Early Settlers
Miners were among the earliest European settlers to come to this part of the Rocky Mountains.
Guide Sections
Use Early Settlers's guide sections to understand how this stop fits into the larger park plan.
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Learn About the Park
Miners were among the earliest European settlers to come to this part of the Rocky Mountains, lured by the Pike's Peak gold rush of 1859. Homesteaders like Joel Estes -- namesake of Estes Park -- soon followed, finding more success as hunters than ranchers. Tourism became an important industry in the 1870s, when the first dude ranches and tourist lodgings were built, and has remained so ever since.