Allenspark, Colorado

File:Allenspark Co circa 1907.jpg

Allenspark is a park in the geographical sense—it is a high meadow surrounded by mountains. While it was first visited by Native Americans and later by trappers, Allen's Park—now spelled Allenspark—got its name from a miner who built the first cabin in the area.Knowlton, Lorna, and DeWeese, Edie (2011). Weaving Mountain Memories: Recollections of the Allenspark Area, p. 3. Allenspark: Allenspark Wind.

During the Colorado Gold Rush of 1859, Allenspark's namesake, Alonzo Nelson Allen, left his family in Columbus, Wisconsin, to seek his fortune in the Kansas/Nebraska Territories that became Colorado. He settled on the St. Vrain River, south of the current city of Longmont, Colorado.

Allen prospected and ran cattle in Allenspark and built a cabin there in 1864. The cabin burned down in 1894, the year Allen died.Knowlton, p. 4.

The village of Allenspark is situated on part of the original George Mack homestead, site of Crystal Springs, an excellent water source. After Mack's homestead patent was granted on January 7, 1895,Homestead Patent COCOAA 004669; General Land Office Records, U.S. Dept. of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management; Retrieved 2013-07-01. Mack sold some of the land to the Allens Park Land and Townsite Co. on May 9, 1896. The land company filed a plat for the village on May 23, 1896,Boulder County Clerk and Recorder; Retrieved 2013-07-01. and began selling small building lots. The Allenspark, Colorado, post office opened on August 18, 1896.{{cite book|title=Colorado Post Offices 1859–1989|first1=William H.|last1=Bauer|first2=James L.|last2=Ozment|first3=John H.|last3=Willard|date=1990|publisher=Colorado Railroad Historical Foundation|location=Golden, Colorado|isbn=0-918654-42-4}}

In Weaving Mountain Memories, Lorna Knowlton writes, "George Pheifer, a prominent early settler who came into Allenspark over the Stone Mountain Road from Lyons in 1896, said Allen never homesteaded his land but merely squatted on it in 1864. Pheifer said, 'All Alonzo Allen ever did for Allenspark was to give it a name.'"

In the late 1890s, most residents of the Allenspark area were farmers or ranchers, but by the early 1900s there was a resurgence in gold fever. The Clara Belle Mining and Reduction Co. attracted investors from as far away as Omaha, Nebraska, for what turned out to be a folly. Meanwhile, tourism was booming, and farmers and miners alike found a better income catering to tourists during the summer months. The first post office application was filed on May 29, 1896, by C.K. Hirshfeld.Knowlton, p. 97.

The village of Allenspark began to grow when summer people bought land and built cabins from around 1900 to 1920. Many people came up the South St. Vrain canyon from Longmont, and a number came from as far away as Kansas and Oklahoma in that initial burst. The greater Allenspark area extends beyond the village to include the small communities of Ferncliff, Longs Peak, Meeker Park, Peaceful Valley, Raymond, and Riverside, and is defined by the boundaries of the Allenspark Fire Protection District.

Allenspark remained primarily a summer destination until improved roads and modern technology made mountain living easier than it used to be. Now, many people live year-round in the Allenspark area. In 2000, 500 residences were listed in the phone book."Community Wildfire Protection Plan," Allenspark, Colorado (2009). Retrieved 2013-07-25. The 2010 census counted a total of 892 housing units, 267 of which were occupied on Census Day (April 1) and 577 of which were seasonally occupied.{{cite web| url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/1600000US0801420| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212144205/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/1600000US0801420| url-status=dead| archive-date=February 12, 2020| title=Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Allenspark CDP, Colorado| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder| access-date=September 27, 2013}}

Many businesses are still only open during the summer. Businesses include restaurants, lodges, summer camps, coffee shop, and gift shops. There is a filling station and grocery store in Ferncliff, however cell-phone coverage is nearly non-existent.{{Cite web | url=https://fernclifffoodandfuel.wixsite.com/specials | title=Home | Ferncliff Food & Fuel }}

File:Allenspark ski jumps map.jpg

Skiing was popular in the Allenspark area in the 1920s and 1930s, when international ski jumping competitions were held. Jumps and ski courses included the Willow Creek Slide, Thelma Slide, Butter Bowl, Haugen Slide, and Point-O-Pines. The Rock Creek Ski area was developed after World War II and operated until 1952. Cross-country skiing is still popular, especially on Rock Creek and in Wild Basin.Knowlton, p. 143.

Allenspark is located in northwest Boulder County within Roosevelt National Forest in the Front Range of the Colorado Rockies. The western edge of the community is the boundary of Rocky Mountain National Park. State Highway 7 passes through the community, leading north {{convert|15|mi}} to Estes Park and east {{convert|19|mi}} to Lyons.

At the 2020 United States census, the Allenspark CDP had an area of {{convert|30.924|km2|acres|order=flip}} including {{convert|0.033|km2|acres|order=flip}} of water.

