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brought to Land's End camp completed 9.2 miles of road. They were paid a dollar a day for their work. Ranging in age from thirty-three to fifty-five, the veterans were hailed as "a remarkable group of men, skilled in almost every imaginable trade." They lived in army tents roughly eleven miles below the mesa rim while clearing the brush for the road. The toughest part of the Land's Ends Road, from the Wild Road Picnic Area to the rim, was completed over the next two summers by Civil
Service machine operators and a few civilian workers hired by the United States Forest Service. "Built the whole road," said the project engineer, "blasting and all, without injuries."
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throughout the national parks and forests. It is marked by simplicity and craftsmanship, appearing to grow out of the earth rather than intrude upon it. Basalt stones were selected from the mesa and carefully fitted together to form the walls and terrace. Wood shingles were hand- sawn. The original, handcrafted woodwork can still be found inside. Most of the WPA workers who toiled here during the Great
Depression are unknown, the observatory remains their legacy.
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Land's End Road was once known as the
Veterans' Road. When the Great Depression left many World War I veterans unemployed, President Roosevelt responded by opening the already created Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) to include them. Thus, between June 1933 and May 1934, the 200 veterans who were
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You have reached Land's End
Observatory on Colorado's highest mesa, the Grand Mesa, 10,500 feet above sea level. Built in 1936-37 by the United States Forest Service and the Works Progress Administration (WPA), the observatory reflects the rustic style of architecture found in public buildings
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A large viewing area outside the building provides a panoramic view of western
Colorado and eastern Utah. As of 2022, the observatory building itself is closed and boarded up.
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via Land's End Road, which is about half paved and half gravel. The observatory is about 10 miles west of
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University and college buildings listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
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Government buildings on the
National Register of Historic Places in Colorado
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Land's End Road descending from Land's End
Observatory to U. S. Route 50.
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List of jails and prisons on the
National Register of Historic Places
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Land's End
Observatory viewing area, looking towards the north.
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National Register of Historic Places in Mesa County, Colorado
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Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (June 2006).
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Late 19th And Early 20th Century American Movements, rustic
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From the U. S. Forest Service sign outside the building:
321:"Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests"
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National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
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History of the National Register of Historic Places
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923:Tourist attractions in Mesa County, Colorado
52:Land's End Observatory, West side, July 2012
394:National Register of Historic Places Photos
241:in 1936-37, with some assistance from two
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938:Works Progress Administration in Colorado
430:U.S. National Register of Historic Places
384:- official site with visiting information
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172:US Forest Service, et al; Anderson, Ivan
933:Civilian Conservation Corps in Colorado
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297:"National Register Information System"
210:is a ranger observatory on the rim of
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220:Grand Mesa Scenic and Historic Byway
845:National Historic Preservation Act
390:- extensive detail on the building
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233:The observatory was built by the
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343:"New Deal in Colorado 1933-1942"
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798:Federated States of Micronesia
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348:. Colorado Historical Society
239:Works Progress Administration
104:Show map of the United States
235:United States Forest Service
218:. It is accessible from the
16:United States historic place
243:Civilian Conservation Corps
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850:Historic Preservation Fund
829:American Legation, Morocco
382:Grand Mesa National Forest
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791:Lists by associated state
323:. National Forest Service
224:Colorado State Highway 65
185:NRHP reference
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772:Northern Mariana Islands
177:Architectural style
164:3.7 acres (1.5 ha)
767:Minor Outlying Islands
750:Lists by insular areas
464:Keeper of the Register
375:Land's End Observatory
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208:Land's End Observatory
145:39.02500°N 108.22361°W
27:Land's End Observatory
469:National Park Service
449:Contributing property
377:at Wikimedia Commons
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824:District of Columbia
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118:Whitewater, Colorado
79:Show map of Colorado
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245:(CCC) side camps.
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350:. Retrieved
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114:Nearest city
817:Other areas
777:Puerto Rico
611:Mississippi
526:Connecticut
148: /
136:108°13′25″W
124:Coordinates
907:Categories
726:Washington
646:New Mexico
641:New Jersey
516:California
352:2007-08-23
327:2007-08-23
283:References
212:Grand Mesa
736:Wisconsin
701:Tennessee
606:Minnesota
581:Louisiana
169:Architect
133:39°1′30″N
892:Category
721:Virginia
671:Oklahoma
651:New York
626:Nebraska
616:Missouri
601:Michigan
591:Maryland
576:Kentucky
556:Illinois
531:Delaware
521:Colorado
511:Arkansas
237:and the
216:Colorado
192:97000124
838:Related
741:Wyoming
716:Vermont
621:Montana
561:Indiana
541:Georgia
536:Florida
506:Arizona
496:Alabama
676:Oregon
631:Nevada
571:Kansas
546:Hawaii
501:Alaska
437:Topics
808:Palau
706:Texas
586:Maine
551:Idaho
346:(PDF)
762:Guam
711:Utah
666:Ohio
566:Iowa
161:Area
214:in
187:No.
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422:e
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
