(Part two of a two part series)
The Cloverleaf Kennel Club had different levels for patrons with an enclosed area of box seats in the clubhouse, a covered grandstand plus areas where patrons could stand and watch. The south-facing wall of the main building was almost all glass.
During the height of greyhound racing’s popularity in the 1960s, a new grandstand was constructed on the east side. The building included refreshment stands and plenty of restrooms.
The entrance fee was $5, but Cloverleaf was generous by distributing passes to local merchants. To handle the crowds, a vast paved parking lot on the north side of the track could handle thousands of cars and there were several ways to reach the second and third floors including escalators and ramps.
As money was collected from betting, it was sent from the counters via a pneumatic system using cylinders that traveled rapidly through a network of tubes to the money room where it was counted. At the end of the day, it was then transported down a secured elevator to the garage level for transport to the bank. The physical nature of this part of the operation was kept a secret.
Cloverleaf Kennel Club provided hundreds of seasonal jobs over the years. Many Hewlett-Packard employees, police officers, school teachers and high school students earned much needed extra income working at the dog track. At any given time, it employed 50 to 60 people.
In October 1991, the casinos in Black Hawk, Central City and Cripple Creek opened their doors and shifted gambling in Colorado. This spelled a steady decline in business for greyhound racing.
In June 2006, the last live race was held at Cloverleaf. Off-track betting had already made its inroads using TV monitors in the various seating areas. Cloverleaf turned toward off-track betting but this did not last long.
The track closed for good the following year and was quickly sold to McWhinney. They, in turn, sold the property to Poudre Valley Health Systems with the agreement that the 41-acre site would be cleared and planted in native grass.
An auction was held in 2008 and much of the equipment and furniture was liquidated. This even included Whizmo, the mechanical rabbit.
The Cloverleaf Kennel Club is about to disappear into history.
The removal of hazardous materials will be followed by the deconstruction process.
Taking down the various structures involves careful work to insure the recovery of an estimated 90 percent of the material. For example, the steel beams that support most of the main building will find new homes and the miles of copper wire will be recycled. The asphalt in the parking lot will be ground up for use as road base.
Farewell and fond memories to the Cloverleaf Kennel Club, a Loveland fixture for many years.
Kenneth Jessen has been a Loveland resident since 1965. He is an author of 18 books and more than 1,300 articles. He was an engineer for Hewlett-Packard for 33 years and now works as a full-time author, lecturer and guide. The author would like to thank Dave Scherer, Shelley Lund and Jim Niemczyk for their help with this story.
