Ridge Home Information

[Winnyard Bletch]

I have been to the ridge, about a year before they tore it down. Haunted is not a word that really captured it. The hallways were infested with the disembodied voices of miserable, crying children. Suddenly, we found the basement. They had tiny, dark isolation areas and cages with tiny chairs in them. Satanic graffitti graced the walls and the floor was burned in spots.A system of tunnels ran beneath the property. I began crawling down one. I only got about 15 feet when someone in my group became agitated with the creepiness and insisted we leave. I agreed.

[Stephen Trimble]

Fascinating thread. My brother, Mike Trimble, was at Ridge from 1959 to 1961. I'm writing a book about his life--and I would love to find folks who worked at Ridge at this time to interview, either by phone or in person in Denver. Any readers of this discussion who could help? Post a reply or email me. Many thanks! steve [at] stephentrimble.net

[colleen breska]

Originally Posted by Scott5280

There was part of the faclity close to Simms and 64th this was an extension of the main Arvada campus, my mother was an occupational therapist who worked for Ridge home --for a period in the late 60's before I was born and again in the early 90's...I myself would accasionally visit her at work and help here administer her treatments..kind of heartbreaking to see how these mentally and physically disabled kids go through their lives...The developmentally disabled are the nicest group of people...Very important to get them involved in art therapy and Special Olympics...Ridge itself has struggled with funding for the past fifteen years..I am not sure what's going on today really.. the infrastucture..buildings ect..seemed to be pretty out dated..

Hi Scott 5280, My name is Colleen, and I have been trying to obtain some information on Rige home for several months. My Grandmother worked there around 1960 to 1965. My Dad said she loved the children there and loved working w all of them so much but thats all he can tell me. I know ive been inside rige home. I remember how the front desk was when you entered. The halls were narrow and there were alot of rooms and buildings attached. Thers were padded rooms with tables and straps and i The smell was horrible. The children were so friendly and would come up to people and hug them and want to just hold them. I was afraid of that. I dont know why.There were many rooms and additions. It was very large so im sure it housed hundreds of people. I only remember children and not all were mentally retarded. My Grandmother died when I was 3 and my Dad said she wouldnt have taken me there. I read your post and thought maybe your Mom might have known my Grandmother. Rige home has been torn down for a while. Driving by there makes me sad. I have many pictures in my mind of the structure. Im not sure why this is a hugh thing in my life right now, but it keeps comming up at odd times without my warrent. My Mother said ive never been there. Im not sure how to pursue this matter but thought maybe there's a chance your Mother might have known my Grandmother. If you are interested in asking her, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you for your post in this matter.
you can text me at: colie.k301@gmail.com

[Jimer1]

I had a cousin that was at Ridge Home for a while. He was labeled as "retarded" back then, but looking back, I think he was most likely autistic. Maybe they just weren't familiar with that sort of diagnosis back then.It seems he got some sort of training at Ridge and was able to get a job and lived in a group home. I was over there once after it closed and it did seem kind of spooky, but any place that has a bunch of abandoned buildings can seem that way.
I always wondered what happened to him, though I had heard he moved out east to be near his mother.

[beverlynell]

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.

My brother was housed there for 14 years until he died from negligence.

[beverlynell]

Originally Posted by Winnyard Bletch

I have been to the ridge, about a year before they tore it down. Haunted is not a word that really captured it. The hallways were infested with the disembodied voices of miserable, crying children. Suddenly, we found the basement. They had tiny, dark isolation areas and cages with tiny chairs in them. Satanic graffitti graced the walls and the floor was burned in spots.A system of tunnels ran beneath the property. I began crawling down one. I only got about 15 feet when someone in my group became agitated with the creepiness and insisted we leave. I agreed.

So perfectly worded. . .

[beverlynell]

Originally Posted by PorcelainPrincess

It has been federally documented that there was abuse, in front of Feds. no less. But how much this was blow up, who knows. It says two orderlies used "excessive force" to make a man stop banging his head on a wall. This was in the end of Ridge, early 90s.

