History of Redstone...
Known as "the Ruby of the Rockies,"
Redstone was developed by turn-of-the-century industrialist John Cleveland Osgood whose coal empire spurred construction of the Crystal River Railroad and Redstone's historic dwellings.
As an experiment in "enlightened paternalism," Osgood constructed 84 cottages and a 40 room inn, all with indoor plumbing and electricity for his coal miners and cokers,
as well as modern bathhouse facilities, a club house with a library and a theatre, and a school.
Most of these craftsmen-era Swiss style cottages are still used as homes in Redstone.
Redstone's historic beehive coke ovens (left) were used to transform raw coal into the high-grade "coke" used in the production of steel.
Osgood constructed "Cleveholm Manor,"(right) the opulent 42-room Tudor-style mansion now commonly referred to as "the Redstone Castle"
for his second wife, Swedish Countess Alma Regina Shelgrem. By the time Cleveholm was completed in 1902,
the estate included servants' quarters, a gamekeeper's lodge, a carriage house, and a greenhouse.
Despite Osgood's remarkable accomplishments, it was Alma who made the greatest impression on Redstone's early 20th Century inhabitants
with her remarkable sense of noblesse oblige.
Alma was known among the coal workers and their families as "Lady Bountiful" for her legendary generosity.
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