Experience Twin Peaks Lodge & Hot Springs, Your Perfect Mountain Getaway

From Mining Town to Mountain Retreat: Our History

Like many buildings in Ouray, Twin Peaks Lodge & Hot Springs has a rich history that dates back to the late 1800s. Over the years, this property has evolved into far more than the original owners ever dreamed possible, and the adventure all began with a man named Alfred Armstrong.

Alfred Armstrong, who amassed a fortune during the mining boom, built a two-story residence on the north side of Ouray’s Third Avenue in 1893. He later married Orpha Hayden of Hutchinson, Kansas, in 1897. The couple purchased four additional lots in Ouray in 1901, paying just one thousand five hundred dollars! They later had three children, George, Mary, and Alfred, Jr.

Alfred died in 1923, and his wife passed away just two years later in 1925. Their oldest son, George, was left with the Third Avenue residence, which he maintained until 1954, when he died and left the home to his wife, Vivian.

Meanwhile, Bessie and Richard Cougar, who built and ran the Cougar Sanitarium, purchased a large amount of land on the south side of Third Avenue in 1913. The sanitarium attracted people from all over because it used the natural hot springs, known for their curative powers.

After Richard Cougar passed away in 1920, his wife expanded on the property, going all the way to the Rice Lumber Factory on Second Street. Bessie remarried later that same year, in December 1920. When she and her new husband, Chauncey Mills, decided to move to the Uncompahgre Valley one year later, Bessie appointed a manager to the sanitarium. The manager remained in place until 1927, when Bessie and her husband returned to Ouray with plans to sell the Cougar Sanitarium.

In 1929, Charles W. Kent became the owner of thirty-five acres, which included underground streams. Charles changed the name from Cougar Sanitarium to Sweetskin Sanitarium. Kent built six of them on the south side of Third Avenue in 1939, but The Great Depression soon curtailed his plans to build additional cabins and a glass-enclosed swimming pool.

Kent was forced to sell the property to the Idarado Mining Company in 1946. The property was renamed Crystal Court Bathhouses, and the cabins were rented to miners by the Idarado Mining Company.

On March 15, 1960, Eugene and Velma Tankersley bought the four lots from the Idarado Mining Company and Vivan Armstrong’s two-story house. The couple transformed these properties into The Twin Peaks Motel, and they lived nearby in a small house that sat on the west side facing Second Street.

The Twin Peaks Motel became a Best Western® in 1968. One year later, John Wayne stayed at the Best Western® Twin Peaks while filming True Grit in Ouray County.

The Tankersleys made several modifications to the property during the eighteen years they owned it. They removed the garage on the west side of the house to build an A-frame building for the motel office. They also added twelve new cabins on the west side of the property and a swimming pool that used hot springs water for heating. They surrounded the pool with a glass enclosure, just as Charles Kent wanted.

The Tankersleys sold the Twin Peaks Motel to Robert and Sylvia Madura on October 13, 1978. The Maduras added eight more units on the property, bringing the total number of units to fifty-five. In 1981, they added another A-frame building with an indoor hot springs jacuzzi. The Maduras also started renting Jeeps in 1982 and offering Jeep tours in 1984. They continued this until they sold the property to Michael and Wendy Bazin in 1991.

Finally, the property was sold to the current owner, Alpenglow Properties, in 2005.

In 2010, Twin Peaks Lodge received an instant upgrade during Best Western’s® new hotel category system. During that time, the hotel became known as Best Western® Plus Twin Peaks Lodge & Hot Springs. Then, in 2013, the decision was made to break away from the Best Western® franchise.

General Manager Ryan Hein expressed, “We know how to serve our guests and what they require while staying at our hotel. We have joined other independent lodges in town to preserve the spirit of Ouray. Many amenities are planned to be added, and we are excited to see the new additions in the years to come.”