Castle Rock marks Historic Preservation Month with tours, scavenger hunts, museum events

The 1875 Denver & Rio Grande Railroad depot that now houses the Castle Rock Museum is at the center of Castle Rock’s Historic Preservation Month push, a reminder that the town’s growth has not erased the stone building that first helped define it. As the town marked the observance on May 1, officials linked local preservation to the larger America 250 and Colorado 150 celebrations and cast history as a civic asset tied to downtown activity, tourism and a shared sense of place.

The depot itself tells the story. History Colorado describes it as a rare example of a stone depot built by the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad using Castle Rock rhyolite stone from local quarries. The building was moved to its current location in 1970, spent years as a private residence, and was purchased by the Castle Rock Historical Society in 1996 before reopening as the museum. Today, the museum at 420 Elbert St. holds photographs, documents and mementos from the town’s past.

Castle Rock is using the month to pull residents into that history in person. Scavenge the Rock, a family-friendly scavenger hunt, ran from May 1 through May 31. Historic Trolley Tours, with the 2026 theme Origins of Castle Rock, were set for Saturday, May 2, with multiple departure times from the museum and reservations required because seating is limited. Victoria’s Tea is scheduled for May 16, and downtown walking tours are planned for May 30. The town is also offering self-guided history walks through downtown and the Craig and Gould neighborhood, along with Historic Preservation coloring and activity sheets for kids at participating downtown restaurants.

The Craig and Gould area is where Castle Rock’s preservation message becomes most concrete. The town says the neighborhood, bounded by the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, Gilbert Street, the Rock and the Douglas County Fairgrounds, contains more historically significant structures and a higher degree of integrity than any other area in town and likely in the entire county. The Historic Preservation Board recommends landmark designations to Town Council and reviews new construction and renovation requests in that neighborhood, while the town’s cultural resource surveys, filed with the State Historical Society, help document historic buildings and guide protection efforts.

That work is now being folded into a wider 2026 campaign for America 250 and Colorado 150. Castle Rock says the effort will include banners, patriotic displays and a grant program for commemorative events. For a town still expanding around its historic core, the message is clear: the depot, the downtown blocks around it and the Craig and Gould neighborhood are not obstacles to growth, but part of the identity that makes growth worth having.