10/01/2026
One of the rarest and most entertaining items we’ve seen come through the Old Colorado City Historical Society is this incredible little piece of Colorado City history. A business card belonging to Byron Hames!
Hames was the proprietor of the Hoffman House, one of the biggest and most "proper" establishments in early Colorado City. Located on the southwest corner of 25th Street and Colorado Avenue, the Hoffman House occupied a tremendous footprint where the L-shaped plaza and town clock stand today.
And the Hoffman House was a whole lot more than a saloon. It was a hotel, gambling hall, drinking establishment, cafe, gathering place… and apparently, whatever else Byron Hames decided to offer. At one point, Hames was considered the wealthiest man in Colorado City.
Byron also had a knack for trouble. Let’s just say there was rarely a shortage of drama at the Hoffman House. And his family’s story becomes even more interesting as you follow them through the history of Colorado City and the short-lived town of Ramona.
When prohibition began taking hold in Colorado City, Hames was among those who moved his operation to Ramona, just a couple of blocks away, off 24th Street beyond Thorndale Park.
But statewide prohibition changed everything.
The man who had once been one of Colorado City’s wealthiest businessmen eventually lost it all. Later in life, Byron was found living in Denver as an elevator attendant with little to nothing. A remarkably sad ending for a man who was well loved and had once operated one of the most prominent establishments in the community. Always helping others when they had nothing to offer. He even helped our red-light ladies when they came into trouble.
After his death, he was brought back to Colorado Springs and buried at Evergreen Cemetery beside his son, Gus. Byron is in an unmarked grave. This seems to be a common occurrance with some of Colorado City's most talked about characters. Even Prairie Dog O'Byrne who had his two elk, Thunder and Buttons, is in an unmarked grave.
But this little trade card was a form of advertising in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and Byron Hames certainly knew how to advertise. At first glance, it looks like an ordinary little trunk. But when you open it, inside is a woman falling in or popping out. A cheeky little bit of Victorian-era advertising that gives us a pretty good idea of the sort of reputation Colorado City had.
These two photographs of the card are courtesy of Robert Trout, a fellow Westsider with an incredible eye for Colorado City history. Robert has a remarkable collection of artifacts from the Westside. Two of us volunteers were invited to his home to see his collection, and it was AMAZING. He said it would be donated to us in time. Another mind blowing aspect is that we were inside his home which is one of the few remaining homes owned by another well known pr******te in our Red-Light district. Stepping through that door was another dream come true.
And that is why items like this are so special.
Colorado City artifacts are incredibly rare. Every surviving piece helps us tell a little more of the story of the people who built this place, lived here, worked here, and left their mark. Who a lot of times become forgotten. (This is the main purpose of our Legends & Lore of Fairview Cemetery Crawl.) We love our history and love to share it with others.
Byron Hames left us a life to be told. As so many others do. This year has been an amazing one for OCCHS. So many found artifacts, photos and stories that we work hard to keep alive.
This will be where I let you all know that our cemetery crawl only has 11 more tickets available! Get them while they last! And enjoy this neat business card. They don't make 'em like they used to! Haha!
