Driggs Mansion

TravelerDriggs Mansion is a one-story sandstone house in Unaweep Canyon that was built for Laurence Driggs around 1918. Constructed by Grand Junction stonemason Nunzio Grasso and his son. Laurence La Tourette Driggs came to Unaweep Canyon and in 1916 acquired the rights to an old copper mine. Driggs hired Italian stonemason Nunzio Grasso of Grand Junction to build a house on his property near West Creek. They used stone from nearby Mayflower Canyon to build a one-story residence with an Italian farmhouse look. The rectangular house had a massive arched entryway on the northwest façade, a sloping front-gabled roof, and front and back porches made of poured concrete. The original design included an octagonal window above the entrance. The thick walls were made of semi-coursed sandstone blocks on the exterior and regular sandstone cobbles finished with cement plaster on the interior. Inside, the house had at least two hand-carved fireplaces and six rooms spread across roughly 1,200 square feet. It included a small northeast wing that probably functioned as a kitchen or utility room and a long southeast extension with at least two bedrooms. The southeast wing also enclosed an entry to the basement. The house’s next owners were Grand Junction residents George Turpin, Guy Sternberg, and Arthur Gormley. They named the stone house Chateau Thimble Rock and used it as a retreat for hunting and fishing trips. Over the next fifty years, natural weathering and vandalism continued to take their toll until most of the walls were partially collapsed Despite its deterioration, Driggs Mansion remained a recognizable and picturesque landmark at about mile 129 along Highway 141 in Unaweep Canyon. Eventually, several local organizations became involved in stabilizing the structure’s ruins to preserve an important part of the canyon’s history and scenery.