Hidden wonders in Creede, Colorado.

Creede has been awarded the Governor’s Arts Award for its efforts to improve the community and grow economically through the arts. Creede could have dried up and died with the mine, but it didn’t. Instead, members of the community looked around and saw beautiful land and a great deal of potential.

The Creede Repertory Theatre was established in 1966 to help draw people to the area during the summer; today it creates award-winning production and draws 20,000 theatre-goers to town each year. Artists and authors with international followings live here, along with a talented bunch of artists whose fame is more regional.

Kiera Gibbons, wife of Head Wrangler Damon Gibbons, owns and operates the Creede Beadery. Many guests of our Family Dude Ranch have taken home a piece of wearable art (made by their own hands) thanks to Kiera and the Creede Beadery. In addition, there are ceramics at Abbey Lane gallery and a fabulous collection of jewelry, antiques and rare natural wonders at Rare Things.

We’re lucky we can head over to Creede to shop for Christmas. Many of you will have to wait until next season, when you return to our guest ranch. See you then!

Governor Ritter joined the Mayor of Creede Rex Shepperd and the Telluride Mayor Stu Fraser for the awards ceremony, which were original artworks by artist Gayle Gerson of Grand Junction.

A notable statement from Governor Ritter: “Not only are the arts a way to share our heritage and show us new ways of thinking and seeing, the arts are also a way to grow jobs and revitalize Colorado’s economy. It gives me great pleasure to honor these two communities.” There is usually only one winner, but this year it was a tie. There were thirteen other nominees.

According to the press release from the Governor’s Office:

In selecting Creede as a recipient, the review panel cited the town’s transformation from a dying mining town to a thriving tourism destination, with the arts as the catalyst. The panel was impressed with the vision of the town’s Junior Chamber of Commerce in 1966 to recruit a summer theatre as a strategy for economic stability. The Creede Repertory Theatre is now in its 44th year and attracts 20,000 theatre goers each summer. The panel noted that the Town, the school system, and the business district are active partners with the town’s arts groups. They were also impressed that Creede is home to artists and authors with international acclaim.

The awards were two original mixed media collages by artist Gayle Gerson of Grand Junction. The artworks will hang in public locations in the respective cities. In commissioning Gayle, the selection jury noted the spirit and energy in Gayle’s work, her use of bright colors, and the movement and depth that she created in her compositions. Also, they liked her use of mixed media/collage elements and thought her work was unusual and original. Gayle has studied under the guidance of many artists in watercolor, oil and experimental workshops.

Congratulations to Creede! We hope that you will come and visit us this summer for a horseback riding vacation, and enjoy the theater, galleries, shopping and art in Creede.

Some history about the shop (as described on the Creede Beadery website):

One of Kiera's designs, the Rosaline

Creede Beadery was originally Lovering’s Bead Loft, which opened above J. Thompson’s Gallery in 2001. It was owned by Jan & John Thompson, and has a great following of bead lovers who come every summer to create great new designs. Jan and John felt the bead business was growing too big for their loft, and Jan wanted to focus more on her passion for pastel drawing, using the loft to teach classes and expand into her own personal studio. On April 23, 2008, the Thompsons sold their beads to Damon & Kiera Gibbons, who in turn have moved the Location up the street to Pappy’s Place; a great historic building offering a wonderful studio space for patrons to use, and continue to create their fine pieces.

She also sells pre-made pieces, and you can even reserve the beadery for a party! Can you imagine how fun that would be? All the new friends you child has made the Colorado Dude Ranch getting together at the end of the week for a fun craft event? I know it can be hard to pull yourself away from the ranch, but historic Creede is worth a visit, as is the fabulous beadery here in town.

A beautiful interior shot of one of the homes

The homes are mostly smaller, which makes them easier to keep warm in the winter, as well as cuts down on cleaning! Creede America uses a geothermal heat pumps to heat and cool houses with solar energy collected in the ground.

The houses’ designs are lovely. The funky old shacks and miners cabins in Creede as well as the extraordinary mining structures (like the one on our Family Dude Ranch) are a major source of inspiration for the designs. The thing that makes the homes unique is the evolution in design that brings a modern day lens to the cabin in the mountains.
If you have the chance to visit the Creede America homes while staying at the Guest Ranch, we would highly recommend it. Ask one of us, we can tell you where to find them in town.

There is some great shopping in Creede. While part of the family enjoys the fly fishing vacation end of 4UR, head to Creede to find some item or trinket to remember your trip by.

Retailers offer an array of goods inside unique specialty shops. There are a variety of Art Galleries, including Abbey Lane, which has a selection of ceramics I always think are fantastic, and Rare Things is also a great shop. They offer designer jewelry, antiques, fine collectibles, decorative arts, as well as strange and fascinating natural wonders. One of their most popular items is the exquisite Inge Horsehair Jewelry Collection. Finely woven horse hair jewelry that is unlike anything I have seen before.

The 4UR Ranch in Creede CO

Of course there are various trading post and country stores downtown as well, with various gear for your stay at the Guest Ranch, should you have forgotten something.

There’s lots of little tasty treats as well in downtown Creede, so stay and have lunch after you shop, or let the kids pick out some sweets from the Creede Trading Post, or the Candy Mine and Toy Store. They’ll probably want more than just toys from the Candy Mine!

If you don’t make it back in time for lunch, stop in at the Mermaid Cafe for a bite, a favorite with locals and visitors to Creede.

If you can pull yourself away from the ranch while on your horseback riding vacation, you won’t regret a trip to Creede!