John Henry "Doc" Holliday was born in Griffin, Georgia on August 14, 1851 and late moved to Valdosta, where he received his classical education, including Latin, Greek, French, Rhetoric and Mathematics. He left home for Philadelphia at the age of 19, where he studies Dentistry. On March 1, 1872 he graduated from the Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery. Later that year, he opened a dental office with Arthur C. Ford in Atlanta. While in Atlanta, Holliday resided with his uncle and his family while beginning his career as a dentist there..He would later practice his craft in Dallas, Texas. Diagnosed with "consumption" or  tuberculosis as we know it now, he was advised to find dryer climates, hence,  he wandered across the west, practiced dentistry, learned that his gambling hobby proved to be far more lucrative and, out of necessity became an accomplished gambler and gunslinger. His trips took him to the still-untamed West, including Denver, Cheyenne, Deadwood, and Dodge City. It was in Dodge City that "Doc" struck up a life-long friendship with the infamous frontier Marshall, Wyatt Earp. His most infamous dispute occurred when he, Wyatt, Morgan and Virgil Earp and the cattle rustling Ike and Billy Clanton, who were joint by Frank and Tom McLaury and Billy Claiborn, had a shoot-out at the entrance of the OK Corral in Tombstone, AZ on October 26, 1881.

Doc came to Glenwood in early 1887 with tuberculosis (TB), hoping that the Hot Springs and the crisp, clean mountain air would be beneficial to his health. He took with him his long-time girlfriend Kathrine "Big Nose Kate" Horony. At 35 years od and deceitfully charming, he also was a notorious, fearless gambler and moved into Glenwood's only hotel and gambling place, Hotel Glenwood. He always figured he would be killed someday with his boots on (at the gambling table) instead of dying of TB.

Just before he died ( at the age of 36 of TB) on November 8 , 1887, he looked at his bare feet and said, “this is funny.” A collection was held to pay for his grave, planned at the Pioneer or Linwood Cemetery. Another account of his funeral states that on November 8th the road to the cemetery was all ice and the hearse with Doc’s body could not be pulled up the hill so they buried him at 8th and Palmer. The lot, where our current B&B is located, was then owned by the owner of the Hotel Glenwood, which was Doc playing hole. So we're sure that the property owner at the time did not object. Nobody knows for sure where his body resides, though. In 1955 a monument to “Doc” Holliday was erected at Linwood Cemetery by the City of Glenwood Springs, but we know for sure that he is not burried there.

The same psychics also tell us that two friendly ghosts inhabit the house. Should you receive a glass of water at night from a servant, dressed in old-fashioned cloths, your refreshment is brought to you by one of them. And would you have happened to meet the ghost of "Doc", maybe? The ghost of Charlotte Palmer, a black cook to many of the miners, is said to be helping in the kitchen of the B&B. A second sign at the Pioneer Cemetery Trail states: " Lottie Palmer, a woman who's reputation for delicious food was remembered, came to Glenwood Springs from Aspen on a heavy lumber wagon to cook and do laundry for twenty five miners. They built a log cabin for her and evidently paid her well, for she invested more than $10,000 in Aspen real estate. Early settlers Isaac Cooper (land owner), the Deveraux brothers (silver kings from Aspen) and Hiram Bennet (land owner) no doubt ate at her table and appreciated the good service she provided enough to name a street in her honor."

The following details the History and some of the facts, stories and legends around the owners of the property and house, which is now known as:

The LAVENDER and THYME Bed and Breakfast

The City of Glenwood Springs was incorporated and plotted in 1885. (The founder of the new town, Isaac Cooper, named the town in honor of his wife Sarah who came from Glenwood, Iowa.) The first known facts on the property of the B&B go back to this time, when the city planners staked out lots of 25 feet wide and 100 long. This was done during the surge of a real estate boom in Glenwood Springs. This boom was created by the anticipated arrival of two railroads: The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad and the Colorado Midland Railway.

