South Park City - A Restored 1880's Mining Town
Posted by: 
ArmyFamily4
N 39° 13.487 W 106° 00.229
13S E 413352 N 4342201
An amazingly authentic restoration of a
Colorado mining Boomtown.
Waymark Code: WMB137
Location: Colorado, United States
Date Posted: 03/21/2011
Views: 9
The year was 1859. Gold was discovered in South Park and the rush was on! Hordes of gold-seekers spilled into the Park, and within a few short months the mountains were dotted with mining camps sporting names like Tarryall, Leavick, Eureka and Buckskin Joe. These camps grew to become boom towns, thriving communities on the edge of the frontier. Gradually the mining dried up and the people moved on, leaving their towns and camps to the elements, until all that remained were decaying ghost towns.
South Park City is a remarkable restoration of these early towns, preserving the history of our nation's frontier while it educates and entertains the present. Located in Fairplay, Colorado, the museum is an accurate representation of a mining town between 1860 and 1900. Thirty-four authentic buildings filled with over 60,000 artifacts portray most of the economic and social aspects of boomtown life. Seven of the buildings are on their original sites; the others have been moved from abandoned camps and ghost towns in South Park, a 900 square mile basin surrounded by Colorado's majestic Rocky Mountains. The restored buildings contain period room settings and exhibits illustrating the professions, trades and industries that contributed to life in a nineteenth century Colorado mining town.
Theme:
Local History
Street Address:
100 4th Street
Fairplay, CO 80440
Food Court: no
Gift Shop: yes
Hours of Operation:
9am to 5pm - May 14 to Memorial Day
9am to 7pm - Memorial Day to Labor Day
10am to 6pm - Labor Day to closing
Cost: 8.00 (listed in local currency)
Museum Size: Medium
Relevant Web Site: [Web Link]
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Visit Instructions:
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