Ka Rose Collection

The Ka Rose Hotel, or Ka Rose Club, was located about fifteen miles northeast of Granby, in Monarch, a small town on Monarch Lake in Grand Country. The resort provided a half dozen or so cabins that could be rented. Many of the cabins consisted of two apartments. The Cabin - apartments were rented at $15 per week. A large hotel for vacationers was also available at rates of up to $5 a day. The activities offered at the Ka Rose included: boating, swimming and fishing in Monarch Lake; mountain climbing in the Indian Peaks to the east; and golfing. Each evening within the large club house the guests gathered for bridge, dancing, bowling and billiards. Frequently, some of the wealthy guests at the hotel would give parties. The policies and habits of the Ka Rose lasted from its establishment before 1906 until the mid 1930s.

However, the Federal Government decided in the late 1930s that a transfer of water from the Western Slope to the Eastern Plains was required. The west slope of the Continental Divide receives about 70% of the states precipitation, while the east slope receives the balance. However, 80% of Colorado’s population resides on the Eastern Slopes (Front Range), creating an increased demand for water. This problem was recognized in the late 1800s and the shift escalated with rapid settlement. The Lake Granby/Colorado Big-Thompson water diversion project was developed to address the state’s water needs. Thus, in 1946 contracts for the Granby Dam were established. On December 5, 1941 work began on the Lake Granby Dam and Diversion Tunnel. Finally, on September 14, 1949 water was stored in the Lake Granby Dam for the first time.

Colorado Department of Highways maps for 1936 indicate that the flood plain for Lake Granby was certain to inundate the Ka Rose property. The lack of collection material after 1934 indicates either a 1935 closure of the hotel or the sale of the hotel to a new manager. Sources appear mixed as to when the Ka Rose closed.