National and State Register

Aultman House

Las Animas County

Oliver E. Aultman commissioned the construction of this house for his family in 1905.  A highly successful commercial photographer, Aultman documented life and culture in southern Colorado from the 1890s to the 1950s.  His portraits reflect the extraordinary ethnic and socio-economic diversity of the area.  His studio was purportedly the oldest established studio in Colorado operated continuously by one man.  

A black and white photo of the house with conical roof over rounded room and porch and multiple hipped and gabled roofs. A large yard and some trees stand in the foreground.

Aultman House (1907 photograph.)

This “pioneer Trinidad photographer” resided here until his death in 1953.  The house is a well-preserved example of a Queen Anne residence in Trinidad.  Characteristics of this style can be seen in its asymmetrical composition, steeply pitched hipped roof and wraparound porch.  It has a distinctive, large, two-story tower with a conical roof.