Fairplay. Independence Day 2019 trip, part 1

Even though we never recovered from our Memorial Day trip (click here if you are interested - Craig. A town 4 hours from Denver. Memorial Day 2019 trip, part 1), it was impossible not to be adventurous over the next long weekend. So, we took a day off on Friday and had another long weekend ahead of us. Still not ready for a loooong drive we wanted to explore something nearby. Just to see something close to Denver, but something nice and exciting. So we chose the best road to the mountains (Highway 285) and enjoyed the ride.

 

 

Our initial destination was Fairplay, a small and normally sleepy town nestled at an elevation only slightly below the remarkable milestone of 10,000 feet. Hmm, it rests only 50 feet shy of 10,000 but 34 meters above 3,000 ;) I am not sure which name is better known - Fairplay or South Park. The first one is historical and original... The second reminds me of this animated series that made this place famous all around the world. But the history of this town is perhaps even more interesting and impressive than the story of the cartoon characters...

A historic gold mining settlement, the town was founded in 1859 during the early days of the Pike's Peak Gold Rush. The town was given its name by prospectors who wanted the atmosphere of their settlement to contrast with what they viewed as the greediness of the nearby mining settlement of Tarryall. The settlers were upset by the generous mining claims given to the earliest prospectors and promised a more equitable system for its residents. According to local legend, one leader among the miners asserted that "in this camp we'll have fair play." So, originally known as Fair Play, soon the town became Fairplay, the name we use up to today. The camp was located at a scenic spot near the junction of Beaver Creek and the South Platte River. Fairplay has been called "the first mining camp of any importance in the South Park area."

In July 1861, the Tarryall newspaper reported that Fairplay had a population of one hundred. The first post office was established on 2 August 1861. During the summers, the camp was alive with miners, but in the winters the site was largely deserted as prospectors left for Denver. On March 26, 1869, Fairplay, due to the fact that its population had doubled within six months, voted to incorporate as a town to be known as "South Park City." Among those promoting the incorporation was the oldest citizen in the town, Judge Castello, who urged the local population, in both English and French, to change the settlement's name. The following August, the Rocky Mountain News, ignoring the change of name, reported that "Fairplay has greatly improved since last year. Numerous private dwelling houses have been erected."

In 1871, Fairplay reported a population of 150 inhabitants. By the following year, travelers through the town noted two hotels filled with guests, booming boarding houses and restaurants, and five stores doing a lively trade. The success of Fairplay seemed assured until tragedy struck the bustling town on September 26, 1873. On that date, a fire swept through the business district, resulting in losses estimated at $100,000. One of the services the town lacked was a fire department, and there was no way to quickly obtain large amounts of water necessary to quench a fire. When the fire was finally extinguished, the inventory of losses was staggering, including the loss of nearly fifty buildings. During the year after the fire the town was rebuilt including construction of the Park County Courthouse, the Catholic Church, and the Sheldon Jackson Memorial Chapel.

Although the long-anticipated rails of the Denver, South Park & Pacific Railroad were extended across South Park in the summer of 1879, Fairplay was not on the main line of the railroad, having been surpassed in importance by Leadville. The railroad's goal of tapping the Cloud City as quickly as possible and the difficult terrain involved in reaching Fairplay resulted in its being relegated to a branch line. The branch line, completed in the fall of 1881, backtracked ten miles from Garo to reach the county seat.

By the 1920s, Fairplay had become the largest town in South Park. The Fairplay Hotel was built in 1923 following a 1921 fire which destroyed the 1873 hotel building on the site. The Fairplay railroad station closed in April 1932 due to lack of business. Spurred by a revival in mining, Fairplay grew during the 1930s. The population of Fairplay in 1940 was 739, the highest population recorded by the Census Bureau for the town; 476 inhabitants were counted in the 1950 Census. As mining declined in South Park, so did Fairplay, but today remains a center of commerce and government for the region.

The town consists of modern retail businesses along the highway, as well as a historic town on the bluff above the river along Front Street. The northern extension of Front Street along the river has been preserved and has become the site of relocated historic structures as an open-air museum called South Park City, intended to recreate the early days of the Colorado Gold Rush. Most of the residences in town are located on the hillside west of US Highway 285 and east of State Highway 9, in the vicinity of the schools and Park County Courthouse. The majority of the streets in town were finally paved in 2005.

The Town of Fairplay is the visual basis for the Town of South Park in the television series South Park. The people in the show are influenced by Boulder, Colorado, where creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker attended college at the University of Colorado. But.... this is a different story and has nothing to do with our trip.

We just stopped here and wandered around Front Street for about an hour to enjoy the historic part of the city. The Silver Spoon Cheese Factory had fresh pastries that we couldn't resist trying (mmm… yummy!)… By the way, they still have an almost 100 years old soda fountain, one of the few that have survived the modernization of the soft drink business.

 

Oh, no, we also stopped by the Hand Hotel, a nice old place overlooking the river.

The original hotel was built in 1931 by Jake and Jessie Hand and was furnished with western and Indian memorabilia from the South Park area. The interesting décor and the hospitality created a steady clientele keeping the hotel booked months ahead. The guests enjoyed fishing and hunting excursions as well as day trips into the local mountains. For breakfast, many guests found tasty trout on the menu caught from the nearby fresh water stream by Jessie Hand herself. She continued fishing until the day of her death.

Now the hotel still sticks to the idea of being old and nicely decorated. By the way, this was the second time we explored the hotel. We first did this 10 years ago (in 2009), so you can play the "guess when this picture was taken" game :)

 

I also discovered that they have repaired the side wall and repainted the hotel (see pics above). I like the old look better, but I guess it was old and needed not only a fresh coat of paint, but some repair too...

 Anyway, I hope you enjoy wandering between the rooms (no two are alike) and maybe even decide to stay here one day ;)

To be continued...

Pictures were taken on August 08, 2019 and July 04, 2019.