25 things to watch in 2025

Lincoln Hills focuses on youth while planning for future

(Editor’ s note: Feb-

ruary is Black History

Month. Since Lincoln Hills

opened and achieved suc-

cess a century ago, the Gilpin

County neighborhood con-

tinues to offer opportunities

for youth and educate future

leaders. It is also looking to

build for the future.)

Many people who travel

past the Lincoln Hills on

South Beaver Creek Road are

unaware of some of the neigh-

borhood’s treasured historic

buildings.

The non-profit Lincoln Hills

Cares organization offers

outdoor education programs

every summer within those

buildings. These programs

aim to provide “abundant,

diversified opportunities for

youth and families to engage

in experiential outdoor and

environmental education

By partnering with youth-

serving organizations and

schools in the region, Lincoln

Hills Cares tries to teach and

encourage discussions about

cultural history, natural sci-

ences, the environment, and

outdoor recreation through

dynamic and culturally

responsive curriculum with

elements that meet state aca-

demic standards.

Among the many hands-on

programs offered to young

people are archery, ecosystem

energy flow, flower power, fly

fishing, food chain pollina-

tion, geology, history hikes,

pinecone exploration, pol-

linators, wildlife walks, water

conservation, wildfire infor-

mation, environmental stew-

ardship and wildlife forensics.

Children also are shown

what’s growing in the garden

center on the property, which

includes three greenhouses.

Lincoln Hills Cares also sup-

ports STEM and environmen-

tal, or E-STEM, programs.

“When kids first arrive, we

take them on a history hike,”

says Dr. Jeanette Patterson,

executive director of Lincoln

Hills Cares. “We walk them

through the area and talk

about the tavern, the Orange

House (“Wink” Hamlet’s

personal cottage), the Honey-

moon Cabin and others. We

tell them about how people

came up there by train or

car. We tell them about how

churches were involved in

getting people up to Lincoln

Some of the educational

programs are conducted in

the new Dr. Nathaniel How-

ard Outdoor Classroom,

named for the former educa-

tor, coach and Lincoln Hills

tion CEO.

variety of trails.

dence.

cally diverse young women,

ages 12-18, with positive and

empowering experiences.

“This year, we’ll have eight

horses on the property and

will run a revised Nizhoni

program,” Patterson said.

The various programs of-

fered by Lincoln Hills Cares

have touched lives. According

to one educator who part-

nered with the program, “I

am so grateful for the Lincoln

Hills staff and leadership! We

have an AMAZING time when

we come and learn so much

from all of the staff members!

It is such a special place and

it’s so healing and restorative

to visit and learn from every-

From the perspective of a

student, fourth-grader Cata-

lina wrote, “Thank you for

letting us go to Lincoln Hills.

You were really kind to teach

us about water, archery and

seeing Duke Ellington’s house.

My favorite part of the day

was archery because it was fun

and I learned to do archery. I

really loved seeing the moun-

Currently, the organization

is working on plans to host a

Gilpin County Earth Day event

in April that will be open to all

children throughout the area.

The date and specifics haven’t

been released yet, although

Patterson said she expects it

will be on a Saturday around

the national Earth Day cel-

ebration on April 22. “That is

a program that comes from a

Main Street grant, which sup-

ports rural areas. I wanted to

have something for the folks

in Gilpin. They’ve been noth-

ing but supportive to us since

we started on Wink’s Lodge

and the celebration of things.

We will be inviting the youth

from Central City, Rollinsville

and other areas to get them

to come down to spend this

Earth Day event with us. We

will have booths, nature activi-

ties and fun and games. We

hope to do a history hike or

a history presentation. There

will be food for the kids, and

we plan to have a great day.”

One of the current efforts by

Lincoln Hills Cares is its appli-

cation to receive a Save Ameri-

ca’s Treasures from the U.S.