The owners at the time, Geo A. Rice (lots 1 and 2) and Jos Enzensperger (lot 3) had log huts, tents, dugouts and shacks on the lots. They were the real pioneers of Glenwood. George Arthur Rice opened the first bank in Glenwood Springs in 1885. He served in that year also as the first town treasurer for the city. Joseph Enzensperger was partner with Glenwood Springs founder Isaac Cooper and William Gelder in building the Hotel Glenwood. The Hotel Glenwood later became famously known as the place of death of John Henry "Doc" Holliday on November 8, 1887. As Enzensperger was the owner of the property at 8th and Palmer at the time of Doc Holliday's death, it stands to reason that he may have buried Doc on his property to prevent the western gangs from stealing Doc's body. In 1888, Enzensperger was elected to the office of Town Trustee of Glenwood.

The real estate boom, and therewith the land speculation, did not end with the arrival of both train lines in Glenwood Springs in 1887. The joys and pleasures of the Hot Springs were to be exploited by rich and poor, silver kings and miners, it brought President Benjamin Harrison to Glenwood and …. Hotel Colorado, which established later in 1893, was constructed. In 1892 the lots were combined under the ownership of Geo H. Lawrence, said to be a silver and real estate speculator from Aspen, who bought the property for the fabulous sum of $1500.00.

Who says that speculation pays? In 1901, a deceived Lawrence let go of the property, which came into the hands of Fred Ewing for…. $250.00. Fred, a legendary figure in Glenwood, was the Glenwood Springs' druggist from 1887 to 1911 and known for his "magic" with opium. Fred Ewing cleared the lots of their shacks to lay the foundation of the Lavender and Thyme B&B home. Records of the Assessors Office of the City of Glenwood Springs indicate the house was built in 1903.

In 1908 the property was acquired by August L. Chase, a Glenwood real estate agent, operating A.L. Chase and Co. The property might have been in company hands, though, as Charles Darrow and his wife Elizabeth are also mentioned as owners. Charles Darrow, a prominent Glenwood Springs attorney, is also known as the developer of the original Fairy Caves, which opened in 1894. In 1910 he was partner with A.L. Chase in the A.L. Chase and Company real estate agency.

Phoebe Demaris Gibson, mentioned to own the property in 1909,was the wife of John Gibson, a building contractor. The Gibson's appear in the 1900 Federal Census living on Palmer Avenue in Glenwood Springs. They were natives from West Virginia and had six living children: Edward, William, Violet, Rose, Lillie and Fern. Residing with the Gibson's were two carpenters, J.W. Campbell and Walter Olaud. By 1910, the family was residing at 608 Eight Street (two houses west of the present B&B) and carpenter Joseph H. Campbell still resided with the family. In 1910 John W. Gibson listed his occupation as "carpenter - house builder", as did his son Edward (now married with one son) and Joseph Campbell.

Maps from the archives of the Frontier Historic Museum, dated back to 1912, are the first plans to show the house with its wraparound porch. These maps, which were actually fire department drawings, also served insurance purposes and are known as the Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps. These maps, plus the fact that there are no earlier signs of existence of the house, lead to believe that the house might have been built, but at least was finished by the Gibsons and Mr. Campbell, who in 1910 becomes half owner of the property. Given that in 1910 the city directory lists nine people living in the Gibson's household, a large new house was probably a welcome improvement.

Arthur W. and Amy Crouch subsequently acquired the property from a foreclosure in 1919. According to the 1919 Glenwood City Directory as well as the 1920 Federal Census for Garfield County, Arther Crouch was a mechanic and machinist. His wife Amy was a housewife. She is named as the owner in 1926 (after the death of Arthur??)

Julia Thome owned the property in 1928. She and her husband Peter owned and operated the "Owl Café" at 708 Grand Avenue, downtown Glenwood Springs. The Owl Cafe building was located where the Grand Mall (Sapphire Grille) is now. The original building has been replaced with what is there now.

William and Beatrice Eastwood acquired the house in 1945. William owned Eastwood Motors, a Dodge and Plymouth automobile dealership. This dealership was originally located at 330 Seventh Street and then moved to 115 Sixth Street. In the late 1960's, Mr. Eastwood was a salesman for Osborn Motors in Glenwood Springs.

