The first Euro-Americans ventured into North Park in search of
beaver pelts. These pelts were used to satisfy a fashion craze for
beaver hats in Europe. By 1820, fur trappers were working along
the mountain streams in and around North Park. . . . — — Map (db m240738) HM
Prior to 1820, North Park was a favorite summer
hunting ground for a number of Native American
tribes, especially the Utes and Arapaho. Other tribes
included the Crow, Sioux, and Cheyenne. These
early native people were drawn to North Park . . . — — Map (db m240763) HM
Dating from 1878, when Leadville butcher Reid Mathews used
the valley's abundant grass to fatten his cattle during the
summer, ranching is the oldest continuous industry in North
Park. Many other cattlemen followed, drawn to the area in . . . — — Map (db m240751) HM
Rumors of the existence of precious metals in North Park
began when John C. Fremont's expedition passed through
the valley in 1844. However, it was nearly thirty years later
that prospecting took place in North Park. Canadian James
O. . . . — — Map (db m240743) HM
The relative solitude of North Park was shattered by the clank
of picks and shovels and the shouts of workers as the railroad
came to the valley in 1911. Stretching from Laramie, Wyoming,
to Coalmont, Colorado, the "iron horse" greatly . . . — — Map (db m240726) HM
As mines expanded and North Park's
population swelled, there was an increasing
need for timber to shore up the mines and
to build homes for settlers. The abundant
forests surrounding North Park afforded a
ready supply of timber, and logging . . . — — Map (db m240737) HM
