Ridge Home Information (Denver, Arvada, Pueblo: 2015, college, live)

[OldSoul]

Originally Posted by MVpara

I'm researching Ridge Home but unfortunately there isn't much documented information,if there is anyone that knows of Ridge Home and has any information please let me know.

That whole area is haunted as hell. I have pictures to prove it that will leave any Paranormal Investigator in awe with jaw dropping evidence. There is very little posted on Ridge Homes, and the Mental Hospital . I do remember reading about a shooting incident there which involved 2 employees, and the wife of one of them. I lived across the street from the shopping center (Target) which was built on the property where the Hospital was located. The Apartment Complex I lived in was Mesa Verde Apartments. My Unit was haunted, and the activity there was wild. Too much to post on here, but just think about objects moving, pixelations moving mid air, annomalies, shadow persons, faces, and sounds. There are now apartments being nuilt as well directly behind the shopping center on land that was also Hospital Grounds, and I believe it it stirring up alot of activity in the area.

[G123]

I had a lot of good times in those apartments. A friend of mine used to live there. Coincidentally, he moved out after his father passed away in the apartment.

[OldSoul]

Do you happen to remember the apartment number? I had a LOAD of entities come through, and I am planning on having it documented hopefully soon.

[estre68132]

My younger sister lived at Ridge from 1960 until her death in 1969. We spent almost every Sunday at Ridge for years when I was growing up and I can tell you it was a nightmarish place. The state had decided to house both physically and mentally challenged children and adults with adjudicated juveniles, which made for a very dangerous situation for the handicapped residents. My sister had severe cerebral palsy and was a bed patient with no ability to defend herself and over the years had several "mysterious" bone fractures that no one could explain.
I think that most of the people who worked there tried their best to protect the vulnerable population, but it was an impossible situation. Dr. Sunada, who took over as director sometime during those years, had a good heart, but it was all very overwhelming.
For the first time in over 40 years I actually went up the hill recently and saw that everything has been torn down. I sincerely hope that the archaic and terrible actions and attitudes of the era have been torn down as well.

[OldSoul]

Hi Estre.....I cannot find any photo's of several of the larger buildings that were located on the property there. There are rumors of a mass grave that had been found where the Target is located, and another large building where the Big 5 store is now located. Plus all of those new apartments . Now over on Ridge Road there are still several buildings I see. Was your sister in one of the larger buildings? I am sorry to hear that she suffered so terribly. So some of these other patients were of the criminal nature, or court ordered? I am going to have to check with the Historical Society, and maybe Jefferson County to ascertain information on the hospital. I don't know why but I feel as though there are still alot of tormented souls wandering on the grounds there still, and that there is a need by some of them to have their story, and the story of what has happened to the hospital told. I would hope to gather this information, and photo's of the hospitals conditions.

[estre68132]

Yes, my sister was in one of the large buildings centrally located in the complex, and because of her condition was often in the hospital. If you can imagine...there were no air conditioners in those buildings and i can still remember the awful, and constant, stench.
The State of Colorado had determined that parents of the kids who needed care had to pay for their care. I can't be positive of the amount, but I seem to remember that my father was paying about $1000 per month (in today's dollars that would be close to $10,000 per month) to keep Carol at Ridge, which meant that the rest of the family was living below the poverty level on a pittance. My father discussed with the family his decision to stay in CO and not abandon Carol....he loved her deeply! CO legislature decided that the only way not to pay was if the parents left the state and "abandoned" their child. This resulted in a huge number of families moving out of state and leaving the children as wards of the state. As I understood it, this also meant that if the child died the parents could not come back and claim the child for burial without paying the delinquent bills...so probably many, many children died while in the care of the state without funerals and without burial arrangements. I never asked that question, but it seems to me that the state probably had a burial site on the grounds for those children. I don't remember seeing a cemetery up there, but there could have been one out of sight from the public. Because my father was paying for Carol's care, when she died in 1969 we were able to have her cremated and her ashes are scattered up on Flagstaff Mountain above Boulder.
The same state legislature that decided to force families to leave the state, also decided it was economical to house the adjudicated juveniles (then called "delinquents") at Ridge. They roamed freely and intimidated the staff and the patients. I cannot prove it, but I am absolutely certain that a broken leg on my sister, which ultimately lead to her death from an infection was caused by abuse from one of the delinquent juveniles. The doctors and the nurses could not offer any explanation and unless one of them caused it there was no other possible reason....Carol could only move if someone moved her.
I would be glad to answer any other questions you might have. Also, have you checked under the Freedom of Information Act for the records? You might also go back through the legislative records for the early '60's and late '50's.

[Bent Rim]

Newbie to this forum and website. Just learned that I had a distant relative who was an "inmate" at the Colorado State Home and Training School aka Ridge. From what I have read so far, this must have been horrible. Anyway, my relative was living there in 1940 according to the recently released Federal Census.
My questions, what happened to the records of all of those housed there? Is there a cemetery nearby where the deceased were buried? Someone care to enlighten me with some facts and information?

I would like to know what happened to this woman who was 47 years old in 1940.

Thanks

[blackmet]

Originally Posted by OldSoul

That whole area is haunted as hell. I have pictures to prove it that will leave any Paranormal Investigator in awe with jaw dropping evidence. There is very little posted on Ridge Homes, and the Mental Hospital . I do remember reading about a shooting incident there which involved 2 employees, and the wife of one of them. I lived across the street from the shopping center (Target) which was built on the property where the Hospital was located. The Apartment Complex I lived in was Mesa Verde Apartments. My Unit was haunted, and the activity there was wild. Too much to post on here, but just think about objects moving, pixelations moving mid air, annomalies, shadow persons, faces, and sounds. There are now apartments being nuilt as well directly behind the shopping center on land that was also Hospital Grounds, and I believe it it stirring up alot of activity in the area.

I used to live at Mesa Verde too (D building, facing the pool). Never noticed anything haunted about the place, but I also am not really into that kind of thing. It was cheap and a bit trashy, but really not bad for what I was paying for the place.

I did hear rumor, however, that when Target Corp. was building the new SuperTarget on top of the site, the contractor did hire an exorcist prior to beginning building.

[aamos321]

Hello,
I am new to this thread but I am doing a project in my Colorado History class. I need an interview with someone who was either working in the home, was in the home, or had a relative in the home. I would love to meet with someone and talk to learn more about Ridge Homes.

[OldSoul]

I have been wanting for so long to follow up on this with regards to the history of the location, and any activity on the property regarding entities. I was last on in July, but I had taken ill for awhile, and have also moved. Someone had mentioned that they were wondering if a cemetary had been nearby, and if any patients may have been buried there. There is a cemetary on Independence which if you went across Kipling from the Target Shopping Center onto 51st (Mesa Verde Apartments on the right), and then made a left at the stop sign, heading up the hill, over the railroad tracks, and then straight ahead on the left side. The feeling there is also very odd, and it has been there for god knows how long. I have been wanting to contact the historical society as well.