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Camp
Colorado Replica by Milton Autry
(From A
History of Coleman County and Its People,
1985
To most people, the Camp Colorado
Replica at the City Park has been there
forever.. or so it seems, but in 1936, the
Centennial year, it was built. Interest
in history was high as the Centennial year
approached and that interest continued through
most of 1936. Here in Coleman and
throughout the county there was desire to
participate in our state's 100th birthday.
The idea was proposed to erect a replica of the administration building of old Camp Colorado in the City Park. The city fathers, then including Commissioners Bert Scott, Hubert Shore and Mayor E. P. Scarborough, approved the proposal and proceeded with plans. Through the efforts of State Senator Walter Woodward of Coleman, a grant of $3600 was obtained from the Texas Centennial Commission and with these funds, and labor provided by the Works Projects Administration (WPA), the replica was erected. There is more to the story than that however. Plans and specifications were needed. Records from the old Federal outpost did not reveal a set of plans for the structure, and there was nothing to do but turn to memory. The old structures at the post, of course, were long gone. In 1879, Henry Sackett had purchased the property where the old camp had stood, and he built a ranch home there, using some of the rocks from the old buildings, and leaving the old original guard house of the outpost attached to the rear of his home. Inscribed above the door on the old guardhouse is the date, 1857, which can still be seen today. Without plans or pictures, the city officials visited Mrs. Sackett and obtained her description of the former administration building. From her description, City Engineer Clarence Cooper prepared a scale drawing, and Bert Scott recalled that when shown the drawing later, Mrs. Sackett wept, and stated that the drawing was indeed exactly as she remembered the building. With drawing in hand, work proceeded immediately on the structure at the City Park, and an impressive ceremony and program was held later that year at the time of the dedication, and a marker was placed at the site of the old camp that same year. Many items of historical interest were displayed in the Replica in 1936, and tragically many of the items disappeared. Apparently security measures for the structure were not adequate at that time. Down through the years the Replica has been used for meetings and for family gatherings. In 1961 it was chosen as the site for the Coleman County Museum, which has been operating since that time.  Camp Colorado Guard House - built 1857 - on the rear of the Sackett House - built 1879  Looking at the ruins of Camp Colorado - 1936  Camp Colorado Replica Building  cornerstone of Camp Colorado Replica Building |