Journal 58: A Biography of George Alfred Mayes

In an age when many long to trade noise for stillness and screens for scenery, the story of George Alfred Mayes is unexpectedly modern. More than a century ago, George Mayes walked away from the flat horizons of Texas, chasing health, purpose, and the promise of a place where everyday people could taste the wonder of southern Colorado’s mountain air. 

Why should a man who lived and died a century ago still matter to us today? Because the world George Alfred Mayes dreamed into being—one of outdoor adventures, community, and connection to nature—still shapes who we are. His story isn’t just about the founding of Cuchara; it’s part of our own. Each cabin built, trail walked, and family gathering in the Cuchara Valley traces its roots back to his vision.

Early Life and Family Background

George Alfred Mayes was born on April 4, 1876, in Denton County, Texas, He was the eldest child of George P. Mayes and Mary Ann (Bridges) Mayes. George’s father served in the Civil War and died when George was only about 9 years old, leaving his mother to raise him and his two younger sisters and brother on the family farm.(1)    

His mother’s family line was well known in early Denton County; in fact, a local school in the Stewart’s Creek community was once named the Mayes School in recognition of the family. (2)   Details of George’s formal education are scarce, but given the era and his responsibilities at home, it is likely he attended local country schools while assisting with farm work.

Marriage and Relocation to Colorado

On November 8, 1905, George married Mynona “Nona” Kendrick in Plano, Texas.(3)  For a few years after marriage, he engaged in the grocery trade and farming in Texas, near Nona’s hometown in Collin County.(4) During the summer of 1906, George Mayes traveled through Colorado in search of a mountain haven where he and his ailing brother could find relief. Struggling with health issues himself, George was drawn to the region’s thin, clean air—long praised for its restorative powers—and that quest for healing soon became the driving force behind his move to the Cuchara Valley.

Seeing Cuchara’s cool air, pine-covered hills, and clear-running water, Mayes wasted no time purchasing a modest five-room ranch house from Bill Gould of Walsenburg, who had owned the 160-acre property since the early 1900s. Although often described in local histories as a direct 1906 purchase from W. J. Gould, county records reveal a more complex transaction. The former W. J. Gould Ranch passed first to Charles M. Mack in 1907 under a privately financed arrangement that allowed George A. Mayes to begin developing the property, while legal title remained with Mack until it was conveyed to Mayes by warranty deed in 1910. (7)

That humble home, perched east of the old Dodgton claim, would soon take on a new identity: the first lodge of what became Cuchara Camps.(5)   The following summer, George Alfred Mayes and his new bride arrived to begin transforming the quiet valley into a mountain retreat that would welcome generations to come.(6)  

Sorting Fact from Folklore

One of the small mysteries woven into local lore concerns George A. Mayes’s curious title of “Doctor.” Early-1900s newspapers occasionally refer to him as “Dr. Mayes,” leaving later generations to wonder—was it an honorary nod, a professional credential, or simply a bit of hometown embellishment that grew into legend?(7)    Though locals affectionately called him “Dr. Mayes,” the trail of proof goes cold in the archives. Despite inquiries to multiple credentialing agencies, no record of a formal medical degree has surfaced.(8)   

It’s quite possible that history simply mixed up the Mayes brothers. While George Mayes—founder of Cuchara Camps—was probably not a physician, his brother Dr. Walter Mayes truly was. Walter C. Mayes graduated from University of Texas with an MD (Doctor of Medicine) in 1905.(9) He also battled a lingering illness and often sought the mountain air of Cuchara for relief while visiting George. A note in the La Veta Advertiser on July 7, 1906, suggests such reporting, “Dr. and Mrs. Walter Mayes arrived from Texas on Wednesday and are visiting with the family of W. H. Gould … Dr. Mayes is here again for the benefit of his health and there is a probability that he will locate and help his brother in the development of his plans on the Cuchara”(10)    

Another Newspaper, The Walsenburg World, further supports this possibility in a May 10,1928 article reporting, “Mrs. Lee and Mrs. Levi Kincaid took the latter’s relative, Dr. Mayes, of California, as far as Walsenburg on his way home last Saturday. Dr. Mayes is a brother of George Mayes, who manages Cuchara Camps.”(11)  

Was George Mayes truly a man of medicine—or simply a master of reputation? For now, the mystery remains one of Cuchara’s unsolved curiosities.

