The Dottie Bakke House
(Preserved by the Commerce City Historical Society)
The Commerce City Historical Society is preserving the oldest house in Commerce City. The Dottie Bakke House was built in 1892. The area was settled in 1852 and was largely a farming community to include dairy farms, ranching, hog farming, trout farming, and vegetable farming. The area has gone from farmland and ranchers to a Military Arsenal in the 1940’s, to an industrial complex in the 1960’s, to a thriving residential community. It has grown in population from 300 people to almost 70,000 as of 2026.
The Rocky Mountain National Arsenal has been converted to a national refuge where bison roam and eagles’ nest, and they receive over a million visitors a year from all parts of the world.
The Commerce City Historical Society strives to document and preserve the past while educating our neighbors and celebrating living in this community just north of Denver.
In alignment with the mission and vision of the Commerce City Historical Society (CCHS), the Board of Directors has voted to save and preserve the property located at 6140 Holly Street. The Dottie Bakke house has become an extension and gathering place for our history museum located at 6505 East 60th Avenue.
MATTHEW COCHRANE 1886-1901
The first owner of the land on record was Matthew Cochran. He purchased a large amount of land from the Union Pacific Railroad in 1886. There were several real estate transactions on this property between 1886 and 1901. George Hamilton owned the property from 1887 to 1901. This is the time that the house was built.
WINETT A. MABEE
In 1901 Winett Mabee acquired the property. He died in 1919and his wife Susannah inherited the property. They had 2 children (daughter-Ethyl Mabee Coomer, son-Alfred Mabee) and a minor granddaughter Grace M. Smith. Susannah sold the property to Albert W. Johnson.
ALBERT W. JOHNSON
In 1927 Albert Johnson purchased the property (160 acres) from Susannah Mabee on February 16, 1927. When he purchased the property as a dairy, he continued to raise jersey cows and run the dairy. Albert was married to Edith. They had 4 children (2 sons and 2 daughters). Albert Johnson died January 23, 1947. He was 62 years old. His wife Edith M. Johnson and 2 daughters (Muriel J. Johnson and Boosty. Lucille Johnson inherited the property.
The family sold their thoroughbred jersey cows and within 3 weeks people were living in the barns. Muriel and B. Lucille did much of the work converting the barns into apartments. In 1949-1952 Edith and B. Lucille sold lots to various people.
Edith died on November 14, 1956, and B. Lucille inherited the property. On September 5, 1957, B Lucille Johnson sold her lot for $10.00 to the Seventh Day Adventist Church. This lot was located at 5700 East 62nd Avenue (Ivanhoe and 62nd). In 1958 the land was zoned for residential and in October of 1958 the land located at 6140 Holly Street was annexed into Commerce Town. In June 1959 Lucille sold the 6140 property to T.M. and Elsie Glidewell.
During the Johnson Family ownership, the Rocky Mountain Arsenal was built in July-December 1942, the volunteer fire department was formed in 1942, The South Adams County Water District was formed in 1951, and the Sanitation came on board in 1956. The south Adams County Fire Protection District was formed in 1952, and Commerce Town was incorporated in 1952.
Left to Right: Boosty Lucille Johnson-daughter, Dale Robert Johnson-grandson, Edith Johnson, Alfred Johnson, Frances a great aunt, Lu Johnson, P.T. Johnson (son).
DALE ROBERT JOHNSON Grandson-1934 - 2017
Because Dad (P.T. Johnson) taught school and had the summers off, we drove to Denver to spend the summers on Grandpa's dairy farm and mountain ranch. Grandpa Albert and Grandma Edith Johnson owned a dairy farm in Derby, CO (now Commerce City) northeast of Denver. My two Aunts House at the dairy farm, Derby, CO~ 1946 Lucille (Boosty) and Muriel (Pete) lived with them and helped work the farm. Farming was done with horse-drawn implements, usually walking behind. They grew corn, fruits, and vegetables. They had Jersey cows and sold whole milk, delivering glass bottles with bottle caps on the "milk route" with the 1937 Dodge "woody" station wagon. It was a big two-story farmhouse with a milk house and two big barns. There was no electricity, water, sewer, or lights. We had kerosine lamps for light, a well, and an outhouse. We cooked on a wood-burning stove, heated the house with a wood fireplace, and took baths in a wash tub.
