This Once Popular Colorado Tourist Attraction Is Now Part Of A Billionaire's Private Collection
By Christy Articola|Published March 29, 2024
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Christy Articola
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Christy Articola has lived in Colorado since 2013 and considers herself a Centennial State enthusiast and expert through and through. She's based in Denver metro, but over the past decade, she has traveled to every corner, river, village, park, town, and city in the state and continues to explore it deeper and further whenever she can. Christy simply can't get enough of Colorado, and loves sharing all her adventures with you through Only In Your State! She graduated with a degree in journalism from Fordham University and is thrilled to be working as a full time travel writer for this and other sites - she finally found her perfect niche - and is so grateful for that.
Colorado has been home to a wide variety of interesting and sometimes even intriguing tourist attractions. Some have stood the test of time while others, unfortunately, have faded away. One tourist attraction that you might remember is the Buckskin Joe Theme Park in Colorado located near the Royal Gorge Bridge. It opened in 1958 and was once known as the largest Old West theme park in the nation. Best of all, admission was free. It closed in 2010. What happened to this popular, free theme park in the end? Read on to find out.
Colorado offers many landscapes that immediately bring to mind the vibe and culture of the Old West.
As a result, there are many Old West themed stores, restaurants, and attractions in our great state. Even visiting some of our actual towns and small cities feels like stepping into the pages of a history book.
In 1957, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer director Malcolm F. Brown built a film set west of Cañon City to film westerns. He took old buildings from all over Colorado and put them together to create his set. He gathered over 30 in all.
Over 20 movies were filmed on this set from the 1950s to the 1990s. Some even featured famous actors and actresses like John Wayne, Jane Fonda, Charles Bronson. Sam Elliott, James Caan, Goldie Hawn, and Kevin Costner.
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Between productions, the property would be otherwise be vacant, so by 1958 the owners started allowing people to visit. Buckskin Joe grew from there and was very busy and popular for decades.
This imaginary town was named after a real town that existed near Fairplay long ago. That town's true name was Laurette, but it was nicknamed and known as Buckskin Joe by many.
The only building from the original town of Buckskin Joe was this general store that was once owned by Horace Tabor.
In the park's later years, it was transformed into a haunted ghost town at Halloween. The Town of Terror was also very popular and was voted the Best Halloween Attraction in Colorado for two years in a row.
In the end, though, Buckskin Joe theme park was not financially sustainable. Fortunately, the owners found a buyer. Billionaire William Koch bought all of Buckskin Joe and moved it to his private ranch near Gunnison.
Thousands of people have memories of good times at Buckskin Joe! It's sad that this very Colorado attraction is something that no longer exists in the very special way that it once did, but it's wonderful that it existed at all.
Buckskin Joe Theme Park in Colorado was certainly something that many Coloradans will always remember. Did you visit this theme park when it was operational? What memories do you have of it?
Are you headed on down to Cañon City or the Royal Gorge Bridge sometime soon? Looking for somewhere to stay? Check out Hotels.com for great deals!
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