Discover Wetmore

Wetmore brings together prominent transport routes, branching waterways, and an unusually diverse local history. The town is located at the intersection of State Highways 96 and 67. At the same time, Hardscrabble Creek and its tributaries flow north toward Pike’s Peak and join the Arkansas River near Penrose. As a result, the waterways form an important crossroads of routes. If you would like to combine landscape, discoveries, and historic sites on a trip, Wetmore offers various starting points for planning your day.

Scenic Routes to Wetmore

The drive itself can become part of the travel experience: a short, scenic 25-mile drive along the Frontier Pathways leads to Wetmore. This route provides a specific point of orientation for anyone who does not want to view the journey merely as a necessary stretch of road. When choosing your holiday apartment or holiday home, consider whether you want to include Wetmore as the destination for such a drive, as a starting point for exploring the town, or as part of a broader travel plan.

A Town with Several Historical Layers

A historic map showed a schoolhouse, a blacksmith’s shop, and stores in Wetmore. At that time, the town was also known as Greenwood Park or Hardscrabble Park. These former names are part of Wetmore’s history and show that the character of the town changed over various phases of development.

The Wetmore Post Office has continuously served as the center of the local community since 1881. In September 2008, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places and the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties. Following the renovation of the historic post office building, the Wetmore Historical Center opened in 2009. This allows the town’s history and Wetmore’s architectural development to be considered within a shared theme without confusing the individual facilities with one another.

Community Center, Library, and Local Life

The Wetmore Community Center was completed in 1928 and served as Wetmore’s schoolhouse until the autumn of 1961. Today, it houses the Wetmore Community Library. For your travel planning, this place is particularly interesting if you would like to learn not only about scenic routes but also about the history of the community. The Wetmore Community Building offers a different, sporting focus with its pickleball court.

Clay, Mining History, and a Find from the Surrounding Area

The history of the Wetmore Clay Mine also adds an industrial dimension to the town’s character. The mine began operating under contract in 1958 and was located away from Highway 96 and Wild Oaks Road in Wetmore. The clay came out of the mine black and turned cream-white when fired. This change in color makes the processing of the material a particularly vivid detail of the local economic history.

A mammoth shinbone belonging to the genus Mammuthus was also discovered in the nearby area at Red Creek near Wetmore. The find offers another perspective on the region’s past and adds a natural-history dimension alongside the historic buildings and mining history.

The Right Accommodation for Your Travel Plans

When looking for holiday accommodation in Wetmore, you can first decide which focus should shape your trip. Those interested in local history may want to allow more time for the Post Office, Historical Center, Community Center, and library. Those who want to focus on the landscape can combine Wetmore with the waterways or the drive along the Frontier Pathways. The history of the Clay Mine and the mammoth find at Red Creek, in turn, appeal to travelers who want to bring together different forms of the past. This way, accommodation in Wetmore can be selected according to your preferred travel theme and personal daily rhythm, without having to present the individual experiences as one shared circular route.

For the overarching travel overview: Custer.