City Stables - History

A brief pictorall history of the West Rifle Livery Stables.
The 1902 fire in Rifle destroyed the Pioneer Stables and the Meeker Stables leaving only the Collins Livery. Neither was rebuilt.
That created the opportunity for R. E. Weant to build and open a new livery he called City Stables. It was located on the SE corner of 3rd and West Avenue. The stable was still there in 1914, then it disappeared from records. A new version was built on the NW corner same intersection.
Meanwhile Fay Gorham, the stage driver and Collins employee opened his own stable in 1905 which he called the Red Barn. It was located on Railroad at 5th street.
He outgrew this stable, sold it in 1912, and built a larger one on West Avenue. It was located on the west side of the street on the SW corner of 4th street.
The Heritage Center has published photos of that stable on fire, but it survived. Fay himself died in 1919 from injuries being kicked by a horse. This newer stable was sold in 1920 along with everything else he had owned.
The 2nd City Stable was not successful, apparently autos were reducing the need for stables. In 1916 Dr. C. O. Horr leased the stable and converted it into a veterinary hospital.
That too did not last long. In 1919, Dr. Horr moved into space in the Gorham stable. The Rifle Oxy-Acetylene Welding Repair Company took over the building. It became an auto garage and possibly a wrecking yard.
Have not found who were the final users of these buildings.

 

The second version of City Stables

A 1914 photo from Steve Fox. City Stables is 2 doors west of City Hall. The Rex Theater, aka Moose Lodge, is just past

The August 8, 1930 flood on Rifle Creek. 2nd version of City Stables in the background

 

 

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