Wander the West

South Park City - Colorado

	South Park City

2006

South Park City is not a real city at all. Located in Fairplay, Colorado, South park City is a recreation of an old west mining town put together with real buildings and artifacts from the South Park area of Colorado. From southparkcity.org:

Located in Fairplay, Colorado, the museum is an accurate representation of a mining town between 1860 and 1900. Thirty-four authentic buildings filled with over 60,000 artifacts portray most of the economic and social aspects of boomtown life. Seven of the buildings are on their original sites; the others have been moved from abandoned camps and ghost towns in South Park, a 900 square mile basin surrounded by Colorado's majestic Rocky Mountains. The restored buildings contain period room settings and exhibits illustrating the professions, trades and industries that contributed to life in a nineteenth century Colorado mining town.

I have been to a lot of old west museums so I don't get too excited about them anymore. However, South Park City deserves accolades for the outstanding job that was done in assembling these buildings and artifacts. This is the best old west museum I have ever been too. The old drug store is especially interesting, containing hundreds of bottles of old drugs, a soda fountain, and even stacks of 1800's era prescriptions. I happened to be at the museum during living history day, during which many actors were strolling the museum grounds in period clothing, some on horses. All around great fun!

Also of note is that there is a sign at the entrance that says dogs are welcome - a rarity indeed!

Click here to view the South Park City gallery

- Aaron Walton