Bob and Shirley Chavez became the owners in 1973. Bob Chavez, the former Glenwood Springs High School boy's basketball coach, has been one of the most successful coaches in Colorado basketball history. His 30-year tenure culminated with a first place ranking on the CHSAA list, when he retired in 1989. He led the Demons to three AA state titles in 1975,1979 and 1984, and his 1979 team went undefeated. Chavez's record speaks for itself, but his true legacy, particularly in the Glenwood area, is his influence on children and the Glenwood community as a whole. That is why many in Glenwood Springs know our B&B as the Chavez house.

Pat Means and Carolyn Goller opened the house in 1996 as a Bed and Breakfast, then called "The Lavender Swing". We still maintain and operate the swing, so popular in the old Victorian days, on our large wrap around porch. From there you have a spectacular view on the red mountains with soothing tangerine sunsets. Pat and Carolyn obviously knew the hospitality business by heart, as both were professionally trained registered nurses. Prior to their retirement, devoted to playing golf, Pat was the innkeeper of the B&B, while Carolyn ruled the nursing station of the Garfield County prison.

Peter Tijm purchased the property in 2002. After lovingly remodeling and decorating it with fine antiques, to even more accentuate its gracious Victorian style, he reopened the Bed and Breakfast in March 2003, this time under the name LAVENDER and THYME Bed & Breakfast.
The LAVENDER in our name reflects the colors of the house and the fragrances of the lovely lavender bushes in the garden. The THYME in our name reflects, apart from more fragrances, the Tijm's family name: THYME is the English translation of the Dutch word, TIJM, for the same herb.

Peter, born and raised in the Netherlands, is an economist and professional Chemical Engineer. In a long international career with Shell, he specialized in synthetic fuels manufacture, now applied in the "stranded" Gas to Liquids technology. While running the B&B he wrote a book on his favorite subject, Fischer-Tropsch technology.This technology is able to produce synthetic diesel fuel out of any hydrocarbon-containing feedstock: natural gas, biomass, coal, garbage, waste plastic, old tires, you name it. Peter has recently issued the third edition of the book.

Peter operated the B&B actively from 2003 to 2006. His many years of international travel have not only given Peter the fundamentals for various languages, but also the stories, which he willingly shares on a long winters night around a crackling fireplace. Our lovely historic B&B provides plenty of opportunities to swap travel stories, dreams and recipes with our guests.

However, his interest in the oil industry required a “leave of absence”, and so for many years Peter has had the assistance of a resident innkeeper.  Currently that role is lovingly fulfilled by Janet Papp, allowing Peter both the innkeeping and care of the guests, while still pursuing the consultancy in the oil and gas industry. Jan retired from a 27 year career as an international travel agent. Hence she has, like Peter, seen all different places in the world and loves to tell you about her travel experiences. Jan, who has a passion for serving and accommodating people, also introduced the concept of a tearoom and serves afternoon tea at the Lavender and Thyme: in the summertime (often starting Mothers day) she runs tea service on Fridays and Saturdays, by appointment only.

Peter and Jan are looking forward to your visit here at The Lavender and Thyme Bed & Breakfast soon!

On another note, we were humbly honored at the 22nd annual Glenwood Springs Chamber resort Association awards Gala on April 23, 2009, when Peter was awarded the Glenwood Springs Chamber Volunteer of the Year Award. From Glenwood Springs' local newspaper, the "Post Independent" we quote:
"This year's recipient, Peter Tijm, is owner of the Lavender and Thyme Bed & Breakfast and past chair of the Glenwood Springs Tourism Board. Looking beyond tourism promotion to related needs, Tijm served in a committee to create a lodging central reservation system and also as a liason to the oil and gas industry, providing a thoughtful analysis of its local and global impact. Tijm also led an initiative for a public/private partnership on "green" and free public transportation in Glenwood Springs. Then he tackled the formation of a Transient Task Force to device solutions for the impacts of vagrancy on tourism. Peter also hosted several travel writers at his B&B, provided housing for a tourism marketing intern and modeled for the Glenwood Springs photo library. Born in Holland, Tijm is a graduate in Chemical Engineering for Delft University and in Economics and Management from the Erasmus University Rotterdam. Married with two children, he speaks eight languages and is co-author of over 70 papers and holder of 10 patent series."

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