by Thomas Engstrand/photos by the Author
In the early 1900s, a discovery of gold was found in the Rockies in Colorado. As wildcatters started to populate the area, there were those who were successful, and those who ended up miners. The miners settled the area and families started to form. The community wanted to form a town, but as there were no suggestions for a name, it became “New Town.” Needing a school, the town council decided to search for a teacher. To acquire a talented teacher, it was decided to advertise in the eastern cities for a qualified candidate.
Reading the New York Times one Sunday morning, a young teacher noticed the solicitation for a teacher in New Town, Colo. Rowena Chatterfield remembered the vacations she enjoyed with her mother and father in Colorado. Rowena’s mother and father had passed away and having just ending a relationship with a talented young architect, she felt a change might be a good thing. She sent a reply with her credentials and shortly afterwards,received a response asking her to visit New Town for an interview.
Rowena’s trip to New Town was met with memories of her previous visits to Colorado. Her father had been an executive with the New York Central and was intrigued with the narrow gauge railroads in Colorado. New Town was serviced by the Denver & Rio Grande Western as a flag stop. She met the future local school board, the interview went well, and she enjoyed the little town. Miss Chatterfield’s previous visits, her excellent resume, and desire to move to Colorado made the school board’s decision easy.
As New Town grew, the residents wanted a train depot. The town council visited with the D&RGW to request a depot but the D&RGW did not feel the town would provide enough revenue to justify the cost. The D&RGW did state if the town constructed a depot, passenger and freight service would be provided. Rowena noticed the minutes of the meeting in the newspaper, and contacted the committee to see what financial opportunities were available to fund the depot.
Miss Chatterfield was left a sizable estate with the passing of her parents; so she informed the committee that she would fund the new depot. Upon the next meeting with the D&RGW the proposal was accepted, but the D&RGW had two requirements. One was an architect would be required to develop the drawings for the construction of the depot, and the town required a proper name. Rowena loved the book Rebecca of Sunny Brook Farm, and requested the town change the name to Sunny Brook. Since Miss Chatterfield’s was funding the depot, the committee quickly accepted, but was at a loss for an architect. Rowena suggested the talented young Architect Basel Nottingham who had courted her back in Boston.
Rowena sent a telegram with a brief description of the proposed depot to Basel to ask if he would be interested in the commission. Basel, still having a liking for Rowena and curious about the Wild West, accepted the commission. Upon Basil’s arrival, the D&RGW gave him their specific requirements for the depot and Basil set forth to prepare the drawings for construction of the depot. As Rowena was funding the depot, she had one specific requirement. She wanted a round stucco tower as part of the depot. She remembered the depot at Easton, Pennsylvania and missed her east coast depot. Basil designed a depot with clapboard siding, vertical wood wainscot, wood shingle roof, and of course, a round stucco tower…
