Page 46 - AreaNewsletters "Oct2022" issue

My September article covered the Continental Divide Raceway, part of a project that broke ground in 1955 as a $25M sports center on 1520 acres west of I-25 and south of Castle Rock sold by John and Bea Lowell for $140,000. The local paper announced that “a world-class 75,000 seat auditorium, a 30,000-seat eldhouse, a lake for water sports, a golf course, a major hotel, an airstrip, and almost as an afterthought, some sort of race track would be built.” Over the years the raceway is the only piece of the original project that survived, and it had many golden years, including an appearance by stunt icon Evel Knievel, before a fatality at the racetrack on June 8, 1969 led to its demise.
The importance of last month’s story is that this is the land that was only recently approved by the Town of Castle Rock in August 2022 to be developed into Dawson Trails.
Did You Know This About...
George A. Triplett, Sr.
by Lora Thomas
a prominent Castle Rock citizen
Douglas County Commissioner and former State Patrol O cer assigned to Castle Rock in the 1980’s
While I was at the Philip Miller Library in Castle Rock looking for inspiration for my next subject, I kept noticing the name George A. Triplett, Sr. I found it interesting that such a ubiquitous name in research doesn’t seem to have a street or building named after him. It seemed he held several o ces of importance and the article about his death spoke so highly of him.
I decided to learn who Mr. George A. Triplett, Sr. was, what he did during his many years as a resident of Douglas County, and pass it on to you!
This is the story that rst caught my attention about George A. Triplett, Sr. The April 27, 1918 edition of the Castle Rock Journal reported, “It is with sadness we record the passing away to the Great Beyond of George A. Triplett, Sr., who for the past forty-three years has been a resident of Douglas County.
About two months ago, he su ered another severe attack of illness from which there seemed to be scarcely any hope of recovery. Everything that loving hands
and medical science could do for him was done, but he gradually grew weaker until Death relieved him of his su erings.”
We sure don’t see writing like that in today’s media when someone passes, do we? With a media send-o like that, I was compelled to learn more about Triplett.
George Alvin Triplett was born in Princeton, Illinois on December 1, 1852, and came to Colorado from Iowa by train in April of 1875, su ering from a severe case of lung trouble. He mostly lived in Colorado until he died on April 20, 1918 at the age of 65. He married Hattie L. Streeter on July 3, 1878, and the couple had four children,
October 2022 • Castle Rock “AreaNewsletters” 46
CASTLE ROCK HISTORY