Frisco
Frisco's history began with the Ute Indians who first traveled the region now known as
Summit County.
The first white men to come through this area were known as "mountain men" who
trapped in the high mountain lakes for the thick coat of the beaver. The mountain men
trapped in this territory from 1810 to around the 1840's.
The 1870's brought mining to Frisco. Founded in 1873 by Henry Recen, the Town of
Frisco quickly developed thanks in part to the locale's many mines. By 1882 the
permanent population reached 250 with two railroads, many businesses, hotels and
saloons, not to mention "loads of mines."
Now......Experience Frisco's rich and colorful history firsthand at the Frisco Historic
Park at 2nd and Main. Here you can tour eleven original 1880 buildings that were
once saloons, hotels, log homes, the original log chapel, and even a dairy cattle ranch
house.
http://www.townoffrisco.com/
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Annual Summer Cemetery tours
Hosted by the Frisco Historical Society
Fund raiser brings dead to life
(Article from 2002)
Lu Snyder
August 8, 2002
FRISCO - It's not often one has the chance to visit with people buried in a graveyard.
On Saturday, the Frisco Historical Society is holding a cemetery tour and party -
offering residents, history hounds and tourists an opportunity of a past lifetime.
"It sounds kind of weird, I know," said historical society executive director Rita Bartram,
"but it's really fun."
This is the third time the historical society has hosted a tour and party at the Frisco
cemetery, near the marina, but it's been several years since the last one. The idea
originated as a way to raise money to purchase gravestones "because there are so
many unmarked graves in the cemetery," Bartram said.
In addition to being a fund raiser, the event also is a great way to learn local history
and have some fun, too.
The three tours give guests a chance to peek into history. Several Frisco residents -
including Mayor Bob Moscatelli and Councilmember Bernie Zurbriggen - have agreed
to play the parts of several people buried in the town's cemetery.
Each tour will stop at seven graves, where residents dressed in costume portraying
the deceased share a bit of their part in history, Bartram said. (Reservations are not
required, but Bartram asked that visitors choose the tour - 3:30, 4 or 4:30 - most
convenient for them so the tours will be more balanced in number, rather than
everyone crowding into the first tour as has happened in the past.)
Among the highlighted personalities are Susan Badger, known for giving a nickel to
the child who presented her with the first May flower each spring; Henry Recen, who
founded Frisco; a miner; and a soiled dove (another term for prostitute).
Recen is the only one featured in the tour who is not actually buried in the cemetery.
Bartram said he's buried on the Gore Range Trail, but since he is such an important
part of Frisco's past, it seemed necessary to include him on this walk through history.
The miner and soiled dove do not have identities, per se. Bartram said there isn't
enough information to know all of those buried in the cemetery, but since mining and
prostitution were a part of Frisco then, historical society officials created a composite
of various true stories to represent those left unnamed.
The historical society raised enough money from the first two fund raisers to purchase
20 gravestones, Bartram said. Thirteen already have been placed, and the remaining
seven will be erected this week.
Bartram said the money from this year's party will be used to purchase benches for
the cemetery.
Light appetizers, beer, wine and soft drinks will be offered after the tour, and local
musician Keith Synnestvedt will entertain guests with guitar and song.
There are no backup plans in case of rain, and Bartram said she has no plans of
canceling the event with inclement weather.
Lu Snyder can be reached at 970-668-3998 x203 or lsnyder@summitdaily.com
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Frisco Historical Society
120 Main Street
Frisco, CO 80443
(970) 668-3428
friscohistorical@aol.com
````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
From: http://www.ghostseekers.com/Summit/friscem.htm
The cemetery is located on the eastern edge of Frisco, next to Dillon Reservoir, and is
directly across the street from the marina. It contains many unmarked graves. It is my
understanding that the Frisco Historical Society is attempting to reconstruct the
records for the unmarked graves. I transcribed this cemetery in August of 1998 and
will be updated when the Society is finished with their research.
`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
From the Summit Historical Society website:
The date the Frisco Cemetery was established is uncertain; what is known is that it
is more than 100 years old. Much of the cemetery appears overgrown, but it is
deliberately left in that condition for most people interred there had requested "burial
in the wild." The cemetery has four plots; the three in the wild are reserved for the
Deming, Lund and Thomas/Mogee families, while the one in the mowed area is for
members of the Rocky Mountain Bible Church. It is surmised that most of the earliest
and unmarked graves are for miners or prostitutes.
In 1951 a big uproar erupted in the town when newcomer Emil Slovak claimed that a
half acre of the cemetery was on his ranch. He erected a barbed-wire fence on what
he determined was his property line and threatened to dig up the graves on his side of
the fence. After a court battle with Frisco officials, Slovak lost his case. He eventually
sold his ranch.
The cemetery doesn't house only the dead. The mowed area is home to dozens of
prairie dogs, and the wild area, especially the east side, counts at least one resident
badger. While the birds and squirrels that nest in the trees are welcome, the ground
inhabitants are not.
Directions: The Frisco Cemetery is located on the east end of Main Street in Frisco.
