| Land's End Observatory | |
| Nearest City: | Whitewater, Colorado |
| Coordinates: | 39.025°N -108.2236°W |
| Architect: | US Forest Service, et al; Anderson, Ivan |
| Architecture: | Late 19th And Early 20th Century American Movements, rustic |
| Added: | February 28, 1997 |
| Area: | 3.7acres |
| Refnum: | 97000124 |
Land's End Observatory is a ranger observatory on the rim of Grand Mesa in Colorado. It is accessible from the Grand Mesa Scenic and Historic Byway via Land's End Road,[1] which is about half paved and half gravel. The observatory is about 10 miles west of Colorado State Highway 65.Land's End Road descends as an all-gravel road from the observatory down to U.S. Route 50,and the observatory can be accessed from that direction as well.
The observatory was built by the United States Forest Serviceand the Works Progress Administration in 1936-37,[2] with some assistance from two Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) side camps.
A large viewing area outside the building provides a panoramic view of western Colorado and eastern Utah. As of 2022, the observatory building itself is closed and boarded up.
From the U. S. Forest Service sign outside the building:
You have reached Land's End Observatoryon Colorado's highest mesa, the GrandMesa, 10,500 feet above sea level. Built in1936-37 by the United States Forest Serviceand the Works Progress Administration(WPA), the observatory reflects the rusticstyle of architecture found in publicbuildings throughout the national parks andforests. It is marked by simplicity andcraftsmanship, appearing to grow out of theearth rather than intrude upon it. Basaltstones were selected from the mesa andcarefully fitted together to form the wallsand terrace. Wood shingles were hand-sawn. The original, handcrafted woodworkcan still be found inside. Most of the WPAworkers who toiled here during the GreatDepression are unknown, the observatoryremains their legacy.
Land's End Road was once known as theVeterans' Road. When the Great Depressionleft many World War I veterans unemployed,President Roosevelt responded by openingthe already created Civilian ConservationCorps (CCC) to include them. Thus, betweenJune 1933 and May 1934, the 200 veteranswho were brought to Land's End campcompleted 9.2 miles of road. They were paida dollar a day for their work. Ranging in agefrom thirty-three to fifty-five, the veteranswere hailed as "a remarkable group of men,skilled in almost every imaginable trade."They lived in army tents roughly elevenmiles below the mesa rim while clearing thebrush for the road. The toughest part of theLand's Ends Road, from the Wild RoadPicnic Area to the rim, was completed overthe next two summers by Civil Servicemachine operators and a few civilianworkers hired by the United States ForestService. "Built the whole road," said theproject engineer, "blasting and all, withoutinjuries."