Pueblo County, Colorado
The Planters Hotel


Colorful Planters Hotel Razed in 1890 - Puebloans were mourning the loss of the old Planters Hotel on Santa Fe Avenue in the summer of 1890. At the time it was razed, the structure housed the St. Julian saloon and restaurant. R.M. Stevenson, early-day Chieftain reporter and editor, recalled the building's early history. It was neither built from plans drawn by a Pueblo architect nor constructed by Pueblo carpenters. Instead, the building was hauled from Canon City by Capt. T.C. Wetmore, who is said to have borrowed the building in the absence of the owner and failed to return it. That was during the winter of 1863-1864. The aged building had stood there since. It was added onto and patched up, making it difficult for the original owner, if he had appeared, to prove the structure was his. The original building stood a story and a half. A porch extended along the entire front and formed a favorite lounging place. Soon after Wetmore relocated his property permanently, the wife of Capt. Robb of the First Colorado Cavalry, opened a boarding house. She was succeeded by Henry Hiney, who named the place Planters Hotel. Among the patrons that congregated around Hiney's hospitable board and made life a burden for the cook and biscuit shooters were some of Pueblo's early day leading citizens: M.D. Thatcher, Ferd Barndollar, George W. Morgan, Lewis Conley, George Robertson, Otto Winneka, Hank Griffin, Cal Peabody, Dave Berry, P.R. Thombs, Aug. Beach, George Ebbets and Stevenson. John E. Gilligan took over for Hiney and probably was the last to run a hotel in the old building. Shortly afterward it became the post office. Warren Richardson later used the building for the Boston Cracker Factory. Conkling Brothers then bought the business and operated it for some time. In 1867, Gus Beach built an addition to the south side of the building to be used as a billiard room and saloon. The next year, Capt. James Rice took possession of the addition and opened a tobacco and cigar store. In subsequent years, the Wetmore building was remodeled - the ceiling of the first floor being raised, the second floor was removed and a brick front was added to give it a substantial appearance. It then housed Schlier's saloon and Humford's barber shop, the barber shop giving way to the St. Julian restaurant. Pueblo Chieftain 3-10-1991
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