The Jackson Hotel was built in 1878 by Henry A. Jackson, who left his home in Kentucky seeking a place where his family could escape the turmoil of post-Civil War reconstruction. A former Memphis steamboat captain, Jackson settled in Poncha Springs, which he called his "Garden of Eden," and opened a hotel that would house his family as well as provide a living. The roadhouse became a welcome sight for weary travelers crossing the Rockies by stagecoach and horseback, and its guests included Frank and Jesse James, President Ulysses S. Grant, William "Billy the Kid" Bonney, Susan B. Anthony, Alexander Graham Bell, Rudyard Kipling, and Horace and Baby Doe Tabor.