The Fountain of Life: Rocky Mountain National Park
History
While massive glaciers shaped the meadows and peaks, Rocky was an inhospitable land. It was not until some 11,000 years ago that humans began venturing into these valleys and mountains. Spearheads broken in the fury of a mammoth's charge and scrapers discarded along a nomad's trail tell us little about the area's early native peoples. Even though it was never their year-round home, the Ute tribe favored the areas green valleys, tundra meadows, and crystal lakes. The Utes dominated the area until the late 1700s.
Glaciers
Glacial geology in Rocky Mountain National Park can be seen from the
tops of the peaks to the bottom of the valleys. Ice is a powerful
sculptor of this natural environment and large masses of moving ice are
the most powerful tools. While the glaciation periods are largely in the
past, Rocky still has several small glaciers. Other telltale marks of
giant glaciers can be seen all throughout the park.
https://www.nps.gov/romo/learn/nature/glaciers.ht
A Brief History of Colorado Through Time (Geology of Colorado)
Escape the Crowds: Expert Tips for a Quiet Visit to Rocky Mountain National Park
Old Fall River Road - Chasm Falls
Wildfires
5 Easy Access Waterfalls in Rocky Mountain National Park
Old Fall River Road
Sky Pond | My Favorite Lake Hike in Rocky Mountain National Park
National Park System Timeline (Anotated)
https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/hisnps/NPSHistory/timeline_annotated.htm
The Legend of Longs Peak, One of Colorado's Most Popular 14ers
https://www.outdoorjournal.com/legend-longs-peak-one-colorados-popular-14ers/
Old Fall River Road
https://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/old_fall_river_road.htm
Indigenous Connections podcast:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6jfGIJKsq7JTfkpzTBrtSa?si=HyVZgO9iQniNs2UsTjOSVA
Time Line of Historic Events
https://www.nps.gov/romo/learn/historyculture/time_line_of_historic_events.htm
A Celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the 1914 Arapaho Pack Trip
Family Tree of Joel Estes
Estes Park was discovered by Joel on Oct 1, 1859 when he and his son,
Milton, were out on a hunting and exploring trip and traveled to the
head of the Little Thompson Creek. He exclaimed at this little paradise,
"this is the very place I have been seeking, here we will make our
home." He lived there several years, until he was forced by health
reasons to a warmer climate and lower altitude.
Brief RMNP History
Tree Profile: Aspen
So Much More Than a Tree
Older than the massive Sequoias or the biblical Bristlecone Pines, the oldest known aspen clone has lived more than 80,000 years on Utah's Fishlake National Forest. Not only is the clone the oldest living organism, weighing in at an estimated 6,600 tons, it is also the heaviest. Even if the trees of a stand are wiped out, it is very difficult to permanently extinguish an aspen's root system due to the rapid rate in which it reproduces.
A Stanley Hotel History: Part Two
Designed by F.O., architect T. Robert Wieger and contractor Frank Kirhoff in the Georgian Colonial Revival style, the 140-room hotel features a wood and steel frame built on a rocky hillside set against a backdrop of Lumpy Ridge. The south-facing hotel with unobstructed views of Longs Peak and other mountains of the Continental Divide was built with lumber hauled up from Denver on wagons and carts, as well as timber harvested from Hidden Valley in what is now Rocky Mountain National Park.
Majestic RMNP
Rocky Mountain National Park's Sprague Lake is a beautiful body of water found on the south side of Glacier Creek, not far from the Hollowell Park exit. With its flat and well-kept walkway along the water's edge, this all-year attraction is a hit with families and anglers.
All park trails and meadows are pet-free zones. Picnic spaces, parking lots, campsites, and roadside areas are the only places where dogs on leashes are permitted.
North American elk, or wapiti, were once plentiful in the Rocky Mountain National Park area. As Euro-Americans settled the Estes Valley, they hunted elk intensively, sending much of the meat to market in Denver. By 1890 few, if any, elk remained.
The Origins of Exploration in Estes Park
The archaeological record shows that humans have lived in the area for at least 12,000 years. Remains from the Clovis culture, the first known people to cross the Bering Strait land bridge from Asia into North America, have been found in Rocky Mountain National Park. Later, around 2,000 B.C., the McKean people, one of the Paleo-Indian cultures, conducted game drives in which animals were funneled toward natural "traps" where they would be descended upon by groups of eagerly awaiting hunters.