A Mini History Lesson: The Very First Campers

The fresh, mountain air is alive with Native American lore and cowboy history. Up until the 1800s, when the first European settlers came to Granby, the area was prized buffalo, elk and deer hunting grounds for the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes and a summer home for the Ute. In fact, what is now Grand Lake was once named “Spirit Lake” by the Arapaho. According to their “Legend of the Buffalo,” supernatural buffalo inhabit the deepest depths of Grand Lake, emerging when the lake freezes over. You could win the ghost story contest with this one.

When the railroad was established in the early 1900s, Granby quickly became a farming and agriculture hot spot. Hence the influx of our beloved spur-toting cowboys. Today, you can still sample “Wild West” charm in original, preserved stage stops, old railroad depots and homesteads. Here’s your chance to uncover rustic, ranch life in the 1800s, before DVD players made an appearance in stagecoaches.