{{Weather box

|location = Allenspark 3NW, Colorado, 1991–2020 normals: 8500ft (2591m)

|single line = Yes

|collapsed = Yes

|Jan record high F = 59

|Feb record high F = 55

|Mar record high F = 65

|Apr record high F = 70

|May record high F = 82

|Jun record high F = 85

|Jul record high F = 90

|Aug record high F = 87

|Sep record high F = 83

|Oct record high F = 74

|Nov record high F = 67

|Dec record high F = 55

|year record high F =

|Jan avg record high F = 50.9

|Feb avg record high F = 50.4

|Mar avg record high F = 57.2

|Apr avg record high F = 63.0

|May avg record high F = 74.2

|Jun avg record high F = 80.2

|Jul avg record high F = 86.1

|Aug avg record high F = 83.1

|Sep avg record high F = 78.3

|Oct avg record high F = 68.4

|Nov avg record high F = 57.5

|Dec avg record high F = 50.2

|year avg record high F = 86.3

|Jan high F = 32.2

|Feb high F = 34.5

|Mar high F = 41.7

|Apr high F = 46.1

|May high F = 56.0

|Jun high F = 68.6

|Jul high F = 74.3

|Aug high F = 72.7

|Sep high F = 65.7

|Oct high F = 52.4

|Nov high F = 40.6

|Dec high F = 33.4

|year high F =

|Jan mean F = 23.2

|Feb mean F = 24.6

|Mar mean F = 31.0

|Apr mean F = 34.4

|May mean F = 44.1

|Jun mean F = 53.3

|Jul mean F = 59.3

|Aug mean F = 57.7

|Sep mean F = 51.1

|Oct mean F = 40.6

|Nov mean F = 30.5

|Dec mean F = 23.8

|year mean F =

|Jan low F = 14.1

|Feb low F = 14.7

|Mar low F = 20.3

|Apr low F = 22.8

|May low F = 32.2

|Jun low F = 38.1

|Jul low F = 44.3

|Aug low F = 42.7

|Sep low F = 36.5

|Oct low F = 28.7

|Nov low F = 20.3

|Dec low F = 14.1

|year low F =

|Jan avg record low F = -7.1

|Feb avg record low F = -8.5

|Mar avg record low F = -1.7

|Apr avg record low F = 6.4

|May avg record low F = 20.0

|Jun avg record low F = 28.4

|Jul avg record low F = 36.0

|Aug avg record low F = 35.2

|Sep avg record low F = 20.0

|Oct avg record low F = 12.1

|Nov avg record low F = -0.6

|Dec avg record low F = -3.5

|year avg record low F = -15.5

|Jan record low F = −21

|Feb record low F = −23

|Mar record low F = −23

|Apr record low F = -8

|May record low F = 10

|Jun record low F = 23

|Jul record low F = 31

|Aug record low F = 31

|Sep record low F = 11

|Oct record low F = 3

|Nov record low F = -15

|Dec record low F = −17

|year record low F =

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation inch = 1.44

|Feb precipitation inch = 1.38

|Mar precipitation inch = 3.11

|Apr precipitation inch = 3.61

|May precipitation inch = 3.06

|Jun precipitation inch = 1.83

|Jul precipitation inch = 2.41

|Aug precipitation inch = 2.69

|Sep precipitation inch = 2.21

|Oct precipitation inch = 1.14

|Nov precipitation inch = 1.44

|Dec precipitation inch = 0.84

|year precipitation inch =

|Jan snow inch = 20.8

|Feb snow inch = 18.2

|Mar snow inch = 34.0

|Apr snow inch = 36.9

|May snow inch = 12.0

|Jun snow inch = 1.8

|Jul snow inch = trace

|Aug snow inch = 0.0

|Sep snow inch = 7.3

|Oct snow inch = 9.2

|Nov snow inch = 18.8

|Dec snow inch = 12.7

|year snow inch =

|source 1 = NOAA

{{cite web

|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&startDate=0001-01-01&endDate=9996-12-31&stations=USC00050185&format=pdf

|title = Allenspark 3NW, Colorado 1991-2020 Monthly Normals

|access-date = December 9, 2023

}}

|source 2 = XMACIS (1991-2003 snowfall, records & monthly max/mins)

{{cite web

|url = https://xmacis.rcc-acis.org/

|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

|title = xmACIS

|access-date = December 9, 2023

}}

}}

The United States Census Bureau initially defined the {{nowrap|Aetna Estates CDP}} for the {{nowrap|2000 United States census.}}

{{Historical populations

|title = Allenspark CDP, Colorado

|type = US

|align = left

|source = United States Census Bureau

|2000|496

|2010|528

|2020|568

}}

{{clear}}

{{portal|Geography|History|United States|Colorado}}

• Boulder, CO Metropolitan Statistical Area
• List of census-designated places in Colorado
• List of populated places in Colorado
• List of post offices in Colorado
• Longs Peak
• Peak to Peak Highway
• Rocky Mountain National Park
• Roosevelt National Forest
• Wind River Pass

{{clear}}

{{reflist}}

{{sister project links|auto=yes}}

• [https://www.colorado.gov/ State of Colorado]
• [https://www.historycolorado.org/ History Colorado]
• [https://www.colorado.com/cities-and-towns/allenspark Allenspark @ Colorado.com]
• [https://www.uncovercolorado.com/towns/allenspark/ Allenspark @ UncoverColorado.com]
• [http://www.allensparkwind.com/ The Allenspark Wind], local newspaper
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20150120185044/http://www.allensparkvisitor.com/ Allenspark Visitor], online guide
• [http://www.theoldgallery.org/ Allenspark Old Gallery], not-for-profit community center, music venue, art center
• [https://www.bouldercounty.org/ Boulder County website]
• [https://www.nps.gov/romo/index.htm Rocky Mountain National Park website]
• [https://www.fs.usda.gov/arp Roosevelt National Forest website]

{{Boulder County, Colorado|collapse_state=expanded}}

{{Colorado}}

{{authority control}}

Category:Census-designated places in Boulder County, Colorado

Category:Census-designated places in Colorado

Category:Denver metropolitan area