A 155+years old farm which served as an important resting stop for pioneers traveling on the Cherokee/Smoke Hill wagon trails in the 1860's.
The 17 Mile House has a long and significant history. When the 1859-1860 gold rush resulted in a large-scale settlement of the state, a series of inns emerged along Cherry Creek to accommodate travelers and freighters.
These 'mile houses' were located every 2-3 miles along the Cherokee/Smoky Hill wagon trails from Kansas, all named based on their distance to the intersection of Colfax and Broadway.
Upon arrival, travelers could get a meal, spend the night, rest their animals and have minor repairs made to their coaches or wagons. Out of the original six-mile house, only 17 Mile House and 4 Mile House exist in their entirety today.
With the arrival of the railroad in 1882, pioneer traffic along the wagon trails ended, and so did the need for mile houses. But the name stuck. For over 100 years, hard-working Coloradans lived on the land at 17 Mile House.
This photo is a panorama from two photos, I used Canon 5D Mark III and Zeiss Makro Planar 2/100 ZE.