Come as you are to Trinidads "OPERA HOUSE BAR"

Ron B

Ron B

Hero Member
May 11, 2007
961
4
Trinidad, Colorado
Come as you are to Trinidad's "OPERA HOUSE BAR"

Hello Friends!
The last three days have been less than ideal medal detecting wise. The weather's been great; cool for July even by Colorado's standards. But, everyone's moaning with allergies including myself. Today was probably my best day out of the past three. I found two tokens several feet from each other. The "Opera House Bar" in Trinidad, Colorado with its clover leaf shape is grand! I haven't a clue as to its age but there's certainly no such bar in existance now. I also managed to find 4 rings the last 3 days but nothing special. The 45-70 cartridge is the largest rim fire round I've ever seen; it has no visual primer! I didn't know they even made such way back when. Here's my "less than impressive" coin count:

73 Lincolns plus the half from Monday I failed to include in pic
01 1926-D Wheat
10 Nickels
14 Dimes
06 Quarters
102 Total Cash Value: $4.34

GRB Here's a pic or two ---

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Loot for Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday!!!

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Face of Two Tokens found Thursday

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Backsides of Two Tokens
 

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Re: Come as you are!!! "OPERA HOUSE BAR ADMISSION 12 1/2 Cents"

Nice diggs GRB!
The Opera House Bar would be great to research.....

Keep diggin'...
 

Re: Come as you are!!! "OPERA HOUSE BAR ADMISSION 12 1/2 Cents"

Cool token Finds Roy

I lightened your Pics.

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Re: Come as you are!!! "OPERA HOUSE BAR ADMISSION 12 1/2 Cents"

Nice tokens, you know I'd rather fnd them than a Merc. any day. Congrats.
 

Re: Come as you are to Trinidad's "OPERA HOUSE BAR"

Great finds, great article on Detectorbase.com on tokens, check it out!
 

Re: Come as you are to Trinidad's "OPERA HOUSE BAR"

Those are some really nice tokens GRB... Thanks for sharing...

HH Robert
 

Re: Come as you are to Trinidad's "OPERA HOUSE BAR"

Hey GRB,

Did you find anything cool like that in Raton?

Where did you hunt?

I lived there in the summer of 1980 and worked as a reporter for the Raton Range newspaper.

My grandparents were from "Roy" New Mexico, about 80 or so miles from Raton.

My best recollection from Trinidad was a guy bringing a couple of rattlers into a convenience stop and wanting to cook them in the microwave. :o The girl said yes! :-\ Can you believe it? ???

Burt
 

Re: Come as you are to Trinidad's "OPERA HOUSE BAR"

Nice token finds, GRB!!! Wish I could find more of those.
What machine were you using to find those tokes??

Congrats,
CAPTN SE
Dan
 

Re: Come as you are to Trinidad's "OPERA HOUSE BAR"

Very cool token !

Here is an article I found on the Opera House :
While there never was very much opera at the Trinidad Opera House, it did quickly become a social center for Trinidad when it was built in 1883.

Constructed by the Jaffa Brothers, the Opera House not only housed entertainment attractions, but was also used for socials, dances, and gatherings of many different clubs and organizations.

The first Jaffa brother who made his way to Trinidad was Sol who arrived in 1871. He was 22 and the settlement of Trinidad had been around for roughly 10 years. He saw opportunity in this crossroads town with a population of about 500.

Sol soon sent for brothers Henry and Sam and together they opened the Jaffa Brothers General Merchandise Store and thereby became one of the first Jewish merchants in Trinidad.

The next decade was good for the brothers and they built the Opera House 12 years after starting their business.

The ground floor has always been commercial space. The brothers made the corner store the new location of the Jaffa Brother's store. To get to the auditorium of the Opera House patrons climbed the wide staircase located in the middle of the front of the building on Main Street.

The auditorium itself seated 700 people and its crowning gem was an oval stained glass skylight.

The building is the second oldest building at the intersection of Main and Commercial Streets. The commercial theater aspect of the building gave way to the West Theater which opened in 1908. The last curtain at the Opera House fell in 1909 and the upstairs has since then been divided and converted into apartments.
Sources:

"A Walk Through the History of Trinidad" written by Jerry Stokes on behalf of the Trinidad Historical Society. 1986. Trinidad, Colorado.
 