Founding of Cuchara Camps

When George Mayes first arrived in the Cuchara Valley, the landscape spoke to him. Within a year—driven by both necessity and vision—he transformed a quiet stretch of mountain meadow into “Cuchara Camps,” a place where visitors could trade the dust of the plains for the crisp breath of pine and altitude.(12)   He started by expanding the old Gould ranch house – adding a few rooms onto the existing 32 x 32 foot structure – and began renting out rooms to summer visitors.(13)    By 1908 he was also constructing simple one- and two-room cabins (often called “cottages” or shacks) to supplement the canvas tents initially used for lodging. (14)   Each cabin typically had a sleeping porch and basic facilities, providing guests a modest but comfortable stay in the mountains. 

As the resort grew, Mayes added amenities and attractions that were affordable for guests. For example, because automobiles were still rare, many early visitors arrived by horse-drawn wagons, so George purchased burros and saddle horses to offer mountain rides for the guests’ enjoyment. He even stocked nearby lakes with trout to make fishing a prime attraction.(15)   

By lamplight and laughter, the dance pavilion came alive each weekend—fiddles striking up old square tunes alongside new “modern” steps. Guests swapped stories, sang under the stars, and found community in the glow of lanterns that flickered against the pines.(16)   A small café was opened to serve meals, and George ran a camp store that supplied basic groceries, cold drinks, fishing gear, and other necessities on-site. Campfires became a community focal point in the evenings, used for group trout fries, sing-alongs, and wiener roasts that brought campers together under the starry mountain skies. George’s philosophy was simple: if visitors were kept happy with plenty of wholesome recreation, perhaps they would be inclined to purchase their own summer cabin or property in the area. Ever the innovator, Mayes wasn’t content with rustic charm alone. Partnering with Senator Adolph Unfug, he developed a small water system and introduced electricity through a Delco lighting plant—giving each cabin its own warm 60-watt glow.(17)   

The resort’s reputation spread by word of mouth and local press. Starting in 1909, the La Veta Advertiser newspaper even ran a dedicated column titled “Cuchara Camps Notes” each summer, reporting on camp arrivals, activities, and weather – an indication of Cuchara’s prominence in local society.(18)   By the 1920s, the camp had many more cottages, a small golf course in the meadow, and an official post office with George’s wife Nona Mayes appointed as the first postmaster.(19)    They also had a clubhouse with a flower garden at the nearby Blue Lake Camp areas.(20)   

One of George’s most inventive marketing ideas was his homemade “advertising truck”—a creative fusion of function and flair. Long before modern RVs or mobile billboards, Mayes transformed a simple Ford Model TT truck into a traveling advertisement, complete with slogans and cabin scenes that carried the dream of Cuchara Camps from town to town and nearby states.(21)   By the close of 1924, Cuchara Camps had blossomed into a lively mountain village, with more than forty private cottages nestled around its heart—with new construction contracts already in hand. It was clear that Mayes’s vision had grown from a hopeful experiment into a thriving enterprise.(22)  

Later Years and Death

By the late 1920s, Cuchara Camps was thriving, but George’s own health remained a concern. Tragically, on February 22, 1930, George Alfred Mayes passed away at the age of 53.(23)   His death was noted as the passing of a man “who had made many friends and acquaintances through his sponsorship of Cuchara Camps”.(24)   He was buried in the La Veta cemetery.(25)  

Later in 1930, the Mayes estate sold Cuchara Camps to a local rancher, Charlie Powell. (26)  Charlie Powell was the son of John Powell who homesteaded what today is Pinehaven Resort in North Cuchara. Powell’s family, and subsequent owners, continued to operate and expand the resort in the following decades. Though “Cuchara Camps” eventually became simply “Cuchara,” the legacy endured. By mid-century, more than 150 summer cabins and hundreds of visitors testified to the enduring power of Mayes’s original dream—a place where ordinary families could find extraordinary peace in the Rockies. (27)  

Today, the unincorporated village of Cuchara, Colorado, still feels like a secret shared among friends—a place locals fondly call “our little slice of heaven.” The same forests, lakes, and sweeping mountain views that once captivated George Alfred Mayes now belong to everyone, preserved within the San Isabel National Forest and the Spanish Peaks Wilderness. In both memory and history, Mayes remains the man who looked upon a quiet valley and saw potential. From that vision grew “Nature’s Playground,” a sanctuary where generations have come to rest, breathe deeply, and rediscover the wonder that first drew him to Cuchara’s hills.(29)

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Footnotes

Parenthetical numbers in the text (e.g., 5) correspond to the sequentially numbered citations listed below.

