Grand Lake in Grand County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)

Grand Lake

Elevation 8367

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 16, 2010

1. Grand Lake Marker (view looking southwest from marker)

Inscription. The largest natural lake in Colorado
Formed by glaciation 30,000 years ago
Long known as the headwaters of the Colorado River.
It is included in the Colorado-Big Thompson Project.
Water from here flows through the “Adams Tunnel” to Estes Park.
The lake has an estimated depth of 265 feet.
It was called “Spirit Lake” by the Native Americans
who camped by its shore.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Waterways & Vessels.

Location. 40° 15.042′ N, 105° 49.197′ W. Marker is in Grand Lake, Colorado, in Grand County. It is at the intersection of Lake Avenue and Garfield Street, on the left when traveling west on Lake Avenue. Marker is located beside the Grand Lake boardwalk at the south end of Garfield Street, overlooking Grand Lake. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Grand Lake CO 80447, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Colorado High Rockies and on the Continental Divide.

It is also in the American Mountain West.

Globally,

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it is in North America,

the Rocky Mountains,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Kauffman House Museum (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Public Square (about 500 feet away); a different marker also named Grand Lake (about 500 feet away); Cairns-Humphrey Store (about 600 feet away); Smith Eslick Cottage Camp (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Smith Eslick Cottage Court (approx. 0.2 miles away); Why Did They Come? (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Smith-Eslick Family (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Grand Lake.

More about this marker. This is a large, painted wooden "billboard-style" marker, mounted in a wooden frame.

Also see . . . Grand Lake History. Prehistoric peoples, and later Native American Ute, Arapaho and Cheyenne tribes made annual pilgrimages to the area (each summer) to fish, hunt and reap the bounty of nature’s harvest. It wasn’t long before trappers, traders and explorers followed. In the mid-1800s, European hunting parties discovered Grand

Grand Lake Marker (<i>view looking southeast from marker</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 8, 2012

2. Grand Lake Marker (view looking southeast from marker)

Lake. Some hunters constructed summer lodges and hired local mountain men as guides. The area was permanently settled in 1867. Grand Lake Village’s first full-time, year-round residents were an intriguing mix of miners (who participated in a brief mining boom) and hunting guides. In the late 1870s, silver was discovered in the rivers and mountains near Grand Lake. Prospectors bought supplies in local stores and established small mountain mining communities. (Submitted on February 14, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Grand Lake Marker (<i>wide view; marker visible near bottom center</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 16, 2010

3. Grand Lake Marker (wide view; marker visible near bottom center)

Grand Lake Marina & Boathouse (<i>view looking east from marker</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 16, 2010

4. Grand Lake Marina & Boathouse (view looking east from marker)

Credits. This page was last revised on February 15, 2019. It was originally submitted on February 12, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 644 times since then and 32 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on February 14, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.