National Parks Service. “We

have applied for this grant to

preserve Winks Lodge. We

should know something by

the fall. It will be a large grant

and we have to do a match for

it. If we were to be awarded

this grant, this would allow us

to restore and preserve all of

Winks Lodge. Let’s cross our

fingers for this grant. If we

receive it, the work probably

would be completed by 2027,”

said Dr. Patterson.

After Wink’s Lodge received

its national historic desig-

nation in December 2023,

Lincoln Hills Cares received

a $75,000 African-American

Civil Rights grant from the

National Parks Service last

fall. “We’re doing a survey and

research to prepare Lincoln

Hills and Wink’s as a Tradi-

tional Culture Property (TCP).

It’s about how an area still

has cultural beliefs, customs

and practices within that

community,” said Patterson,

who reported in-person and

virtual meetings were held for

local residents and homeown-

ers several months ago. “We

wanted to let them know what

we’re doing and what’s going

process] because the

area still has some of

those beliefs, customs

and practices through

our programming.

We’re still doing hikes

and things they were

still gather together

and have picnics out-

side. With the Nizhoni

program, we still have

young girls coming up

and doing the horses

the way they did years

ago in the 1920s and

30s. That’s why we’re

Traditional Cultural

A special exhibit on Lincoln

Hills is scheduled to open

on Thursday, June 12, at the

History Colorado Center at

1200 Broadway in downtown

Denver. A celebration is also

planned for the designation

of Wink’s Lodge as a National

Historic Landmark as part of

the event.

There are more than a dozen

videos under the subject of

Lincoln Hills on YouTube, in-

cluding the area’s history. The

equine, E-STEM and other

youth activities sponsored by

Lincoln Hills Cares also can be

viewed online.

For more information on

Lincoln Hills Cares, visit: Lin-

colnHillsCares.org.

$5 credit for AutoPay and E-billing. T axes and other fees apply. Credit approval required for

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The Dr. Nathaniel Howard Outdoor Classroom is used to teach children about various

subjects, including forests, geology, flowers, plants and water-related topics.

Water conservation, fishing, and other water-related topics

are discussed with children attending sessions at Lincoln Hills

during the spring and summer. Children are taken on nature

and history hikes in Lincoln Hills, including a stop at the historic

Wink’s Lodge.

Dr. Jeanette Patterson

PAGE 9 WEEKLY REGISTER-CALLFebruary 20, 2025

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Located in Mid Gilpin County

In recent years, Bob Jr. has

stepped up his leadership role

with the family’s property

that stretches from the Cen-

tral City Parkway to the hills

above Idaho Springs. Over the

past three decades, the family

has influenced the region in

Because of their expansive

property, the Young Family

opened the door for the Cen-

tral City Parkway to be built on

parts of their land more than

20 years ago. Thousands of

residents and visitors use the

road regularly to travel from

I-70 to Central City, Black

Hawk and beyond.

Three years ago, the fam-

ily’s new business, Young

Ranch Resources LLC (YRR),

worked with Central City to

annex their property from

unincorporated Gilpin County into

Central City. It also opened the door

for YRR to build an aggregate quarry

at mile point 2.3 along the parkway.

The city gave YRR permission to build

a flyover bridge from the parkway into

the quarry. The newly zoned indus-

trial property now pays taxes to Gilpin

County, Central City, Central City’s

Business Improvement District, Gilpin

County School District and others. The

quarry also will provide steady em-

ployment for residents.

“My dad and I started thinking

about it in 2017,” according to Bob

Young Jr. “We decided a quarry would

provide a long-term income stream

that would benefit the ranch. My dad’s

always been integral to that conver-

sation. His number one interest has

been to preserve the wildlife, [the]

agriculture and the cattle. In 2020, we

decided to move forward with a quarry

plan. It is very viable to the long-term

continuation of the ranch.”

