.

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