A Brief History of Winter Park, Colorado
Chances are, you already know how amazing Winter Park is today. You’re aware of the fact that it’s one of the best ski resorts in Colorado. You know that its world-class skiing, nice facilities, and beautiful views are just a few of the reasons that so many people trek to Grand County every year. Plus, it helps that it’s the closest major resort to Denver, and it’s less than two hours to get from the Denver International Airport to the slopes.
But, how much do you know about its history?
The Early Days
The Fraser Valley, where Winter Park is located, is an area that was originally inhabited by the Ute and Arapaho Indian Tribes. Around the 1820s, the first pioneers made their way into the area and started to hang around. But, no one really settled down until 1850.
Then, in 1876, a post office was finally built in Fraser, and it gave more permanence to the area. This is a place that you can still visit, and it’s preserved today as the Cozen’s Ranch Museum. It gives you a nice sampling of what life was like for the early residents of the area.
Why It Started
The town was pretty small for quite a few years, but then it grew when workers were needed to build railroad tracks. They realized that Denver was a good place to design a line all the way to the West Coast, so tracks were built up the mountains through Rollins Pass. However, this wasn’t the most efficient route, so they decided to carve a tunnel through the mountain. In 1928, it was finally opened, and it has an overall length of more than 6 miles. Moffatt Tunnel, as it’s called, is named for David Moffatt – the man responsible for building the whole railway. It’s obvious that something of this scale needed quite a few workers to make it happen, so many of these were the original residents of Fraser Valley.
More than Trains
Good news continued for the town, even after the railroad was finished. Denver had now landed a role as a major transport hub in the middle of the country, and the city needed materials to grow. So, many people continued to live in the area and work in the timber industry, and they shipped the wood to Denver where it was used in construction of buildings or loaded on trains to other areas.
Building the Ski Resort
Of course, people could only gaze out the windows at such beautiful mountains for so long before someone decided they wanted to ski down them. People had started unofficially hitting the slopes by the 1920s, and that caught the attention of government workers who had the ability to do something about it. Denver Parks and Recreation officials started drafting some ideas of creating a playground for winter sports, and they were put into action before the end of the decade. The United States Forest Service started by clearing some trails close to the railroad tracks, and the influx of eager skiers led to the building of a tow rope in 1939.
Highest Town in the Country
The town wasn’t always called Winter Park, and throughout its history, a whole series of settlements have changed their names and combined with each other to create what it is today. After a restructuring in 2006, it became the highest incorporated town in the US. But, there are a few other Colorado mountain towns that aren’t so happy about this record, because the highest elevations are empty areas of the mountains – while the other towns have actual residences at much higher points.
Today’s Winter Park Ski Resort
It’s been three quarters of a century since the start of the ski area, and it’s seen quite the wild ride of expansion and growth. The Winter Park Resort is now managed by a company called Intrawest, but it’s still owned by the City and County of Denver. Now it’s divided into seven different territories, and there’s something for everyone from absolute beginners to thill-seeking experts. But, that’s not surprising since it covers 3,081 acres in an area that averages more than 320 inches of snowfall every year.
The Train Still Runs
Winter Park may have essentially been built on the railroad, but that’s no longer the means of transport for getting around. On the other hand, you do still have the option! Amtrak trains go through the valley twice a day, so you have plenty of chances to see the mountain views in the same way that some of the early settlers did – with some more creature comforts, of course. For many years there was a ski train directly from Union Station in Denver, but sadly a series of events caused the last trip to be made in 2009.
Come Live the History
The whole area of Grand County is full of exciting activities 12 months of the year, so no matter what you’re interests are, we’d love to invite you to come help write the next page of its history!
