LINCOLN HILLS' LEGENDARY LODGE

by Pam North

You've probably heard this one before.  What does an anti-growth
Gilpinite fear most?  Answer: A Texan headed this way with a U-Haul.
Bad joke, and if there were ever two Texans who were a reason for such
sentiments to be squelched forever, it's Rob and Martha Tomerlin.
Hailing from Colleyville, Texas, the Tomerlins bit off almost more
than they could chew in 1985 when they accidentally discovered, fell
in love with and purchased a Lincoln Hills property known locally as
Winks Lodge.  Abused by renters over the years, the building had
fallen into decline.  Its wrap-around second-story enclosed porch was
sagging, trash had engulfed the basement and had accumulated several
feet high at the front of the house, and an abandoned car full of
kitty litter, along with some assorted derelict appliances, decorated
the front yard.  After purchase by the Tomerlins, the building
continued to present even more difficulties to be solved.  Problems
with the electrical wiring, plumbing and septic system were also
discovered in due course, much to couple's dismay, and all were
expensive to fix.  Texan grit, bolstered by an occasional bottle of
wine, won out over time, however.  The Tomerlins, determined in their
labor of love, finally managed to whip their project into shape,
creating a peaceful, comfortable haven in which to spend their
summers.  Initially, Rob, whose career had encompassed years of being
a high school teacher, football coach and principal, had wanted to
have a place where troubled city teens could come to spend some time
in the mountains.  The reality of the high cost of liability insurance
soon put an end to that dream, however, and now they are resigned to
having the lodge primarily as a part-time residence for themseves.
Their interest in the history of the lodge and its surrounding locale,
and its importance as a part of black culture, has inspired them to
research its past, and to restore the lodge as faithfully as possible.
The result is admirable.  Several of the original pieces of furniture
(some of it repaired after being found broken and scattered on a
nearby hillside) were returned to the lodge, and the additional
furniture and decor presently therein echoes the period when Winks
Lodge was in its prime.  One interesting anecdote involved an old
chair that the Tomerlins had purchased at a Nederland rummage sale.
As they left with their bargain they encountered a passing woman who
recognized the chair as one that had belonged to her grandmother.
Promising to check her attic for a matching footstool, she took their
telephone number and said she'd be in touch.  Two years later she
called; the chair and footstool were reunited, and now rest near the
rugged stone fireplace in the living room.  Other thrift shop and flea
market treasures have found their way into the Tomerlins' home, each
lending an ambience of the past.  Their instincts obviously have been
good and their choices suitable, as they are often amused when a
visitor from the old days thinks he recognizes one of their pieces as
something that was there when Winks was around.  The rustic living room
chandelier is just such a piece.  Found in Texas and transported to
the lodge, it has elicited more than one comment of "I remember that!"
A painting of horses by Mickey DuBois (then around 17 years old), now
a well-known black artist whose works are displayed in Estes Park, is
a highlight on the wall at the stair landing.  Time has taken its toll
on it, and cracks permeate its surface, but the Tomerlins intend to
restore it.  Photographs of Wendell "Winks" Hamlet line the stairway,
providing glimpses of the man who was the legend behind Winks Lodge.

For Gilpinites who aren't familiar with its history, Winks Lodge is an
integral part of Lincoln Hills, a resort community that originated in
1922 solely for black people; it was one of only two in the entire
United States.  Its history has been covered in an earlier issue of this
newspaper.  Winks, a woodcutter with additional coal and moving
businesses in Denver, was one of the early inhabitants, residing in a
small cabin just down the road from where the lodge is located.  He
began building the lodge in 1925, scrounging cast-off materials from
Denver demolitions, and even using newspaper printing plates for the
dining room wainscoting.   When the Depression hit in 1929, many of the
owners of Lincoln Hills lots could no longer afford to keep up the
payments, and Winks began buying up the lots at tax sales, adding to his
land.  He eventually had 21 cabins to lease, in addition to the six
upstairs bedrooms in his lodge.  He had the only indoor shower in the
area (at 25 cents a shower), and his barbecue and the chicken dinners
served by his long-time cook, Brownie, were famous.  Winks would sound a
loud gong to announce mealtimes.  Black celebrity musicians playing in
Denver's Five Points clubs found their way to Winks Lodge; Count Basie
and Lena Horne were two who supposedly visited , and there originally
was an autographed photo of Lena Horne hanging in the lodge.  The lodge
also had a natural spring that was the watering hole for the teams of
horses pulling the stagecoaches that ran from Tolland to Nederland.
Winks also became the local game warden, and a forest ranger for
Roosevelt National Forest.

Winks initially ran the lodge with his first wife, Naomi (who later died
of tuberculosis), and afterward with his second wife, Melba.  Etched
names in concrete on the grounds of the lodge bear witness to both
pairings.  Winks was known to be a generous man who loved people and
welcomed them warmly.   He operated the business until his death in
1965, and while Melba continued to try to run the lodge for a while
thereafter, its time was up.  Changing times had brought access for
black people to metropolitan establishments, and business was
dwindling.   Melba sold the lodge to Berta Callaway, who applied for and
received listing in 1980 for the lodge on the National Register of
Historic Places.  A succession of renters, with little regard for
historic importance, wrought their own havoc on the building until it
landed in the hands of the Tomerlins, who brought it salvation and a new
lease on life.  Now its rough-hewn log frame, native rock fireplace, tin
ceilings and plank floors reflect the work and care that this couple has
bestowed over the past few years.  Gilpin County has lost many of the
structures that reflect its history; luckily it hasn't lost this unique
gem.

And it took Texans to do it.


Thanks to Rob Tomerlin for sharing information and conducting a
fascinating tour, and to Martha Tomerlin for a
remarkable piece of rhubarb pie.



UPDATE

The lincoln Hills Development Company, planned and organized in 1922
by prominent Denver Afircan-Americans, offered mountain resort lots at
a time when people-of-color were not allowed to obtain lodging or
enjoy the amenities of public parks in Colorado.  Located in Gilpin
County, the Lincoln Hills Community was one of only four such resorts
in the entire United States.

Constructed in 1928 by Wendall ("Winks") Hamlet, Winks Lodge serviced
thousands of vacationers, and was a destination for many famous
African-American literary artists and musical entertainers.
Recognized for its significance as a private commercial and
entrepreneurial endeavor, as well as its significance in the larger
social arena of discrimination and segregation, Winks Lodge was places
on thr National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

Through an application grant by the State Historical Fund, The James
P. Beckwourth Mountain Club was able to purchase Winks Lodge in April,
2006.  Once the interior is fully restoed, the JPBMC will make the
Lodge available to the public for a variety of programs such as:
conferences and workshops, local history learning center, nature
preservation and outdoor activities, leadership retreats, special
events, reunions.