1. “Tri-County Obituaries 2A,” The Tri-County Obituary Project (Karen Mitchell), accessed October 30, 2025, https://www.kmitch.com/Pueblo/obits/2m.html. 

2. Don Beckel, Bridges to the Future: The Pre-Incorporation History of The Colony, Texas (The Friends of The Colony Public Library, first ed., 2009), accessed October 30, 2025, https://www.thecolonytx.gov/DocumentCenter/View/3697/Bridges-to-the-Future-Full-Text?bidId=.

3. “Tri-County Obituaries 2A,” The Tri-County Obituary Project (Karen Mitchell), accessed October 30, 2025, https://www.kmitch.com/Pueblo/obits/2m.html

4. Former Plano Man Passes Away in Colorado.” Plano Star-Courier (Plano, TX), ca. January 1930. Newspaper clipping, accessed via Ancestry.com.

5. Nancy Christofferson, “Way Back When in Cuchara Camps,” The World Journal, accessed October 30, 2025, https://worldjournalnewspaper.com/way-back-when-in-cuchara-camps/

6. Hazel E. Cross and Josephine C. Jochem, River of Friendship (Chicago: Adams Press, 1970), 17

7   Although often described in local histories as a direct 1906 purchase from William J. Gould, county records reveal a more complex transaction. George A. Mayes did not acquire the former Gould Ranch through a single, direct conveyance from Gould, but through a two-stage, privately financed arrangement. In October 1907, William J. Gould and his wife conveyed the ranch to Charles M. Mack by warranty deed. Mack subsequently entered into a seller-financed purchase agreement with Mayes, retaining legal title while Mayes assumed possession and began development of the property, as evidenced by contemporaneous mortgage and deed of trust filings covering land described as Sections 3 and 4, Township 31 South, Range 69 West. Full legal ownership passed to Mayes on December 6, 1910, when Mack executed a warranty deed conveying title, completing the transaction.

8. The following local newspapers, internet content, and book referred to George Mayes as “Dr. Mayes”. 

• Huerfano County historical news notes, La Veta Advertiser (Aug 1906, July 1907, August 1907, September 1907) – referring to “Dr. Mayes” visiting the Cuchara area. https://www.kmitch.com/Huerfano/news1900.html#:~:text=1906%20August%20La%20Veta%3A%20Dr,Smith%20is%20having%20an 

• Cuchara Foundation. “A Little More Cuchara Valley History for Your Sunday Reading.” Facebook, February 8, 2015. https://www.facebook.com/222892871185380/photos/a-little-more-cuchara-valley-history-for-your-sunday-reading-we-received-a-postc/536982096443121/?_rdr 

• Hazel E. Cross and Josephine C. Jochem, River of Friendship (Chicago: Adams Press, 1970), 17

9. We contacted several medical credentialing agencies in an effort to verify whether George Mayes ever held a medical degree, but none were able to confirm his credentials. 

• American Medical Association Archives

• Federation of State Medical Boards

• Colorado Medical Board

• Texas Medical Board

• National Archives

• Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection

• UTMB Galveston,  Moody Medical Library, Blocker History of Medicine Collections

• Baylor College of Medicine, Archives & Historical Preservation

• University of Colorado Anschutz, Strauss Health Sciences Library

• National Library of Medicine, History of Medicine

• CORA/FOIA-Style Request, Colorado State Archives

10. University of Texas 1905 Yearbook (Walter C. Mayes),photograph, accessed November 4, 2025, Ancestry, https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/1265/images/40146_b086673-00074.  

