Fond memories of Windy Gap Cabins
Denver
Mary Lou Egan/Courtesy photo
A lot has changed in Grand County in the last 40 years. There are many newcomers, and even some residents, who might not know about the marvelous Windy Gap Cabins.
There were five kids in the Egan family and our parents, June and Tom Egan, when we first discovered Windy Gap in the 1960s. These were summer cabins where water was hauled from the pump house and the buildings were heated with a gas or wood stove. Two gender-specific outhouses were a discrete distance away.
There was much for kids to do. We could walk to several spots along the river to fish, catch frogs and willow flies — or just daydream. There was a play area with swings, a tether ball, sand box and vintage pedal cars.
There was the barn, a one-story log building with a linoleum floor, tables, board games and corny jokes tacked to the wall. You could settle into comfy overstuffed chairs and read old copies of the Reader’s Digest, Popular Mechanics and The Saturday Evening Post. A player piano offered robust exercise to anyone pumping out tunes like “Red Wing,” “Twilight Time” and “Lime House Blues.”
But the best thing about Windy Gap was the proprietor, Rigmor Hansen Schmuck. After her husband, Howard Schmuck, died in 1957, she ran the place on her own. She was a no-nonsense lady, kind, strict, broad-minded and fair. She loved company and any celebration. The Fourth of July meant all the American flags would be hung out, we’d watch a parade and fireworks in Granby, and have a weenie and marshmallow roast around a bonfire.
There were always grandkids from the Schmuck family to play with. We had a lot of unstructured time for games or to horse around, but “Rig” was strict and you knew what the rules were. Rigmor Schmuck passed away in June 1985.
By that time, the Windy Gap Reservoir had taken part of the property, the Egan kids were grown, married and found other places to stay. But Rigmor, the Schmuck family and Windy Gap will always have a special place in our hearts.
Editor’s note: What was left of the abandoned Windy Gap Cabins were burned to the ground during the Windy Gap Fire on Aug. 6. Survey the damage from the fire here.
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Rigmor Schmuck, always wearing a dress and an apron.
Mary Lou Egan/Courtesy photo
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Rigmor’s house. Her truck is in the distance.
Mary Lou Egan/Courtesy photo
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Cabin 3 on the right, and the larger Cabin 4 to the left
Mary Lou Egan/Courtesy photo
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The author, Mary Lou Egan is Denver resident who has many fond memories of Windy Gap.
Mary Lou Egan/Courtesy photo
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