While
the Colorado Building at 150 East Main Street in Trinidad
currently houses the A.R. Mitchell Memorial Museum of Western
Art, the structure, for most of its life, was the home of
Jamieson Department Store.
Founded
in 1889, Jamieson's was famed throughout Southern Colorado
and Northern New Mexico for the high quality of its wares.
Some
have described it as the "Nieman Marcus" of the
region where women bought special dresses and brides registered
their wish list.
The
building itself is expansive. Including the basement, there
are four floors in total.
During
the department store's heyday, Jamieson's featured many
flavors of modern technology in it's day to day operations.
For
instance, an elevator connected the various departments
of the store, saving patrons the work of climbing the large
staircases.
One
of the most intriguing modern features was the automated
accounting and change system the Jamieson's had built into
the store.
Upon
deciding on a purchase, a customer would take the merchandise
to a clerk in whatever section they happened to be in.
The
clerk would take the money from the customer along with
the tag from the merchandise and send them to a central
change department.
But
they did not do this by foot. The Jamieson's had equipped
their store with a complex basket conveyor system that connected
each department of the store.
Clerks
would put the money and the price tag for a transaction
in a special change box and load it in a basket on the conveyor
system to be sent to the central change station.
Their
change would be made and a receipt issued, and all would
be sent back to the clerk in the originating department.
This
allowed all transactions to be handled in one part of the
store and greatly reduced bookkeeping tasks.
Other
intriguing areas of the building include a huge stone bulwark
at the rear of the building and a well lit suite of antique
offices on the top floor.
Jamieson's
was quite successful throughout most of the last century.
Not until the 1980's did the Trinidad store close.
Sources:
"A
Walk Through the History of Trinidad" written by
Jerry Stokes on behalf of the Trinidad Historical Society.
1986. Trinidad, Colorado.