THE MYSTERIOUS TALE OF ESTES PARK’S EARLY OWNERSHIP

After Joel Estes bid farewell to his mountain paradise in 1866, the land changed hands faster than a deck of cards in a frontier saloon. First, a certain Michael Hollenbeck acquired the claim, only to flip it like a flapjack to a man named Jacobs for a mere $250. But the saga doesn’t end there, dear citizens!

For lo and behold, a character straight out of a dime novel soon entered the fray. Known only as “Buck Skin,” this “regular Robinson Crusoe” of a fellow laid claim to the Estes homestead One can only imagine this leather-clad frontiersman, wild-eyed and bushy-bearded, stalking the valleys and peaks of his newly acquired kingdom!

But “Buck Skin’s” reign was as brief as a Rocky Mountain summer. In 1867, the wily Welshman Griffith “Griff” Evans swooped in like a hawk, seizing control of the Estes claim. Evans, a jovial sort with a laugh as hearty as his appetite for opportunity, saw the potential for tourism in this mountain paradise.

For two decades, Evans held court in the old Estes ranch house, regaling visitors with tales of frontier life and leading hunting expeditions for well-heeled tourists. But even Evans’ tenure would prove fleeting in the grand scheme of things. For in due course, the land “lost its identity by becoming the property of the Earl of Dunraven”, that notorious Irish land-grabber with dreams of a private hunting preserve.

And thus, dear citizens, we see how this slice of Rocky Mountain heaven passed through the hands of homesteaders, speculators, and nobility alike, each leaving their mark on the land that would one day become Rocky Mountain National Park!

Sources

NPS History. “The Earl of Dunraven in Estes Park.” Accessed February 19, 2025. http://npshistory.com/series/berkeley/rensch3/rensch3f.htm

National Park Service. “Rocky Mountain National Park: A History (Chapter 2).” Accessed February 19, 2025. https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/romo/buchholtz/chap2.htm

National Park Service. “Rocky Mountain NP: Administrative History (Chapter 1).” Accessed February 19, 2025. https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/romo/adhi1.htm

Visit Estes Park. “History of Estes Park | Culture and Archaeological Records.” Accessed February 19, 2025. https://www.visitestespark.com/plan/about/history/

Wikipedia. “Estes Park, Colorado.” Accessed February 19, 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estes_Park,_Colorado