Re: Come as you are to Trinidad's "OPERA HOUSE BAR"

Here is a photo of a buncha guys hanging out in a saloon in Trinidad between 1890 and 1900 with a full description:

Interior view of a saloon in Trinidad (Las Animas County) Colorado; shows men posing by a pot bellied parlour stove. Decor includes a mirror, a hanging kerosene lamp, a taxidermy mounted heron, a copper tank with a spigot, framed art, and a clock. Signs near the bar read: "No Minor or Habitual Drunkard" and "M & O Cigars;" one man plays with a dog.
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Oh, and the front of the Jaffa Opera House (we can reasonably assume the bar was somewhere in the Opera House or nearby lol):
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Re: Come as you are to Trinidad's "OPERA HOUSE BAR"

Here is a photo dated 1905-1915 or so:

View of the two-story stone "Trinidad Opera House" on the 100 block of West Main Street in Trinidad (Las Animas County), Colorado. An arched stairway leads to the opera house. The building has pediments on the cornice, carved pilaster strips and dentils. Commercial signs on the building read: "J.G. Gates, Optician," "The Hausman Drug Co.," "Learned Book and Art Store," ""Maze" and "Dr. Kirkpatrick, Dentist." A streetcar timetable is on a utility pole and a horse-drawn carriage is in the dirt road. Probably a poster reads: "July 18."

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Here is one from about 1965:
Jaffa Opera House, built in 1882, Trinidad, Colorado, is on the corner of Commercial and Main Streets. This three story edifice of incised sandstone has geometric stylized florets, a cornice with corbeled segments, and flourished pediments. Over the arched door and inset near the entry steps is a panel that reads: "1882". Plate glass storefronts, flanking the entry, house a drug store and a liquor store; projecting signs read: "Hausman Rexall Drugs," "Main Street Liquor Wines," and "Roslyn Hotel." A theater has a three arched fascia and letters that read: "Isis." A stepside pickup truck and a Studebaker sedan are parked on the street in front.

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Re: Come as you are to Trinidad's "OPERA HOUSE BAR"

I find it hilarious that you have all the entertainment required in just one building: Opera House, Drugs and Liquor!
;D
 

Re: Come as you are to Trinidad's "OPERA HOUSE BAR"

Wow!
You Guys & Gals are great! All the research on a town few have even heard of! Lol!

I was talking to a local this morning and he told me exactly where the Opera House is, corner Main Street middle of Trinidad. The building is still standing for sure and I've passed it numerous times not knowing its history.

GhostRider!
Thanks for the link; will do!

WildRider!
Yes, I hunt Raton occasionally, but did not find these there. I found the tokens in Trinidad. I don't doubt the snake story at all having lived in Trinidad now for almost a year! :)

Capt SE!
Yes, Little Miss SE dressed in her 17.5 Excelerator shoe found these. I love the coil even in trashy areas.

GypsyHeart!
Thank you for the research!

BeerBarrel!
Cool pics of Trinidad, Colorado!

MalteseFalcon!
You must be one Hell of a History buff; thanks for the pics and history lesson!

GRB
 

Re: Come as you are to Trinidad's "OPERA HOUSE BAR"

Trinidad has an interesting history. It went from merely being a stop on the Santa Fe Trail, to a blue coller coal miners town, then in the 20th century it became a mob town. Trinidad was a very convenient place to send mobsters that had to leave the east coast very quickly. Because of this influx of mobsters, they brought their business with them. So bar's and everything else of an "entertainment" nature was mob owned for decades.
 

Re: Come as you are to Trinidad's "OPERA HOUSE BAR"

Hello again!

Jeff of PA!
Friend, I am so sorry! I meant to thank you for taking the time to "lighten up" those horrible pics of mine!
Great job!

NuggetShooter!
You are so right about Trinidad's colorful past! There's still a mob influence here. Our fossil fuels, for example run 25 cents higher per gallon than anywhere else in the stare. And, all the eateries are family controlled. The large fast food names such as Pizza Hut and Taco Bells have tried operating here but both failed! I miss them both terribly bad ---

GRB
 

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