THE HISTORY OF CEDAREDGE
The History of Cedaredge
Mail service to Cedaredge started in 1894, the first general store opened in 1901, and Cedaredge officially became a town on April 16, 1907 when 79 of its 115 eligible town-folk gathered at the Cedaredge lumberyard and voted to officially form a new community—the first in the Surface Creek Valley.
Charles Blanchard, proprietor at Blanchard and Stockham, was elected the first mayor.
The first commercial buildings in Cedaredge were built along an old Ute trail that we know today as Grand Mesa Drive. The last of those buildings to survive, originally known as the Wm. Hart Barber Shop and Pool Room, was built in 1904 and wastorn down in November, 2021. Some might also remember the old Hogrefe (aka Wick) store which was built in 1901 and torn down in 1965 (see photo above).
Main Street Cedaredge
The photo above shows Cedaredge's Main Street from the corner of Grand Mesa Dr looking west toward Grand Mesa. With the exception of the Cedarege Hotel, most of these buildings are still part of the local landscape today.
In 2022, the Cedaredge Historic Preservation Board joined with the Surface Creek Valley Historical Society! This combination of resources and energy has produced an updated Historic Walking Tour that includes buildings designated as historic to the town of Cedaredge.
Explore Historic Cedaredge with your Smart Phone
Listen as our historians regale you with stories of old Cedaredge, its history, and the buildings that have outlasted all of those early pioneers.
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Just point your smartphone camera at the gray Historic Cedaredge QR-codes sign mounted on the building. Links to a few stories are below:
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1. Preamble: Early Cedaredge
2. Surface Creek Champion Bldg
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