Page 20 - AreaNewsletters "Nov2022" issue

Last month’s column featured George A. Triplett, who served the citizens of Castle Rock in many di erent positions during his residency of 43 years from 1875 to 1918. Triplett came to Colorado from Iowa because of severe lung troubles. He served as the County Treasurer, a County Judge, the County Clerk and on the Castle Rock Town Council. He and his wife, Hattie, had four children, losing their beloved Grace at age 10 to pneumonia. Triplett was the rst telegraph operator at the Douglas County Denver & Rio Grande Railroad o ce in the 1880s and remained on the job until his health prevented him from working any longer. Triplett and his sons had a successful hardware store in town as well.
by Lora Thomas
Douglas County Commissioner and former State Patrol O cer assigned to Castle Rock in the 1980’s
The December
18, 1936 article in
the Record Journal
of Douglas County
indicates that, like
most big projects,
the idea for the
star began in 1935
but didn’t get the
traction to get built
until 1936. Many community members worked together to get that star assembled and erected. Records indicate that either Palmer Lake or Monument built a 50-foot star in 1934, and perhaps the idea to “compete” with the other communities was the impetus for building the Castle Rock star.
Per the Record Journal, the project members rst called on the gentleman who owned the land the “Rock was on [to] see if he would consider allowing the project on his property.” Mr. George P. Stewart immediately
Did You Know This About...
The History of the
Castle Rock Star
But first, another “Castle Rock” Trivia Question:
Who is the Councilmember for Castle Rock’s District 3?
(Answer at the end of this article)
This month we will explore the background on the 40-foot star that sits on top of Castle Rock, and is ceremonially lit in November to celebrate the traditional holiday seasons. It shines until the end of the Stock Show in late January.
November 2022 • Castle Rock “AreaNewsletters” 20
CASTLE ROCK HISTORY