Summit County’s rich history, once the wild wild west, is full of fascinating tales. Many of those stories will be interactively told during an event series this summer, hosted by The Frisco Historic Park and Museum. From engineering feats to mining, skiing, ghost towns and pack burro racing, this event series is sure to appeal to everyone in Summit County—novice or notorious history buff.
The first event in June will be one of several lunchtime lecture series, which are always featured at the Log Chapel at 12:00 noon. The June 15 lecture will educate attendees about burro races, which are thought to have originated during the mining ages when two miners found gold simultaneously in the same place and needed to be the first back to town in order to lay claim on the location of the gold. Today, the race occurs with competitors who lead a burrow that carries a 33-pound pack of gear by a fifteen-foot rope through a specific course.
June 22: Lunchtime lecture series will host a speaker from the Aspen Historical Society and Northern Ute tribal member who will present the history and modern day experience of the Ute tribe.
June 24: At 10:00 am the public is invited to a free walking history tour of Frisco’s Main Street.
June 25: 10:00 am to noon the public is invited on a walking tour of Bill’s Ranch community to learn about the land’s origin, the connection to the town’s survival, and even explore pioneer cabins from the 20th century.
June 29: Lunchtime lecture series at 12:00 noon featuring the history of two historic Colorado narrow gauge railroads with stories and photographs.
July 3: Founder’s Day—From 10:00 am to 4:00 pm guests can enjoy the Frisco Historic Park and Museum with gold panning, burro rides, costumed skits, historic theatrical tours, refreshments and live music/ entertainment in the Main Street Frisco gazebo.
July 6: Lunchtime lecture series and book signing featuring local author and historian Mary Ellen Gilliland who will tell stories about the shenanigans of the 1800s (shysters, shady ladies, swindlers, and all).
July 13: Lunchtime lecture series featuring stories about miners, their families, maps, and photos.
July 20: Lunchtime lecture series featuring stories from the volunteers who have been a part of the Summit County Rescue Group’s 43 years.
July 22: At 10:00 am the public is invited for a free historic tour of Frisco (just in case you missed the one in June!)
July 27: Lunchtime lecture series featuring the two Summit County railroads, how they got here, and the role they played in developing Summit County in relation to Denver, South Park, and the Pacific. Stories of the railroad’s importance during the gold rush will be told and guests will find out where to find interesting sites that remain of these railroads.
August 3: Lunchtime lecture series featuring thousand-year-old ghost towns on the western slope where wild dwellings are found in the Cliffside.
August 10: Lunchtime lecture series featuring the stories of railroads surviving the threat of avalanche danger on the route between Copper and Frisco. Guests will learn how rotary trains and “snowbirds” worked together to narrowly escape catastrophe.
August 12: An evening at the museum with renowned history author Tom “Dr. Colorado” Noel and Hugh “Mark Twain” Bingham, from 5-8 pm with stories to bring guests back in time along with refreshments/libations. The event is free, but reservations are encouraged.
August 17: Lunchtime lecture series featuring Denver’s Union Station and how it has evolved from being the centralized point for everything and anything arriving in Colorado (people, luggage, mail, animals, etc) into the beautiful multi-use hub it is today (with restaurants, trains, buses, shops, florists).
August 24: Lunchtime lecture series that will educate guests about Summit County’s water supply, usage, dangers, and sustainability.
August 31: Lunchtime lecture series featuring local author/historian Sandie Mather who will tell stories about the Dillon Reservoir and its astounding engineering accomplishments.
For more information about what’s happening in Frisco this summer, check out www.townoffrisco.com
