Land's End Observatory, Historical observatory on Grand Mesa rim, Colorado

Land's End Observatory is a historic observatory situated on the rim of Grand Mesa in Colorado, constructed using local basalt stones and hand-sawn wood shingles for the roof. The structure demonstrates traditional building techniques and rustic craftsmanship typical of mountain construction in this region.

The observatory was constructed between 1936 and 1937 by the U.S. Forest Service and the Works Progress Administration with support from Civilian Conservation Corps camps. This project was part of federal employment programs during the economic downturn of the 1930s.

The road below the observatory was once called Veterans' Road: between June 1933 and May 1934, 200 unemployed World War I veterans of a CCC camp cleared brush and completed 9.2 miles of it for a dollar a day. Aged thirty-three to fifty-five, they lived in army tents about eleven miles below the mesa rim and were praised as skilled in almost every trade. The observatory itself was built later, in 1936-37, by WPA crews.

The observatory can be reached via Grand Mesa Scenic Byway by turning onto Land's End Road, located about 10 miles west of Colorado State Highway 65. Visitors should note that the main building remains closed, though the surrounding area and views are accessible.

The 200 World War I veterans who camped about eleven miles below the mesa rim between June 1933 and May 1934 completed 9.2 miles of Land's End Road, then called Veterans' Road, for a dollar a day. The final stretch from Wild Road Picnic Area to the rim was finished over the next two summers by Civil Service machine operators and a few civilian workers hired by the Forest Service; the project engineer said the whole road was built, blasting and all, without injuries.