20 Fun Facts about Grand County

1.Pop. – 15,978
2. Sunny Days- 250/yr
3.Average Snow- 200″
4. County Size- 1868 sq mi
5. 2 Ski Resorts and 4 golf courses
6. Grand Lake- largest Natural lake in Co
7.Grand county named after the Grand River, aka the Co River.
8. 75% of County land is owned by US Forest service, B of LM, Co Parks & Wildlife, Co Board of Land Commissioners, and Rocky Mt. National Park.
9. Continental Divide creates portions of N, S, & E borders
10. Utes were 1st modern Native Americans in the 16th Century.
11. 1860’s Grand Lake attracted hunting parties while HSS attracted visitors directed by W. Beyers.
12. 1st permanent resident of the area built a cabin on the West shore of Grand Lake in 1867.
13. 1874 GC was formally established and the county seat was placed in Hot Sulphur Springs.
14. 1881 seat was moved to Grand Lake where fighting began and resulted in 6 shooting deaths. 1888 was returned to HSS and the bitterness ended.
15. 1868 Treaty between Utes and Meeker to stop hunting and gathering and to promote farming. Treaty ended in relocating Utes to a reservation.
16. Grand Lake Lodge was erected in 1920.
17. GC had a small mining boom in the late 19th century which quickly ended and Agriculture bloomed-specifically Hay and Lettuce.
18. 1950 first reservoir, Lake Granby becoming headwaters and funneling water to Denver.
19. 1904 1st Railroad, 1938 Railroad was complete for tourists to travel GL to Denver.
20. Skiing began in the early 20th century, but became a modern sport after WWII. WP Resort, aka Hideaway Park, began in the 1930’s.