The two story outhouse, thought by many to be a unique “Crested Butte thing”, actually was fairly common in it’s day. The common misconception is that these outhouses were designed to rise above the depths of the Winter snows.
In fact, their existence was for pure practicality. Your finer homes and businesses simply had one on each floor…offset for simultaneous use. The Elk Mountain House, the towns only three story building, had three story outhouses.
Another amusing outdoor “Johnny” note…we have to wonder just how many of our endeared visitors, in the old town to soak up a little history, arrive home with photos of some of the town’s still-standing old smokehouses, proudly passing them off at the post vacation slide show… as one of those quaint old Crested Butte outhouses.
Sources: “A Crested Butte Primer” by George Sibley
Rob Quint