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“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Near Estes Park in Larimer County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)
 

Rocky Mountain’s “Parks”

 
 
Rocky Mountain’s “Parks” Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Connor Olson, August 25, 2020
1. Rocky Mountain’s “Parks” Marker
Inscription. What is a “Park?"

In the early 1800s, French-speaking trappers called broad mountain meadows “parques,' meaning enclosures. Later, ranchers used these large, open basins to graze livestock. Today, Rocky Mountain National Park preserves many of these “parks” within its boundary.

Lands outside the national park boundary are dotted with natural mountain parks, too. However, the openness of the areas has often proved attractive to development, obscuring the original features of many of those landscapes.

Caption:
Ranching in Estes Park, 1890s

 
Erected by USDI National Park Service.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: AgricultureEnvironmentParks & Recreational Areas.
 
Location. 40° 23.237′ N, 105° 37.874′ W. Marker is near Estes Park, Colorado, in Larimer County. It is on Fall River Road, on the left when traveling west. Located at many parks curve overlook. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Estes Park CO 80517, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally,

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this marker is in Colorado’s Front Range. It is also in the American Mountain West. Globally, it is in North America, the Rocky Mountains, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The Woodpecker Army (approx. one mile away); Animals in Flux (approx. 1.4 miles away); Ancient Paths, Ancient Peoples (approx. 1.4 miles away); Changing Times Bring Changing Uses (approx. 1½ miles away); Horseshoe Park (approx. 1.9 miles away); Trail of Aspens (approx. 3.4 miles away); Rocky Mountain National Park Administration Building (approx. 4 miles away); Stephen Tyng Mather (approx. 4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Estes Park.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on January 12, 2021. It was originally submitted on January 7, 2021, by Connor Olson of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 337 times since then and 13 times this year. Photo   1. submitted on January 7, 2021, by Connor Olson of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
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Jul. 18, 2026