South Park City, CO - Part 2

The area around Fairplay sprung to life after Gold was discovered in 1859 in Tarryall Creek, a tributary of the South Platte River. Mining camps sprung up all over South Park, but the "Gold Rush" was short lived, and hard-rock mining took over for the next 30 years. When the mining heyday ended, most mining camps were left to decay, except for Fairplay, Alma and Como.

South Park mining history

South Park City, CO - Part 1

Nestled in the centre of Colorado lies "South Park City", a historical collection of original buildings from the gold mining heydey of the mid-1800's, opened as a museum to the public in 1959. This museum is actually an extension of the historic main street in the town of Fairplay, which was established in 1859 during the Gold Rush. Fairplay only lies 15 miles east of the town of Leadville as the crow flies, but 72 miles by modern day road, or 85 miles south-west of Denver along highway 285.

South Park City