What we know
Two-story log store at the Shoup-Black Forest crossroads, built by Harry and Hattie Thomson of logs from the 80 acres they bought at the SW corner in 1928 (Ellett pp. 7-8). The date differs: built 1927 and opened on New Year's Eve with a dance and the Ad-A-Man fireworks (von Ahlefeldt p. 96); 1928 (PPLD record; Ellett's photo captions); grand opening 'on New Years Eve in 1929' (Ellett p. 8). Later owners: the Hardgroves, Homer Davis, the Sharretts, Lefrienks, Rowleys, Freelands (1948), Sampsons (1954-55) and Munsons (Ellett pp. 8-10). It had the second telephone in the Forest, with a pay phone outside from 1935 (Ellett p. 59). The first store at the crossroads was Mr. Utter's, in the early 1920s, in his house on the SW corner, later the Tack Shop (von Ahlefeldt p. 96; Ellett p. 7). The PPLD cataloger says this building replaced an earlier store 50 yards south that became the veterinary clinic; Ellett says the vet used the Gambles store the Munsons built behind it. Not 'Brown's store', which stood at Burgess Road (see Howey's store). (PPLD record of survey photo B27, fall 1976; the 1987 Black Forest Preservation Plan's Map 2 No. 17.)
Where it was
12490 Black Forest Road (PPLD record of survey photo B27, node 1044717), El Paso County address point (county locator, 2026-10-05).
A street address, located with the county's address points.
Sources
Sources are named in the text above. Numbers such as S-0080 refer to our source list. Most newspaper quotations were read in the Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection. Long quotations from recent books are shortened here.