If you find yourself on the Western Slope of Colorado, consider hopping on a road less travelled. Work your way over mountain passes, through dobies and mesas, between farmland, ranches, vineyards, reservoirs, and canyons, and you just might find yourself in a old mountain town most people have never heard of. Built in the high desert of the Rocky Mountains, this small town's unique contrast of ag
riculture and livestock amid wilderness and wildlife adorns a sprawling mountain range and valley. Here you'll find the old west is still alive and well despite our technological age - an easy escape from the hustle and pressures of modern living. Cattle drives move livestock from one ranch pasture to another, reminding locals and visitors alike that here we live by the steady pace of nature, rather than the rushed pace of man. If the sight and sound of meandering cattle doesn't convince you to slow down, perhaps you'll stop to catch your breath when a setting sun sets fire to the mountains, quietly withdrawing the illusion of flames as it lowers sleepily behind the Mesa, ultimately revealing the cool, smoky tones of evening in the valley. Darkness creeps in just as slowly as daylight departed, bringing with it the sounds of nature. If you're brave enough to step out into the night you'll find yourself blanketed under a velvet-black sky, immersed in an endless ocean of stars, an evening breeze tickling sweet nothings through your hair, unaware of the difference between you and the trees. Gaze towards the night sky long enough and you'll swear you can taste the milky way, an evening oasis that only fades with the sounds of waking birds. It's here - in the midst of mountains and canyons, sunsets and milky ways, cowboys and cattle - in the heart of Crawford, Colorado, that you'll find the Front Porch. We started as a small family owned business in 2015 under the name Wild Country Keepsakes & Photography. After 8 years of hard work Grandma (most known for her creative fabric art and tasty homemade fudge) and Grandpa (our resident geologist and handyman) were ready to retire. So...they threw away the alarm clocks, sold the business to their daughter, mounted up the RV, and headed into the sunset to enjoy a fabric artist's & rock collector's life. At the start of 2024 the Front Porch Trading Post opened for business - same idea, new name, look, and experience. I'm excited to continue to provide unique souvenirs and gifts with both the local and the visiting communities in mind. I do still offer a selection of Grandma's fabric art, as well as the rock shop that Grandpa carefully put together. Whether you're here for the history, the views, or the people - in need of a gift, souvenir, or directions - I'd love to meet you! Come in for a break from the heat in my little air conditioned shop - leave the politics and that real world stuff behind - and let's have a chat about local history, rocks, weird & useless trivia, and that turn that you probably missed!
