The Highlands Ranch Mansion virtual tour will take you through the estate’s full history — from Samuel Allen Long’s 1884 homestead to the present day — blending architectural tours with rich regional narratives.
Kristy Thomas, as docent, will present the virtual tour covering the history of the mansion and ranch from its inception in 1884 to the present.
The mansion’s origins trace to 1884, when Samuel Allen Long filed for a homestead in northern Douglas County, naming it Rotherwood after his boyhood farm. Over the decades, it passed through notable owners including John W. Springer, Col. William Hughes, Waite Phillips, Frank E. Kistler, and Lawrence Phipps Jr.
The property was once part of a vast ranching empire, later becoming a cultural and social hub for Denver’s elite, and today it is preserved as part of the Highlands Ranch Historic Park.
Kristy Thomas Bio
Kristy was born and raised in Evergreen, Colorado. Her family camped every summer, exploring old mining sites in Colorado and always taking driving vacations to visit historic sites throughout the west.
She began her career in mineral exploration as an office manager and developed a lasting interest in the gold and silver mining history of the western United States, visiting many historic mining towns in Colorado as well as several in Nevada, Montana, and Arizona.
From the late 1980s to the early 2000s she lived and worked on the C Lazy U Ranch and Resort in Granby, Colorado. Her ex-husband’s family owned the Ranch and throughout her 20 years there she ran the front office, the dining room, the gift shop, and the landscaping crew. The C Lazy U began as a working ranch and became one of the first to accept paying guests to help with the cattle operation.
Kristy took the position as the Manager of Afternoon Tea at the Brown Palace Hotel in 2008 and worked with the hotel historian in order to speak with guests about the hotel’s history. She occasionally took guests to visit the presidential suites in the hotel. After retiring in 2014, Kristy became a historic interpreter on the 1860s farm at the Littleton History Museum. At the same time, she became a docent at the Highlands Ranch Mansion. In the past two years Kristy has worked weekly in both positions as well as taking part in the public events hosted by both the Museum and Mansion.
THE STORY: In 1996 I moved from teaching US History at the middle school level to teaching US History in a high school. I knew that in teaching World War II and women's roles, I wanted to present the topic in a way that would be more meaningful and in more depth than what was in the textbook. I had done research on the Denver Ordnance Plant - now the Denver Federal Center - and knew that that would be a perfect vehicle. So I scoured Broadway antique shops for props and developed my story as Gail Murphy, a bullet case worker at the plant. From that humble beginning, I added more and more props and expanded the presentation. Soon I was presenting to women's auxiliaries, clubs, organizations, churches, senior citizen groups and facilities. Some were only a few miles from my home; others were as far away as Omaha, Nebraska, and Telluride, Colorado.
THE LEGACY: The best part of presenting the contributions of American women to the World War II effort was meeting many, many "Rosies," female military veterans, male veterans, and others who labored behind the scenes to support and care for our servicemen. The stories they told me in Q & A sessions and afterwards were so inspiring that I knew I had found the topic for my next book. And thus, Colorado Women in World War II was born.
BIO: Gail Beaton
A native of western Massachusetts, I was fortunate to move with my family to Colorado when I was eight years old. I like to say that we came via The Mayflower. Of course that would be the Mayflower Moving Company! I have a BS in education from the University of Colorado Boulder which led to a teaching career of over thirty years in elementary, middle, and high schools, and at two community colleges. Yes, I have STORIES!
I earned two master's degrees -- one in United States History and one in Public History -- from University of Colorado Denver.
Upon retirement from teaching I indulged in several long trips with my mother and worked on my first book, Colorado Women: A History. During the next eight years I researched and wrote Colorado Women in World War II. Two long hiking trips in Ireland (April 2017 and April 2018) were welcome hiatuses from reading microfilmed newspapers and poring through books and archival material. I love researching but microfilm reading is blinding and sitting long stretches of time is exhausting. Fifteen to twenty mile hikes from bed and breakfast to bed and breakfast in the Irish countryside was restorative!
December 2019 through January 2021 were pleasantly spent researching and working with Dr. Thomas J. Noel on The Women's Bank: A Denver Success Story. What an amazing group of founding women (and men).
The past several years I have been working on Colorado Women Homesteaders (and of course a hiking trip to the Cotswolds in England thrown in).
Having images of our ancestors makes them come to life for us. We’ll learn about how you can locate images of your ancestors – some in unexpected places. Since my early days of family history research, I've made it a priority to locate images of my ancestors. Up to today, I have images of all of my direct line ancestors through my 2nd great grandparents, over half of my 3rd great grandparents, and several beyond that going back before the invention of photography.
BIO: Andy Likins
Andy Likins has been fascinated by family history for as long as he can remember and has been actively researching for over 40 years. Ancestry Magazine and Archives.com have published articles he has written on topics relating to American and Scandinavian research, he has presented to the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and MyHeritage Facebook Live, and he has performed research for PBS’s Finding Your Roots. His memberships include the Swedish Colonial Society and the Pikes Peak Genealogical Society. Andy is a professor at Pikes Peak State College. Collecting images of family members is one of his favorite aspects of genealogy.
FhGS January General Meeting
January 13, 2027
Castle Garden & Ellis Island Presentation by Carol Darrow
Additional information forthcoming.
FhGS February General Meeting
February 10, 2027
Nuremberg Trail Presentation by Flint Whitlock
Further details will be provided.
FhGS General March Meeting
March 10, 2027
Her Place on the Map Presentation by Sarah H. Campbell
FhGS General April Meeting
April 14, 2027
Genealogical Education Opportunities Presentation
by Glenn York
May General Meeting
May 12, 2027