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Frisco's history began with the Ute Indians who first traveled the region now known as
Summit County.
The first white men to come through this area were known as "mountain men" who
trapped in the high mountain lakes for the thick coat of the beaver. The mountain men
trapped in this territory from 1810 to around the 1840's.
The 1870's brought mining to Frisco. Founded in 1873 by Henry Recen, the Town of
Frisco quickly developed thanks in part to the locale's many mines. By 1882 the
permanent population reached 250 with two railroads, many businesses, hotels and
saloons, not to mention "loads of mines."
Now......Experience Frisco's rich and colorful history firsthand at the Frisco Historic
Park at 2nd and Main. Here you can tour eleven original 1880 buildings that were
once saloons, hotels, log homes, the original log chapel, and even a dairy cattle ranch
house.
http://www.townoffrisco.com/
`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Annual Summer Cemetery tours
Hosted by the Frisco Historical Society
Fund raiser brings dead to life
(Article from 2002)
Lu Snyder
August 8, 2002
FRISCO - It's not often one has the chance to visit with people buried in a graveyard.
On Saturday, the Frisco Historical Society is holding a cemetery tour and party -
offering residents, history hounds and tourists an opportunity of a past lifetime.
"It sounds kind of weird, I know," said historical society executive director Rita Bartram,
"but it's really fun."
This is the third time the historical society has hosted a tour and party at the Frisco
cemetery, near the marina, but it's been several years since the last one. The idea
originated as a way to raise money to purchase gravestones "because there are so
many unmarked graves in the cemetery," Bartram said.
In addition to being a fund raiser, the event also is a great way to learn local history
and have some fun, too.
The three tours give guests a chance to peek into history. Several Frisco residents -
including Mayor Bob Moscatelli and Councilmember Bernie Zurbriggen - have agreed
to play the parts of several people buried in the town's cemetery.
Each tour will stop at seven graves, where residents dressed in costume portraying
the deceased share a bit of their part in history, Bartram said. (Reservations are not
required, but Bartram asked that visitors choose the tour - 3:30, 4 or 4:30 - most
convenient for them so the tours will be more balanced in number, rather than
everyone crowding into the first tour as has happened in the past.)
Among the highlighted personalities are Susan Badger, known for giving a nickel to
the child who presented her with the first May flower each spring; Henry Recen, who
founded Frisco; a miner; and a soiled dove (another term for prostitute).
Recen is the only one featured in the tour who is not actually buried in the cemetery.
Bartram said he's buried on the Gore Range Trail, but since he is such an important
part of Frisco's past, it seemed necessary to include him on this walk through history.
The miner and soiled dove do not have identities, per se. Bartram said there isn't
enough information to know all of those buried in the cemetery, but since mining and
prostitution were a part of Frisco then, historical society officials created a composite
of various true stories to represent those left unnamed.
The historical society raised enough money from the first two fund raisers to purchase
20 gravestones, Bartram said. Thirteen already have been placed, and the remaining
seven will be erected this week.
Bartram said the money from this year's party will be used to purchase benches for
the cemetery.
Light appetizers, beer, wine and soft drinks will be offered after the tour, and local
musician Keith Synnestvedt will entertain guests with guitar and song.
There are no backup plans in case of rain, and Bartram said she has no plans of
canceling the event with inclement weather.
Lu Snyder can be reached at 970-668-3998 x203 or lsnyder@summitdaily.com
```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Frisco Historical Society
120 Main Street
Frisco, CO 80443
(970) 668-3428
friscohistorical@aol.com
````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
From: http://www.ghostseekers.com/Summit/friscem.htm
The cemetery is located on the eastern edge of Frisco, next to Dillon Reservoir, and is
directly across the street from the marina. It contains many unmarked graves. It is my
understanding that the Frisco Historical Society is attempting to reconstruct the
records for the unmarked graves. I transcribed this cemetery in August of 1998 and
will be updated when the Society is finished with their research.
`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
From the Summit Historical Society website:
The date the Frisco Cemetery was established is uncertain; what is known is that it
is more than 100 years old. Much of the cemetery appears overgrown, but it is
deliberately left in that condition for most people interred there had requested "burial
in the wild." The cemetery has four plots; the three in the wild are reserved for the
Deming, Lund and Thomas/Mogee families, while the one in the mowed area is for
members of the Rocky Mountain Bible Church. It is surmised that most of the earliest
and unmarked graves are for miners or prostitutes.
In 1951 a big uproar erupted in the town when newcomer Emil Slovak claimed that a
half acre of the cemetery was on his ranch. He erected a barbed-wire fence on what
he determined was his property line and threatened to dig up the graves on his side of
the fence. After a court battle with Frisco officials, Slovak lost his case. He eventually
sold his ranch.
The cemetery doesn't house only the dead. The mowed area is home to dozens of
prairie dogs, and the wild area, especially the east side, counts at least one resident
badger. While the birds and squirrels that nest in the trees are welcome, the ground
inhabitants are not.
Directions: The Frisco Cemetery is located on the east end of Main Street in Frisco.
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