Dale passed peacefully on 2/2/17 after a valiant fight with an illness. Beloved father of Lindy Johnson, Mark Johnson and Lori Crane; Grandfather of Ben, Grace, and Hope Johnson; Jennifer and Michael Crane; Lila Edwards and April Taylor Marymee. He was the founder of Johnson Engineering Corporation, a successful aerospace engineering company in Boulder, Colorado. He was an alumni of University of Colorado class of 1956, and sang opera with the Brico Symphony in Denver, Colorado.
T.M. AND REBECCA (BETTY) ELSIE GLIDEWELL
Glidewell sisters 2024
Thomas Martin and Rebecca Elsie purchased the property in 1959. Thomas was from Missouri and Betty was from Weldona, Colorado. They had three daughters Judith, Janet and Joan.
Thomas owned a fleet of gas trucks called M & M Trucking (Markly & Markly) and later became known at Petco. Rebecca Elsie known as Betty managed the apartments that were on the property and was involved with the school’s PTA and she was a Girl Scout leader.
While living there they remodeled the kitchen, the bathroom and the living room area. They put closets in the bedrooms upstairs. They also cleaned out the basement where the coal room was located
Both Judith & Jan went to School District 14 schools and Joan finished in Arvada when the family moved from Commerce City to Arvada.
As of 2026, Judith lives in Colorado Springs, Jan lives in Hudson, and Joan lives in Arvada.
DUANE AND DOTTIE BAKKE
Left to Right: husband Duane, Frank, son Brad, son Jay, mother Bonnie, daughter Debbie, Dottie and Uncle Sam
In 1965 Duane and Dottie Bakke purchased the property. Dottie was born in Laverne Minnesota. She met Duane in 1950. They were married and moved to Colorado in 1957. They had 3 children (Debbie, Jay, and Brad). They all attended Adams 14 schools. Duane and Dottie divorced in 1975, and Dottie never remarried.
Dottie worked for Continental Airlines and in 1983 Continental Airlines declared bankruptcy. She had just broke ground for a swimming pool in the back yard. Duane was in the trucking business. In 1986 Dottie bought Duane out of his share of the property. Duane passed away in 2003. Dottie passed away in March of 2022, just before her 90th birthday.
Dottie lived in the house the longest of anyone. Dottie traveled and bought many things for the house through the years. She was a seamstress and sewed Victorian clothing and made Victorian hats. She collected dolls. She called the property Echo Vale. She had several events on the property like weddings, Victorian Teas, and Continental reunion parties. Dottie decorated the house in the Victorian style and her belongings are still in the house.
Jace and Lindsey Bakke (grandchildren, Jay’s children) inherited the property.
In 2022, Barb McMillan purchased the property from Jace & Lindsey Bakke.
BARBARA SWANK MCMILLAN
Barb McMillan and Jim Kinghorn
Barbara was born in western Kansas. Her parents moved to Commerce City in 1948. They purchased property along Highway 85 and Brighton Blvd. She had 4 siblings (Janet, Robert, Carol, and Walter). They lived in a very small house. Her Mom kept adding little houses for rentals to support the family that are still family owned to this day.
She attended Adams City Elementary, Central and Dupont. She attended Adams City Junior High and Adams City High School, graduating in 1963. She attended as many school activities as she could to include Girls Athletic Association, Track and Field, Girls State, Student Council, Distributive Education, and National AAA Junior Olympics in Dayton, Ohio.
She attended Colorado State College, which is now called University of Northern Colorado, graduating with a degree in Education in 1967. She taught elementary physical education and substituting in Denver Public Schools for 7 years.
She loved to travel and spent a summer with 2 friends in Honolulu. She decided teaching wasn’t her thing and started buying rental houses and went to school to get her real estate license. She married twice along the way and divorced twice along the way.