11. The Advertiser (La Veta, CO), July 7, 1906, 2, Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection, https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=ADR19060707-01.2.17.2&e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN%7CtxCO%7CtxTA-The+Advertiser%2C+July+7%2C+1906-------0------ 

12. The Walsenburg Word (Walsenburg, CO), May 10, 1928, 3, Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection, https://www.coloradohistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=WWW19280510-01.2.46&srpos=3&e=-------en-20--1--img-txIN%7CtxCO%7CtxTA-Dr.+Mayes-------0-Huerfano----- 

13. Cuchara Camps (1 Jan. 1906 – 18 h 12 min, 31 Oct. 2025 ans),” Time.Graphics, accessed October 31, 2025, https://time.graphics/fr/period/4062852#:~:text=In%201906%2C%20George%20Alfred%20Mayes,place%20for%20a%20summer%20home

14. “Way Back When in Cuchara Camps,” The World Journal, accessed October 31, 2025, https://worldjournalnewspaper.com/way-back-when-in-cuchara-camps/. worldjournalnewspaper.com

15. “Way Back When in Cuchara Camps,” The World Journal, accessed October 31, 2025, https://worldjournalnewspaper.com/way-back-when-in-cuchara-camps/

16. “Way Back When in Cuchara Camps,” The World Journal, accessed October 31, 2025, https://worldjournalnewspaper.com/way-back-when-in-cuchara-camps/

17. “Way Back When in Cuchara Camps,” The World Journal, accessed October 31, 2025, https://worldjournalnewspaper.com/way-back-when-in-cuchara-camps/

18. Hazel E. Cross and Josephine C. Jochem, River of Friendship (Chicago: Adams Press, 1970), 17

19. Huerfano County news (1916): “A post office is to be established at Cuchara Camps with Mrs. G.A. Mayes postmaster."

20. Karen Mitchell, “Huerfano County News 1915,” Huerfano County, Colorado — Genealogy & History Web Site, accessed October 31, 2025, https://www.kmitch.com/Huerfano/news1915.html#:~:text=1916%20February%20La%20Veta%3A%20A,20%20to%20Mr

21. Nancy Christofferson, “Regional History – One Wild Playground,” The World Journal, accessed October 31, 2025, https://worldjournalnewspaper.com/regional-history-one-wild-playground/

22. Gene Roncone and Rhonda Roncone, “Journal 60: Wheels of Change: The Truck That Drove Cuchara’s Future,” Cabin in the Pines: History and Happenings of Pinehaven by Gene & Rhonda Roncone (blog), December 1, 2020, accessed October 31, 2025, https://cabininthepinescuchara.blogspot.com/2020/12/journal-60-wheels-of-change-truck-that.html. 

23. Nancy Christofferson, “Regional History – One Wild Playground,” The World Journal (La Veta, Colorado), accessed October 31, 2025, https://worldjournalnewspaper.com/regional-history-one-wild-playground/

24. Karen Mitchell, Tri-County Obituaries 2 A, “Maas, Abelina”, The Tri-County Obituary Project (Huerfano, Pueblo & Las Animas Counties, CO), accessed October 31, 2025, https://www.kmitch.com/Pueblo/obits/2m.html

25. Karen Mitchell, “Tri-County Obituaries 2A (Maas to M list),” The Tri-County Obituary Project, accessed October 31, 2025, https://www.kmitch.com/Pueblo/obits/2m.html#:~:text=your%20choice.%20Mayes-,%2C,-George%20AlfredGeorge.

26. Karen Mitchell, “La Veta, Colorado: Obituaries – M,” Tri-County Obituary Project (Huerfano, Pueblo & Las Animas Counties), accessed October 31, 2025, https://www.kmitch.com/Huerfano/lavetacem.htm?utm_source=chatgpt.com#:~:text=George%20Alfred%20born-,1876,-died%201930%20Notes.

27. Nancy Christofferson, “Regional History – One Wild Playground,” The World Journal, accessed October 31, 2025, https://worldjournalnewspaper.com/regional-history-one-wild-playground/#:~:text=match%20at%20L307%20Mayes%20died,but%20ceased%20to%20be%20a

28. Nancy Christofferson, “Regional History – One Wild Playground,” The World Journal, accessed October 31, 2025, https://worldjournalnewspaper.com/regional-history-one-wild-playground/#:~:text=Mayes%20died%20in%201930%20and,Just%20ask%20the%20bears

29. Author’s note: In preparing this article, the author used AI-assisted tools for research support, proofreading, fact-checking, and stylistic refinement. The narrative, analysis, and historical interpretations are the author’s own, and responsibility for accuracy rests solely with the author. The blog’s research methodology statement is available at:

https://cabininthepinescuchara.blogspot.com/2019/03/methodology-sources-and-use-of-research.html