Included in the quarry plans were

provisions beyond state standards

to protect the native wildlife. “We

dedicated a wildlife corridor along the

southern edge of the parkway near

the quarry,” said Bob Jr. “It’ll never

be disturbed. It will help facilitate the

movement of the wildlife back and

Last July, the Youngs announced the

quarry operation would be handled by

Brannan Industries, which has been

operating in Denver for more than a

century. Profits from the quarry will

help the Young Family continue its

legacy of having a cattle and horse

ranch elsewhere on the property. “We

wanted to have a relationship with

Brannan because they’re a local com-

pany and family-owned. We thought

they’d be an ideal partner,” noted Bob

Jr.

A unique agreement developed by

the Youngs and Central City requires

trucks hauling aggregate and materi-

als from the quarry to pay per-ton

hauling fees to the city. The money

will be used to help maintain the

parkway – primarily from I-70 to the

quarry entrance at milepost 2.3. If any

future parkway repairs require addi-

tional money, Young Ranch Resources

will pay the difference – rather than

Central City taxpayers. Another part

of the collected hauling fees will be set

aside by the city, which will be used to

pay for parkway maintenance from the

quarry to downtown Central City.

Bob Jr. negotiated a deal with

Kramer North America, the primary

contractor for the state’s I-70 Floyd

Hill project. The construction com-

pany is hauling dirt from I-70 to mile-

point Five on the parkway, paying fees

to Central City for each load delivered

to the Young property. However, the

Youngs aren’t receiving any money

from the deal. “The benefit is the

hauling fee will help improve the road,

which we use, as well,” Bob Jr. said.

Central City’s budget anticipates

collecting more than $225,000 in

hauling fees from the Young Quarry

and Kraemer during 2025. The funds

will be used for short-term parkway

repairs and for longer-term capital

improvement projects.

Commented Bob Jr., “We just saw

that the city – despite their efforts

over time – really wasn’t able to keep

up with the maintenance [costs] nec-

essary for the parkway. This project

will help that effort.”

The milepost 5 dumping site was

selected to help Central City in an-

other way. Previously, whenever it

snowed in the broad valley west of the

parkway, winds often pushed the snow

onto the road, creating deep drifts

and ice. Once the current hauling is

completed, the ground will be leveled

and re-shaped to create a natural-

looking site. After that, the Youngs will

plant native vegetation. In the end,

the Youngs and city leaders hope that

deep snow drifts will no longer form

on the parkway after a snowstorm, al-

leviating the need for additional work

by the city’s public works department.

“In 2014, the city approached us

for an easement so they could build a

snow fence there,” Bob Jr. said. “We

gave them the easement because they

were perpetually having issues follow-

ing snows that blew across the park-

way, causing drifts and icy conditions.

They never built the fence because of

a lack of funds. In that area, a lot of

snow blows down that long valley and

onto the parkway. What I proposed

was creating an earthen berm that acts

like a snow fence. Once it’s done, it

Last week, Bob Jr. said his family

finalized a 22-acre land swap with

Idaho Springs near Virginia Canyon

Road. The swap will enable the con-

struction of additional mountain-bik-

ing trails at the developing mountain

park near the forthcoming Argo cable

car ride from downtown Idaho Springs

to an outdoor entertainment venue up

the hill from the Argo Mine. Previ-

ously, the Young family gave a 500-

foot easement on their property in

Idaho Springs for the Peaks to Plains

Trail project that stretches along Clear

Creek.

Bob Jr. said he is working on a plan

that could result in the construction of

a mountain biking trail that will run

from the upstart Virginia Canyon Park

area through his family’s property

to Central City. Bob Jr., a mountain

biker, said he would eventually like to

see an evolved regional trail system

stretching from Idaho Springs to Cen-

tral City and Black Hawk’s Maryland

Mountain trail system – and beyond.

“It could lead to more people coming

and staying here who want to spend

four or five days biking the trails in the

area,” Bob Jr. said. “It’s beautiful land

that makes you feel you’re out in the

middle of nowhere, although you’re

less than an hour away from Denver.