In 1975, she became a flight attendant, travel guide for a Denver based private travel club, PORTS OF CALL. She was a flight attendant on the plane and travel guide upon arrival. She has travelled to Africa for a safari, Greece, Germany, India, Vietnam, China, most of Mexico, the Bahamas, Central America, and Peru.
Her next challenge was running the Best Yet Bar and Grille with her brother Walter from 1984-1988. Next, she went back to school for a new real estate license. She and her sister-in-law Mary Swank Gomez opened Classic Realty in Commerce City and sold houses. The market was bad at the time, so she began buying, fixing, and flipping.
Barb is a collector and began keeping too much stuff, so she bought a house in Commerce City that had been a hog farm and has a 4-car garage. It is still filled with stuff and no room for her car.
She began buying real estate in Victor, Colorado and started an antique shop traveling every weekend to and from to keep the store open. She built a small cabin, and she still has it today. She sold the antique shop and building in 2021.
In 2022, she purchased the Dottie Bakke Victorian House with her friend Jim Kinghorn, and they are worked with the Commerce City Historical Society to preserve the property. She sold the property to Debra Bullock in March 2025.
DEBRA BULLOCK
In March 2025, Debra Bullock purchased the property. Both Barb and Debra purchased the property to save it and keep it out of developer’s hands, or someone who would not take care of it.
Debra (Hage) Bullock is a Colorado native, born in Boulder and moving to Commerce City with her family when she was 5 years old. She attended Irondale Elementary, Adams City Junior High, graduating from Adams City High School in 1973. Debra is married to Rene’ Bullock.
They have one daughter who lives and works in Longmont with her partner Nabila Villafor and 2 granddaughters Tevyn and Tegan.
She and her husband Rene’ are founders of the Commerce City Historical Society and they both serve on many boards throughout the city. Rene’ was a previous city council member and Mayor Pro Tem for 16 years. In addition to the Commerce City Historical Society, Debra is a board member for the South Adams County Fire District and works with the Commerce City Chamber of Commerce as the business coordinator. She also serves on her Church Council at Our Saviour Lutheran Church in Commerce City, where she has attended since she was 5 years old.
Debra worked in the Hospitality industry for over 40 years. working at Stapleton Plaza Hotel, the Brown Palace Hotel and Starkey International School of Household Management.
Debra currently owns her own business (BEST-Bullock Estate Services Training). She travels around the country helping high-net-worth families with their staff training needs and working with the United States Marine Corps. She calls it the business of Private Service.
She is the author of Images of America-Commerce City, published by Arcadia Publishing in 2010.
In her spare time, she loves to write about Commerce City history, work on history displays at the museum, watch movies, exercise, and spend time with her family.
Debra purchased the Dottie Bakke House in March of 2025 to protect and preserve it, alongside the Commerce City Historical Society, She and the historical society spend many hours working in the house and in the yard to preserve it. It is the oldest standing house in Commerce City.
Rene’ and Debra Bullock
Since 2022 Barb, Debra and the Historical Society has spent many hours upgrading the property. Some of the upgrades include the following.
· New heater for the main house and 2 apartments.
· Upgrades in the kitchen to include new kitchen counters, new frig, stove and new sink.
· New front yard pavers and grass.
· Horseshoe pit redone.
· Sprinkler system fixed.
· Added a pergola.
· Added a new fire pit.
· Upgraded the garden space and walkways and added new fencing.
· South side flower planters, and north side flower planters in the yards.
· New sewer line.
· Patio garden walkway.
· New garage lights.
· Fixed the garage doors.
· New electrical in yard lights.
· Replaced gas lines in the basement.
· Paint front porch.
· Replaced front steps.
· Installed camera system.
· Entrance sign and flags.
· New fence north side of the property.
· Hung up historical signs around the property.
· Monthly weed control and insect control.
Tours are available by request.
Call Debra Bullock
303-946-3426 to schedule your tour
