Lincoln Hills, Colorado and Black Mountain Leisure

Definition And Context

Lincoln Hills is in Gilpin County, Colorado, near Pinecliffe in the Rocky Mountain foothills. Its significance comes from a combination of land, leisure and institution-building. Beginning in the 1920s, Black families could buy mountain lots there, build cabins and participate in outdoor life at a time when racial exclusion shaped hotels, clubs and recreational facilities across the United States.

The name can refer to the historic resort subdivision, the wider cultural landscape and, in current usage, programs and properties stewarded by Lincoln Hills Cares. Those are related but not interchangeable. A historic community is not the same thing as a publicly operated park, and nonprofit ownership or stewardship does not make every property open for drop-in visits.

Lincoln Hills also occupies the ancestral lands and traditional territories of Arapaho, Cheyenne and Ute peoples, as Lincoln Hills Cares acknowledges. A complete account should place Black refuge and recreation within that longer Indigenous geography rather than describing the mountain land as empty before resort development.

Key People And Places

• Obrey and Naomi Hamlet: Builders and operators associated with Winks Panorama Lodge and its hospitality legacy.
• Winks Panorama Lodge: A nationally significant building and the best-known Lincoln Hills property. Lincoln Hills Cares states that it is not open for general public access.
• Camp Nizhoni: A Black girls’ outdoor camp created in response to segregation. Its legacy continues in educational interpretation and the current Nizhoni Equestrian program, but the historic camp should not be represented as an open campground.
• Lincoln Hills Cares: A nonprofit providing outdoor education, environmental learning, youth development and cultural-history programs. Its programs are structured offerings, not proof of unrestricted visitor access.
• Pinecliffe and the mountain landscape: Useful orientation points, but historic lots, cabins and roads may be private. Stay on authorized routes.

Developers E. C. Regnier and Roger Ewalt began promoting Lincoln Hills in the early 1920s as a mountain vacation community for African Americans. Buyers acquired lots, and residents and visitors created cabins, social networks and places for rest beyond Denver. This was both leisure and a practical response to discrimination.

Obrey Wendell “Winks” Hamlet and Naomi Hamlet began Winks Panorama Lodge in 1925 and completed the three-story, six-bedroom building in 1928. It became a full-service center for visitors and hosted Black artists, writers and musicians. Lincoln Hills Cares identifies Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Lena Horne and Billy Eckstine among its celebrated guests. Such lists document cultural importance, but they should not be turned into claims that every figure stayed on a particular date unless archival evidence supports the detail.

Camp Nizhoni began in 1924 through the Phillis Wheatley branch of the YWCA after Black girls were excluded from a white YWCA camp. Campers traveled from Denver for hiking, climbing, swimming and mountain air. The camp shows that Black outdoor history includes girls’ leadership, education and organized recreation—not only adult resort tourism.

Winks Panorama Lodge was designated a National Historic Landmark in December 2023. Landmark status recognizes national significance; it does not establish public hours, accessibility or permission to enter.

Plan Lincoln Hills as a permission-based heritage experience. The current Lincoln Hills Cares tours notice says Winks Lodge is not open for general public access while the organization determines future use and access. Do not drive onto private property, approach cabins, or enter the lodge because a map or historic designation marks the location.

Contact Lincoln Hills Cares before travel and ask whether any public tour, scheduled program or event is available. Confirm the meeting place, parking, duration, altitude, weather plan, restroom access and physical demands. A Denver office address is not the historic property address.

Mountain conditions can change quickly. Check National Weather Service forecasts and Colorado road conditions; carry water, layers and sun protection. Winter travel may require traction and experience. Wildfire restrictions, smoke and temporary closures are time-sensitive. Nothing about Lincoln Hills’ heritage proves that a route is safe for a particular traveler.

Accessibility should be verified for each event. Ask about uneven ground, steps, seating, accessible parking, restrooms and whether interpretation can be provided without entering a historic structure. Landmark designation does not guarantee barrier-free access.

Support should follow the steward’s current channels: authorized program fees, donations, volunteer opportunities or public events. Do not label nearby businesses Black-owned without current ownership evidence, and do not imply that participation funds restoration unless the organization says so.