Kremmling in Grand County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Wildlife Conservation
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 28, 2025
1. Wildlife Conservation Marker
“I often wonder how long all the game is going to last,” wrote market hunter Frank Mayer in 1878. “You can’t have wild animals and civilization side by side.”
Permanent settlement had only recently come to this area, ushered in by gold and silver strikes of the Breckenridge and Leadville mining districts in the early 1860s, and by the renewed spirit of exploration and settlement following the Civil War. Wildlife was still abundant. Frank Mayer, who made his living supplying the boomtowns with meat, found such easy pickings that he grew weary of the killing, skinning, and cleaning. Over time such unregulated activity, coupled with the growing loss of habitat, decimated animal populations. By the early 1900s species such as elk, antelope, deer, and bighorn sheep had almost vanished from the region.
They returned in the twentieth century, thanks largely to both private and public efforts. Through the establishment of restricted hunting seasons, the stocking of streams and lakes, the protection and restoration of habitat, and the occasional reintroduction of wildlife, many of the species that Frank Mayer found here in 1878
this page online
Erected 2002 by Colorado Historical Society, Colorado Department of Transportation, and Federal Highway Administration.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals • Environment • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the History Colorado series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1878.
Location. 40° 3.547′ N, 106° 23.597′ W. Marker is in Kremmling, Colorado, in Grand County. It is at the intersection of Park Avenue (U.S. 40) and 2nd Street, on the right when traveling west on Park Avenue. The marker is near the sidewalk at the southwest corner of the Kremmling Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center grounds. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 203 Park Avenue, Kremmling CO 80459, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally,
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 28, 2025
2. Wildlife Conservation Marker
Looking south; Park Avenue crosses in the background. This historical marker is the leftmost of two panels on the north side of the Kremmling’s Colorado History interpretive kiosk.
Other nearby markers. At least 3 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Middle Park Medicine (here, next to this marker); Kremmling (here, next to this marker); Replica of the Statue of Liberty (a few steps from this marker).
Credits. This page was last revised on January 8, 2026. It was originally submitted on January 5, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 41 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 7, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