I do agree about the people who worked there. My grandma loved the kids there very much. My great aunt also worked there. My grandma was there for over 8 years. Ridge Home scared my mom when she was little because, yes, at her age and that time, she was scared of the people there.

But my grandma also had a group of friends who worked there with her, trying hard to change how people were treated. She didn't like how they were being treated. In her day, which was the 60s and 70s at Ridge, she was the one who had to drug them. She said they were basically living drugged.

Another great aunt of mine had a baby who was born with Down Syndrome. When he was born, the doctors told her she should hand him over to Ridge Home. My grandma begged her not to, told her she would even take care of him if she didn't want him. He was born in the early 60s. So he never ended up in state care.

He instead ended up becoming a great member to Arvada. He was in the Sentinel for the work he did with horses and the family farm. No one believed someone of his mental state could do things like that back then.

I believe the reason people were as they were at Ridge is because, yes while most the staff loved them, there just wasn't enough staff or trained well enough staff to help them. Because they could have been helped and didn't have to be stuck as severally disabled as they were.

As far as the whole ghost thing. I can't fully say I believe that stuff. I believe in the left over feelings and sort of like feelings and memories imprinted on places. I think people who are more empathetic than others can feel it stronger. But I am not fully sure on the ghost thing.

EDIT - I have to add too. You can't say there was no abuse, there was no perfectly normal kids dropped off there, you can't say how much everyone cared because the fact is, Ridge was opened in 1912, so yes, it could have happened so much more than you know. Ridge Home was open and running for over 90 years. The histories of asylums, state homes and other places for mentally disabled show that back in the early 1900s they couldn't tell the difference between mentally disabled and mentally insane. They thought they were all the same. When Ridge Home was first opened, you couldn't leave. You would have to die or be transfered to Pueblo. Pueblo was an insane asylum then.

But no, don't anyone buy into the Ridge Home was all bad, Ridge Home was nothing but abuse because it wasn't. They took the kids out on the hills to have camps, they would try to give most the people there as normal of a life as they could. But some of the people just didn't care.

I agree that the staff were at a great disadvantage. Most likely they were poorly paid and overworked. My brother was placed in a ward of kids from 2-13 years of age when he was only 4. He routinely had bruises whenever we visited him, and he ultimately died because there wasn't sufficient staff to oversee all the kids on his ward.

[Mike from back east]

Found some more links on this institution:

- https://history.denverlibrary.org/ne...das-ridge-home

- https://coloradoghosts.wordpress.com...as-ridge-home/

- https://www.anamparanormal.com/133

[Chris_Redfield]

I used to work grave yard cleaning the Target store on the hill to save for college. That place is not immune to strange activity. At the time, I worked alone but would frequently hear voices and foot steps. Sometimes the doors to the office, break room, and bathrooms would open and slam shut. The first time I saw someone walk through a wall, I stood still wondering if my eyes were playing tricks on me. A few nights later whatever it was did it again. I looked around for a projector and other signs that the Candid Camera show was playing a gag.

Items floating off the shelf and then falling were not an uncommon occurance. Every now and then, an entire shelving unit would suddenly reposition itself or just fall over. In the first incident that resulted in physical harm, I had propped open the mens room door and began my routine of sweeping, taking the trash out, restocking toilet paper, wiping the sinks and counter down, then mopping. I felt something hit me in the back of the head. Turning around, I saw the door stopper on the floor by my feet. The door somehow stood open without it. I picked up the stopper and began walking to the door when it suddenly slammed shut, the lights went off, then a deep voice loudly said 'GET OUT!'

After that, things escalated. It started with small items coming out of no where to hit me in the back and head. Then it moved to larger items such as soda bottles. The last straw was a metal trash being thrown at me. When the manager arrived that morning, I handed in my keys, and never went back.