{Cough…wheeze} Welcome to this week’s wrap up from last week’s visit to the Broomfield Depot Museum while she was killing time waiting to pick up the House Pony from the groomer. Elsa here…I’m only a little better so if any of you have wizard-like powers, I’d sure appreciate you sprinkling me with some good Juju magic.

Today we’re going to share info about Broomfield’s Depot Museum Please enjoy this YouTube video on the Depot’s restoration.

Wilson: Mum loves historical places and always likes to investigate unusual or unexpected things inside and outside the Depot. After capturing those prairie dog images, she went inside to see what  life in general looked like in 1909 Broomfield.

Elsa: Mom was skeptical as to whether there was electricity for that toaster from last week but she discovered that electricity actually came to Colorado in the late 1800’s during the railroad boom. It makes sense that this stop would showcase some of the modern conveniences of the times that passengers liked. Pictured above is the Kolster Tombstone Tube Radio with a vintage Kodak box camera on top of it. However both items were actually from the mid-to-late 1920’s. They were likely added to the display because of their antique-y look of the period and might have been added after the Depot was opened.

Wilson: You’re right, Ninja. She suspected many of the items displayed at the Depot were more associated with the 1920’s, like this amazing looking ice box.

Elsa: That piece is in great condition, though and is similar to this early 1900’s wall-mounted telephone. I’m going out on a limb by saying they probably didn’t use this phone to order an Uber carriage ride home after they reached the station.

Wilson: That’s likely a good bet. But we’re very sure this next photo showing a Hall’s Safe & Lock Company safe (circa 1849) actually was one of the initial things they had when the Depot opened to safely stash ticket receipts. At that time, the Cincinnati based Hall’s company sold half of all fireproof and burglar-proof safes and vaults in the US and was the largest vault company in the world by 1892.

Elsa: I’ll bet that was one heavy safe and it looks like it too was in pretty good condition.

Wilson: It sure is. As is this classic Hoosier cabinet which was very popular from 1900 to 1930. Around the 1890s, several furniture manufacturers in Indiana discovered that a stand-alone kitchen cabinet with storage and workspace would be an easy sell. Having a kitchen workstation where ingredients and various utensils could be stored, yet easily accessed when preparing meals and they were all the rage. It’s always a treat when Mum finds antiques like these especially when they’re in such good shape. She used to go antiquing years ago and still has a few nice pieces she collected nearly 50 years ago.

Elsa: Whoa…didn’t realize that Mom was that old. {heh, heh} Because I know how much you like meals, where do you think they stored the dog food?

Wilson: {oooh..yum…smack…drool} Good question…I personally think our food should have been stored in that large door on the bottom left but I’m sure things were a lot different for us dogs back then.

Elsa: Easy on the drool, buddy. Let’s get back to focusing on what else Mom found at the Depot.

Wilson: {disappointed} You sure know how to take the joy out of sharing these images.

Elsa: Not everything is about food, dude.

Wilson: {gasp} Perish the thought but I saved the best history for last. There wasn’t any info that Mum found during her quick poke around inside the Depot but she did a lot of sniffing around when she got home about “Shep, the Turnpike Dog,” after she came upon this spot outside. She wanted to know all about Shep.

Elsa: So the story goes that back in the early 1950’s when the Denver-Boulder Turnpike toll opened, Shep was already a fixture on the scene. Rumored to be part of a litter of pups who escaped from a farmer, Shep apparently made his way to the construction site where the toll road was being built. Workers on the toll road would share their lunches with the friendly pooch and then Shep was eventually enticed to sleep in the toll booth on a cold night. Being no ordinary fool, Shep welcomed the invitation and then spent part of his days with the toll booth operators where he quickly became their mascot. Soon travelers would offer treats, toys, bones and even left donations to fund food for the engaging dog as they made their way along the toll way.

Wilson: He sure sounded like he enjoyed his ‘job.’ I know first hand people love dogs with a purpose and he likely brought a lot of joy to folks traveling on the turnpike.

Elsa: He was beloved and after he was shot, he managed to return to the toll booth where workers rushed him to a nearby vet, Clyde Bruner who treated the canine celebrity for free. Shep lived the rest of his life at the toll booth and Dr. Bruner treated him for various injuries incurred from coyote interactions. As Shep aged, he began to lose his eyesight and toll booth workers decided rather than have him suffer or get seriously injured around all the cars, and he was euthanized in 1964 at age 14.

Wilson: That seems rather sad, though Mum told me he lived a good life and was personally buried by the highway superintendent, Paul Kempf. A donated headstone marked the grave until 2009 when the Department of Transportation gave the Broomfield Museum permission to move the grave from Zang Spur Park to the Depot Museum which also had been relocated from its original location. He lived at the tollbooth for 14 years. [Photo credits: Justin Kent, L, and Jeff Kissinger, of Broomfield Parks, dug out the grave markers for Shep the Turnpike Dog for the move from his resting place at the intersection of Hwy. US 36 and State Hwy. 121 to the Depot Hill Museum in 2009. Photo courtesy-Staff photo/David R. Jennings.]

Elsa: Gotta love the inscription on the newer headstone. Sounds like quite a dog and another story of famous dogs from the metro area. Well done, House Pony.

Wilson: Many thanks, Ninja. Sharing stories like this always warms Mum’s heart. We dogs are special creatures and by telling their stories, others recognize all of our contributions.

Elsa: Umm, let’s not get carried away with nostalgia but it’s suffice to say how important it is to learn about the local history. So what’s on your dance card for the weekend? Our weather will be taking a detour on the winter from hell tour (color us happy) At the time this post was written we had high hopes but after last night’s 8-10 inch dump, it looks like Mom will only be digging out. I feel sorry for her sternum and torn bicep because this is a heavy snow. Originally I had hoped I’d be well enough to go for a short walk but Mom barely let me go potty this morning. . No offense Mom, but being inside with you all day is getting old, even with the snuffle mats and the Licki-Mat bowl to exercise our minds. Whatever you do, we hope your weather permits you to enjoy the nicer elements that Nature might offer. If you can find them.

Live, love, bark! 🐾