Page 21 - AreaNewsletters "Nov2022" issue

said yes and the project was on its way. Mr. Walter Strange went to Town Council, explained the plan and the Council provided a bit of nancial aid which “was gladly given” according to the Record Journal.
The work then began in earnest. Forty- foot steel rods from Denver were carried to the top of the Rock by many volunteers. Welding equipment was hauled up the 290-foot steep hillside to the top of the Rock as well. The gas for the welding project was donated by The Castle Rock Motor Company and the Schweiger Motor Company, and George Schweiger himself did the welding. Mr. William Sloan did most of the star design, and a number of his Depression-Era WPA (Works Progress Administration) workers assisted. Mountain States Telephone provided used wire and Commonwealth (later IREA and now CORE) provided the connections and poles.
When we think of the Starlighting ceremony today, we think about Santa, hot chocolate, a band and lots of booths. It’s quite the party. In the early days Castle Rock had a population of only 500 and there was no party. In fact, the star was not lit from 1942-1944 because of World War II restrictions on outdoor lighting and electricity usage. In August of 1945 the lights on the star were converted into a “V” to celebrate the end of the war.
The Douglas County News reported
on December 6, 1951 that members of
the Castle Rock Town Council were asking the “teen-age youngsters of the community” to refrain from shooting out
the light bulbs on the star. “Anyone caught molesting the star will be prosecuted, the council warned.”
This 1962 story should have made any vandal think twice...
“6 Vandals Jailed for Damaging Star on Rock”
“Lloyd Scott, a Douglas County Deputy Sheri , whose backyard is at the foot of Castle Rock, heard the honking of a car’s horn as the car rounded the curves on the road to the rock. He looked up at the car with his binoculars and observed six boys were in the car. He immediately thought of the safety of the huge electric star that the Castle Rock Fire Department had just completely gone over, replacing wires and bulbs.
Scott got into his car and engaged
the services of Castle Rock Chief Ken Schuman, who drove his car, and both cars were used to block the road to the Rock in such a way that the six boys could not come down driving past them.
Scott, who was also a volunteer foreman, and Schuman, apprehended the young men in the act of taking out
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Castle Rock “AreaNewsletters” • November 2022