Historic Helen Spurrier Watercolor Pulpit Mountain, Estes Park, Colorado (1955)

Noted Midwest Artist Helen Spurrier and her husband, musician Esten Spurrier (childhood friend and close colleague of Bix Beiderbecke), convened with jazz artists across the U.S. in an annual Summer Event held at the McGraw Ranch in Estes Park, Colorado during the late 1940's and 1950's.

Helen enjoyed her sketching jaunts in the area around the historic McGraw Ranch, and while Esten was charming the crowd with his jazz music, Helen was busy sketching the incredible scenery around the ranch, located in Estes Park, Colorado in what is now the headquarters for the much larger Rocky Mountain National Park in north central Colorado.

This watercolor is unique. It won several prizes in the Quad Cities area of Iowa and Illinois and was a favorite of Helen's, especially for the memories it evoked of a time of elegance, sophisticated jazz, and fellowship away from the "madding crowd." It dates from 1955, a period when many artists from America's Jazz era got together to re-live their "good old days" and make music. Many of these folks were retiring or easing off their entertainment schedules, but still craving good jam sessions and camaraderie with like spirits. Many important audio recordings of these sessions survive in the Spurrier Family.

The original layout of McGraw Ranch reflects the organization and needs of a working ranch, while later additions clearly serve guest-related functions. Both of these historic periods are important to the significance of the ranch, associated with the years 1884 to 1948.

When the McGraw's arrived, they found a property that "bordered on quiet elegance, built in the tradition of comfort, security and beauty, not often found in the ruggedness of a remote mountain valley at this early time.” From "Rough it with Ease: The Story of the McGraw Ranch" (Pederson, 1990), in the NPS McGraw Ranch Cultural Landscape Inventory.

The McGraw Ranch is an agricultural and recreational complex on the eastern edge of Rocky Mountain National Park, six miles north of Estes Park, Colorado. Once extending over 1,280 acres, the current landscape includes a ten-acre area immediately surrounding the ranch buildings. The property is located in Cow Creek Valley at an elevation of approximately 7,880 feet. The site is surrounded by forested hills and rock formations.

The property was originally settled as a cattle ranch. The original homestead cabin was built in 1884 by Henry Farrer, one of the earliest guides for the big game hunting parties that visited the Estes Park area. The McGraw family purchased a lease for the property in 1908. John and Irene McGraw had discovered the area during their honeymoon several years earlier.

The period of significance for the McGraw Ranch, 1884 to 1948, encompasses its early years as a cattle ranch and the time when it functioned as a guest ranch. Both periods are important to the ranch’s significance; the original layout reflects the organization and needs of a working ranch, while later additions clearly serve guest related functions. The layout of the property, historic buildings, and overall setting make the property a representative example of both a western cattle ranch and a dude ranch.

The McGraw Ranch is also significant for its representation of the architecture and construction techniques employed for buildings on 19th century cattle ranches and 20th century dude ranches in the West. The landscape includes a complete dude ranch facility within an intact setting. The buildings are significant for the use of native materials in their construction, including locally harvested logs and stone. The layout and design of the ranch embodies many aspects typical of dude ranches in the West, including a row of small guest cabins, a large central lodge, support buildings, and an area for maintaining animals.

This Watercolor depicts the array of short rocks just to the north of the parking area at McGraw Ranch / Cow Creek Canyon. All the routes are less than 600 feet in length. The front-most, pear-shaped rock is Pulpit Rock. There is more rock there than just Pulpit Rock that merits the wander. Overall, the rock is generally slabby; however, there are steep to overhanging features here and there. There is even 5.12 terrain for the adventurous. Don't expect a lot of bolts once past Pulpit Rock. You may have to figure out descents if you climb here.

Mrs. Spurrier's watercolor has significance because it captures the colors and beauty of the place in the mid-1950's, a period when the National Park Service began inventorying the land and its features.

The McGraw Ranch was equipped to provide hundreds of guests with a western experience, filled with horseback riding, wholesome food, and outdoor leisure. The most famous guest to visit the McGraw Ranch was Alf Landon, who made the ranch his summer campaign headquarters during his unsuccessful bid for the presidency in 1936. The McGraw family were prominent leaders in the Colorado Dude and Guest Ranch Association and in civic affairs in Estes Park for several decades.

This impressionistic glimpse of past elegance and natural beauty may interest those who know Estes Park, or who might value this beautiful work as a piece of regional and national history of the Great American West.