I think it’s something that will be ben-

eficial regionally.”

Last year, the Young’s quarry paid

$1.2 million to extend the city’s water

line across the Central City Parkway

from near the KOA Campground. The

company also paid a $300,000 tap

fee for the line and will purchase city

water for the quarry. The money will

help bolster Central’s future improve-

ment plans for its water system. The

new water line also could lead to

future development along the parkway

near the KOA, although no such plans

currently exist.

The relationship between the Young

family and Central City has been good,

according to Central City Manager

Daniel Miera. “This relationship has

been a very easy one. They’ve been

very willing to put themselves in the

shoes of residents. They understand

what our challenges are, and they’ve

been trying to assist us. There has

been a direct and indirect financial

benefit to the city, although it’s still

in the early stages. There already are

benefits that we’ve seen.”

“The Young Quarry has been a re-

ally great partner,” Miera continued.

For over two years, Robert Young

Jr. worked with the city to annex the

land and design the quarry. “They

were very thoughtful in their design.

They brought in things that weren’t

required, such as environmental pro-

tections and improvements, [concern

for] wildlife and other things. They did

things that probably hadn’t been done

by any other quarry, and it probably

cost them a lot more money. They’ve

been easy to work with.”

Bob Jr. states, “We’re paying fees

that will help the city maintain the

parkway at a high level. That’s the

main advantage to the city and the

people who use the parkway. It’s an

asset that is regionally utilized and

Young’s parents began purchasing

lots on the Gilpin-Clear Creek county

line in the late 1960s after Robert Sr

completed his military service. Even-

tually, the family property grew to in-

clude more than 4,000 acres of moun-

tainous, heavily forested land – part

of which became the Central

City Parkway a little more than

20 years ago. The parents also

built a ranch that has cattle

and horses that is hidden away

in the hills and cannot be seen

from the parkway.

The Youngs’ expansive

property stretches from along

I-70 at Exit 243 north to the

Hidee Mine on the Central

City Parkway. It reaches as far

west as Gilpin Gulch in Idaho

Springs – roughly across Clear

Creek on the hill opposite the

McDonald’s restaurant.

Bob Young Sr. is 93, and

Ann will be 91 in the weeks

ahead. They’ve been married

72 years and were still roaming

around their land on four-

wheelers two summers ago.

“They’ve been living indepen-

dently and living well. They

take care of themselves, and

they’re just healthy. I spend

quite a bit of time at the ranch, and

they do as well – a little less as they

get older. They love going up there,

and I was up there with them last

week. Dad wanted to make sure the

berm they’re putting in at milepost

5 will look natural. He has concerns

about the aesthetics, although it’s a

long-term project. He’s concerned be-

cause that’s the main entrance to the

ranch. He wants it to look natural and

according to his vision.”

In the 1970s, the elder Youngs began

a cattle-ranching operation on the

property. The herd has ranged from

“about 40 to nearly 150,” according to

Bob Jr. “We do lower numbers now

because it’s better for the elk popula-

tion. We’re an important winter range

for the elk, and we try to take that into

consideration from our grazing rota-

If you ask Bob Young Jr. what he

does for a living, the 54-year-old will

tell you he’s a ranch manager with a

family. His wife, Christine Parisi, and

he have two children, Zander, 16, and

Layla, 13.

“I feel very fortunate to have the

very busy type of life that I have,” said

Bob Jr. “I’m productive and doing

things I feel my dad would be proud of

and will be good for the community,

the land and the wildlife.”

The overpass to the new Young Ranch Resources LLC quarry was completed last spring.

WR-CWR-C’s Gilpin 2024 “Citizen of the Year” ’s Gilpin 2024 “Citizen of the Year”

believes in protecting nature, believes in protecting nature, helpinghelping Central CityCentral City

25 things to watch in 2025

Patrick Henry Sweeney

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25 things to watch in 2025

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