This volume is the consequence of dissecting all previous editions and selecting the essence of the very early times spent in Estes Park. Enos A. Mills' first book, "The Story of Early Estes Park and a Guide Book" is, as always, a glorious experience to explore the Estes Park of the past. Enos did not include the "Guide" section in his second edition "The Story of Estes Park." Nor did the subsequent editions "The Story of Estes Park and Grand Lake," "The Rocky Mountain National Park Memorial Edition," "Early Estes Park," and "The Story of Early Estes Park, Rocky Mountain National Park and Grand Lake." We have tried to remain faithful to the original "paleface" names of areas, rock formations and canyons of this time period, simply because we cannot keep up with the recent explosion of confusing name changes. We have added a few new goodies we hope you will enjoy. We thank the Stanley Museum of Estes Park, Colorado and Kingfield, Maine, for graciously allowing us to include a portion of Flora's personal perspective of Estes Park.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Rocky Mountain National Park: A History is more than just the story of Rocky Mountain in its brief tenure as a national park. Its scope includes the earliest traces of human activity in the region and outlines the major events of exploration, settlement, and exploitation. Origins of the national park ideas are followed into the recent decades of the Park's overwhelming popularity. It is a story of change, of mountains reflecting the tenor of the times. From being a hunting ground to becoming ranchland, from being a region of resorts to becoming a national park, this small segment of the Rocky Mountains displays a record of human activities that helps explain the present and may guide us toward the future.

Brochure includes information on Rocky Mountain Parks Transportation Company tours through the Park.

Historic photographs paired with contemporary photographs taken from the exact same locations illuminate the evolution that has occurred in the Estes Park area, as well as in Rocky Mountain National Park, over more than a century. From the Stanley Hotel to Lake Estes, see whether the landmarks and landscape of Estes Park have been completely transformed or if they remain almost unchanged.

Letters to her sister about the author's travel in Colorado, autumn and early winter 1873.

Following the establishment of Rocky Mountain National Park in 1915, promotional campaigns generated by the railroads lured wealthy travelers to the park with images of the great outdoors and the many luxuries offered by the finest hotels. Postcards were circulated proclaiming the park as the "Playground of the World." The gateway communities of Estes Park and Grand Lake became vibrant hospitality centers, and in 1920, when the two towns were connected with the opening of Fall River Road, a new era of tourism was introduced that continues today. More than 200 postcards are used in this book to provide a chronology of the early hotels, ranches, and other settings that have shaped the park's history for more than a century.