Hiwan Homestead Museum

Architecturally unique and set in an old-growth ponderosa grove, Hiwan Heritage Park and Museum is a great place to learn about local and state history, see interesting architectural features, and enjoy a beautiful natural setting. Construction began in 1893 and called Camp Neosho, the Museum was the former summer camp and residence of one of Colorado's first female doctors, Josepha Williams Douglas, and her family. Hand built by Evergreen craftsman Jock Spence from local materials, the house grew to 25 rooms by 1918, including two octagonal towers, a chapel, formal dining room, and many bedrooms. Camp Neosho became the Hiwan Ranch after 1938 and the new owners, the Buchanan family, turned the summer home into a working Hereford cattle ranch. To avoid development and possible demolition, the Jefferson County Historical Society worked with newly formed Jeffco Open Space to list Hiwan on the National Register of Historic Places and open it to the public as a museum in 1974.