The Vaile family had significant impact on the Town of Palmer Lake from the very beginning of their arrival. Joel Frederick Vaile was the attorney for Gen. Palmer and the Denver and Rio Grande railroad. He eventually became general counsel for the whole D&RG system.

In 1884 Joel bought land from Dr. F. Thompson, founder of the new resort by the little blue lake. A small slab house was built and tents were set up under the pines. The Vaile family consisted of William, Gertrude, Louis, Fredrick, Lucretia and her parents.

As soon as school was out in Denver, the Vaile’s packed up for the summer and made their way by train and carriage to Palmer Lake. Hiking and riding burros were her favorite pastimes. Later on, horseback riding became a daily event.

The family cabin was close to a “haunted house” of 3 stories. Curiously, the ground floor had no furnishings excepting a single portrait of a lovely young woman, possibly the daughter of the owner a Mr. Palmer, carpenter for Dr. F. Thompson.

Lucretia graduated from Vassar College and became a librarian, retiring after 29 years of service. While living in N.Y. State, she attended a “Yule Log Ceremony” and brought the concept back to Palmer Lake. She would see our Yule Log event grow into a nationally known celebration. Lucretia and 24 others founded the Colorado Mountain Club, in 1912, which still exists. Lucretia is credited with climbing 35 of Colorado’s 58 14,000-foot mountains in smooth-soled shoes. Lucretia was also a founding member of the Palmer Lake Historical Society.

Lucretia died October 27, 1976, leaving a bequest to the town of $46,000 for cultural purposes. The Museum and Library building, dedicated to her, was built in 1981 using these funds and by other sources including the Palmer Lake Historical Society which was founded in 1956.

Lucretia Vaile’s name has been associated with Palmer Lake since the 1880’s when, as a small child, she came with her parents to spend the summers here. Throughout her lifetime she was interested in the cultural development of this mountain community. She suggested having the annual Yule Log ceremony. In 1968 she donated her home to Palmer Lake for an art gallery and was a charter member of the Palmer Lake Historical Society. She died in California in 1977. Her bequest to the town, along with additional funds from El Paso County, made it possible to build the Lucretia Vaile Library/Museum, a memorial of her contribution to the cultural heritage of Palmer Lake.

The Vaile Family

The Vaile family moved to Denver in 1881. Joel Frederick Vaile was an attorney for the Rio Grande Railroad. His wife, Charlotte, was the author of popular children’s books and short stories. There were four Vaile children: William, Gertrude, Louis and Lucretia.

Wanting a summer place in the mountains, the Vaile family bought some land in Palmer Lake and built themselves a small cabin of slab wood on the lower slopes of Ben Floss Mountain, now known as Sundance Mountain.

They usually spent at least three weeks of the summer at the cabin. Part of the family rode the train from Denver and part came in the family horse-drawn carriage.

Lucretia and her sister and brothers loved to tramp over the hills surrounding their cabin. They also spent many hours riding the burros that were for rent in Palmer Lake.

It was Will Vaile and a companion who discovered (as they thought) the series of caves in Rocky Canyon. Will goes into great detail in his well-kept diaries about the caves and how they named each of the separate rooms of the cave. His diaries were written in the summer of 1890. Will Vaile later become a Congressman from Colorado.

Lucretia Vaile, after graduating from East High School in Denver, went on to graduate from Vassar College and the New York State Public Library School. She was a Librarian in the Denver Public Library for 14 years and for 15 years she was at the Queensborough Public Library in New York. She retired in 1946. She continued to spend as much time as possible in Palmer Lake.

In 1952 Miss Vaile sold the rustic summer home and built a year-round small house just below the first Vaile cottage. In 1968 she donated this home–known to her as “Cloudview”–to Palmer Lake for the use of the Little Art Group. Today it is known as “The Vaile hill Art Gallery” in memory of the Vaile Family, Palmer Lake’s first summer residents.

The items in the “Lucretia Vaile Exhibit” all belonged to members of the Vaile family at one time or another. The pictures are of the two Vaile houses.

The “Governor’s Award” was granted to Miss Vaile in 1974 for her outstanding community service in all fields.

Miss Vaile lived her last years in La Jolla, California, but kept in touch with Palmer Lake residents through the Little Art Group. She died in 1976, remembering the town of Palmer Lake and the Little Art Group in her will.