Bell Mercantile

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Bell Mercantile

Bell Mercantile is one of the oldest buildings in Oak Creek. It was built by Sam & Ed Bell on the Mahoney homestead, which they and their partners from Cripple Creek had purchased. The brothers built this store in Oak Creek after their Mercantile in Yampa burned. They and their partners also opened up a lumberyard and promoted the sale of lots in Oak Creek. Thus in the early years, the town was called Bell Town. Just prior to incorporation, the town changed its name to Oak Creek. The Mercantile was an important part of the town and was run by Luciana & Frank Stetson as Stetson Mercantile until they sold it in the early 1960s. It was Davis General Store until finally, in the 1970s the demand for housing became greater and parts of the building were made into apartments to fill the need. This building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. The building now contains five apartment units, a successful antique store, and a management office.The current building is only half the size it was originally.

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The Bell Mercantile building was built in 1895 and has wood siding, storefront windows, and an awning over the storefront windows. The Mercantile is a rectangle building with a flat roof. Located on the corner of Main and Moffat in Oak Creek, Colorado, it consists of two stories.

Information gathered with the help of Mike Yurich of the Historical Society of Oak Creek & Phippsburg by Katie & Kaleigh at Soroco High School, May 2004.

Bell Mercantile 2004. [Click here to view full size picture]