Monthly Archives: October 2014

Lulu City was a mining town established in 1879 in what is now Rocky Mountain National Park. At its peak it had a population of 500 but declined rapidly until finally abandoned in 1883. The woman in the picture is a tourist visiting the site in 1889. Note the mining scars in each photo. As … Continue reading »

Horseshoe Ranch is an example of an inholding that was required to be removed after the Park was established. The ranch was converted to a large resort complex and named the Horseshoe Inn in 1909. It operated until 1931 when it became the first inholding purchased by the Park which burned all structures and cleared … Continue reading »

Eighteen years after the Park’s dedication, Franklin Roosevelt’s CCC arrived and stayed for six summers. They built roads, fought  fires, and maintained structures but were best known for cutting and removing insect damaged  trees, in the process earning the nickname “Woodpecker Army.”

Deer Ridge Chalet was a popular tourist stop for over 40 years. As  Park visitation increased so did traffic problems at the site since it was located at the intersection of two main roads. It was removed in 1960.

Trail Ridge Road connects both sides of the Continental Divide. It was completed in 1932 and replaced the Old Fall River Road built in the 1920s. The old highway is one way only going up but is currently closed due to massive flooding in 2013. Trail Ridge is still the highest continuous highway in the … Continue reading »