The Lodge and Frisco in days gone
by...
The
Frisco Lodge is the longest ongoing lodging facility in Summit County,
Colorado. It was originally built in 1885 as a stagecoach stop and soon
became a way station for passengers and crew traveling on the Denver and
Rio Grande Railroad, who's tracks ran on the easement which is now the
alley directly behind our ensuite building. The basic structure of
our Lodge remains much the same now as it was then. Our rooms are decorated
to retain the flavor of this past era, and the Lodge still retains the
ambience of this period.
The first recordable inhabitants of the Frisco area were the Ute Indians
who traveled this area extensively and who's trails are still evident on
the tundra above timberline The first modern settlers were the "mountain
men" who trapped furs in the Summit County area from about 1810 through
the 1850's. The area's vast wilderness yielded thousands of pelts.
With the dawning of the 1870's, silver was discovered in the adjacent mountains
and the miners arrived to seek their riches. The town of Frisco was
founded in 1873 by Henry Recen, and by 1882 it had grown to 250 permanent
residents.
In
1885, the Frisco Lodge was built and it served Frisco and the surrounding
area's two railroads, many businesses and taverns, and vast numbers of
mines and miners. The mining glory days lasted until 1918.
In
the 1930's with the coming of the Great Depression, Frisco's permanent
population decreased to just 18. Frisco was one of only a handful of mining
towns to survive this period. The area gradually developed as a crossroads
as highways were pushed across the Rocky Mountains.
The
first development in our modern era was the opening of Arapahoe
Basin in 1946. Then when construction of the great dam to give birth
to Lake Dillon was begun in 1963, hundreds of workers moved into the area.
This gave Summit
County the renewed energy that it needed. The Breckenridge
ski area opened in 1965 and Vail
opened to the public in 1965 as well. The modern period of skiing had begun.
When the Eisenhower tunnel opened in 1972, and Copper Mountain and Keystone
opened in the same year, our current recreational based wonderland was
born. Today Frisco is permanent home to approximately 3000 residents
and there is every imaginable recreational opportunity available.
Our area now hosts visitors from all corners of the world in both the summer
and winter.
The
Frisco Lodge has seen many events during it's long history. It has been
in continuous operation since the 1880's.. If you would like more information
about the history of our area we have a fantastic historical
park located in town. If you are interested plan an afternoon to tour
the museums and experience all of this in greater detail. Enjoy......
Town
of Frisco History
Summit
Historic Society
Summit
County Archives
Colorado
Ski Museum
