The Frisco Historic Park & Museum

Frisco’s history in the Mountain West is full of passion, prosperity, heartbreak, and rejuvenation, going back to the early nineteenth century when it became a town, and some 7,000 years before that with early Ute settlements. Known as one of the area’s most significant heritage attractions, the Town of Frisco officially dedicated and opened the Frisco Historic Park & Museum on July 2, 1983. The Schoolhouse was fully restored between 1982-1983, and is currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Frisco Historic Park & Museum strives to preserve and promote the Town of Frisco’s heritage and history by presenting an excellent educational museum experience to the community and its visitors, connecting the past, present, and future to the world around us.

The region now known as Summit County was originally occupied by the Ute, Colorado’s first and longest remaining inhabitants. The first Euro-American men to come through this area were known as “mountain men”, who trapped in the high mountain lakes for beaver from the early 1800s into the 1840s. The 1870s ushered in the mining industry as better technology allowed miners access to the silver in the Tenmile Canyon. Founded in 1873 (officially chartered in 1879), the Town of Frisco quickly developed thanks in part to the local mines. By 1882, the permanent population of Frisco reached 250, with two railroads, many businesses, hotels, and saloons. The mining boomed lasted until 1918.

Along with the rest of the country, Frisco was hit hard by the Depression. By 1930, Frisco’s permanent population had dropped to only 18 people, but remained as one of the few mining towns to continue operations. Frisco persevered, and by 1946 the population had increased to 50. With a current population just under 3,000 full-time residents, Frisco remained a sleepy town with a sprinkling of summer tourists until the ski industry, which now attracts millions of people a year to the area, brought a new boom era to Summit County.

Mather, Sandra . Frisco and the Ten Mile Canyon. Charleston, North Carolina. Acadia Publishing, 2011.

Mather, Sandra. Summit County. Charleston, North Carolina. Arcadia Publishing, 2008.

Gilliland, Mary Ellen. Summit: A Gold Rush History of Summit County, Colorado. Silverthorne, CO . Aspenrose Publishing, 1980.

Gilliland, Mary Ellen. Frisco! A Colorful Colorado Community. Silverthorne, CO. Alpenrose Publishing, 1984.