Guffey, Colorado

The town was once called Freshwater, and was the center of activity for the Freshwater Mining District, a minor producer of copper, lead, zinc, mica, feldspar, and other minerals, including traces of gold and silver.{{cite web

|url=https://www.legendsofamerica.com/guffey-colorado-quirky-mining-town/

|title=Guffey, Colorado – Quirky Mining Town

|accessdate=July 1, 2022}}

Activity and population peaked between the years 1895 and 1902, with over 500 residents and 40 businesses in the town. Cattle ranching and lumber operations supplemented the mining activity. The town was also known for its dances and fiddlers.

In January 2001, the bodies of three members of the Dutcher family were found near Guffey; all had been murdered. Three teenagers were convicted of the crime. The boys had formed a group that took on aspects of a paramilitary organization, and one of them claimed that the murders were part of a plan to fight insurrection in the country of Guyana. The brutal nature of the crime and its bizarre motive attracted national attention.{{cite web

|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/story?id=8356244

|title=Bizarre Triple Homicide May Have Been Cult Killing

|author1=Avila, Jim |author2=Berman, Thomas

|date=August 19, 2009

|publisher=ABC News

|accessdate=September 24, 2013}}{{cite book

|author=Eastburn, Kathryn

|title=Simon Says: A True Story of Boys, Guns, and Murder

|year=2007

|publisher=Da Capo Press

|isbn=978-0306815522

|url-access=registration

|url=https://archive.org/details/simonsaystruesto00east

}}

The town has a cat named "Monster" as its unofficial Mayor. The town is perhaps less famous for its annual Fourth of July Chicken Fly, a tradition which lasted for twenty-six years, but ended in 2016. At the chicken-fly, small chickens were released from a velvet-lined mailbox atop a ten-foot-high (3.04 m) platform; prizes were awarded for those chickens that flew the greatest distance.[http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_15436439 Denver Post Claire Martin, The Denver Post Published: July 3, 2010]

Guffey is located about one mile north of State Highway 9 on County Road 102, southeast of South Park. Freshwater Creek flows past the east side of the community.Colorado Atlas & Gazetteer, DeLorme, 12th ed. 2015, p. 61 {{isbn|0899332889}}

The Guffey CDP has an area of {{convert|22.519|km2|acres|disp=flip}}, including {{convert|0.053|km2|acres|disp=flip}} of water.

{{Weather box

|location = Guffey 9SE, Colorado, 1991–2020 normals, 2009-2023 records: 8915ft (2717m)

|single line = Yes

|Jan record high F = 57

|Feb record high F = 59

|Mar record high F = 68

|Apr record high F = 71

|May record high F = 79

|Jun record high F = 89

|Jul record high F = 90

|Aug record high F = 87

|Sep record high F = 84

|Oct record high F = 76

|Nov record high F = 67

|Dec record high F = 62

|year record high F =

|Jan avg record high F = 51.1

|Feb avg record high F = 51.4

|Mar avg record high F = 60.1

|Apr avg record high F = 66.9

|May avg record high F = 73.1

|Jun avg record high F = 84.2

|Jul avg record high F = 84.4

|Aug avg record high F = 80.4

|Sep avg record high F = 79.8

|Oct avg record high F = 70.5

|Nov avg record high F = 60.5

|Dec avg record high F = 52.6

|year avg record high F = 85.3

|Jan high F = 36.7

|Feb high F = 38.1

|Mar high F = 46.6

|Apr high F = 52.8

|May high F = 62.8

|Jun high F = 72.7

|Jul high F = 77.4

|Aug high F = 73.6

|Sep high F = 66.8

|Oct high F = 58.0

|Nov high F = 45.2

|Dec high F = 36.3

|year high F =

|Jan mean F = 26.5

|Feb mean F = 27.0

|Mar mean F = 34.5

|Apr mean F = 40.3

|May mean F = 49.3

|Jun mean F = 59.6

|Jul mean F = 63.4

|Aug mean F = 61.4

|Sep mean F = 55.4

|Oct mean F = 45.1

|Nov mean F = 34.5

|Dec mean F = 26.3

|year mean F =

|Jan low F = 16.3

|Feb low F = 15.8

|Mar low F = 22.5

|Apr low F = 27.8

|May low F = 35.9

|Jun low F = 46.5

|Jul low F = 49.5

|Aug low F = 49.1

|Sep low F = 44.0

|Oct low F = 32.2

|Nov low F = 23.8

|Dec low F = 16.2

|year low F =

|Jan avg record low F = -3.9

|Feb avg record low F = -7.7

|Mar avg record low F = 4.0

|Apr avg record low F = 10.4

|May avg record low F = 21.2

|Jun avg record low F = 35.9

|Jul avg record low F = 43.6

|Aug avg record low F = 42.4

|Sep avg record low F = 30.5

|Oct avg record low F = 11.7

|Nov avg record low F = 4.7

|Dec avg record low F = -5.8

|year avg record low F = -11.5

|Jan record low F = −13

|Feb record low F = −23

|Mar record low F = −7

|Apr record low F = 0

|May record low F = 10

|Jun record low F = 30

|Jul record low F = 41

|Aug record low F = 39

|Sep record low F = 20

|Oct record low F = -7

|Nov record low F = -13

|Dec record low F = −17

|year record low F =

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation inch = 0.56

|Feb precipitation inch = 0.87

|Mar precipitation inch = 1.61

|Apr precipitation inch = 1.75

|May precipitation inch = 2.08

|Jun precipitation inch = 1.22

|Jul precipitation inch = 3.49

|Aug precipitation inch = 3.52

|Sep precipitation inch = 1.55

|Oct precipitation inch = 1.09

|Nov precipitation inch = 0.64

|Dec precipitation inch = 0.91

|year precipitation inch =

|Jan snow inch = 8.40

|Feb snow inch = 12.00

|Mar snow inch = 10.20

|Apr snow inch = 15.80

|May snow inch = 7.10

|Jun snow inch = 0.00

|Jul snow inch = 0.00

|Aug snow inch = 0.00

|Sep snow inch = 1.20

|Oct snow inch = 7.50

|Nov snow inch = 5.10

|Dec snow inch = 10.40

|year snow inch =

|Jan snow depth inch = 5.6

|Feb snow depth inch = 7.5

|Mar snow depth inch = 5.9

|Apr snow depth inch = 4.3

|May snow depth inch = 3.8

|Jun snow depth inch = 0.0

|Jul snow depth inch = 0.0

|Aug snow depth inch = 0.0

|Sep snow depth inch = 0.4

|Oct snow depth inch = 3.6

|Nov snow depth inch = 4.5

|Dec snow depth inch = 6.1

|year snow depth inch = 10.6

|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in

|Jan precipitation days = 4.1

|Feb precipitation days = 6.0

|Mar precipitation days = 5.1

|Apr precipitation days = 6.7

|May precipitation days = 10.9

|Jun precipitation days = 8.9

|Jul precipitation days = 17.4

|Aug precipitation days = 13.7

|Sep precipitation days = 8.2

|Oct precipitation days = 4.9

|Nov precipitation days = 3.4

|Dec precipitation days = 4.9

|unit snow days = 0.1 in

|Jan snow days = 4.1

|Feb snow days = 5.7

|Mar snow days = 4.8

|Apr snow days = 5.3

|May snow days = 3.3

|Jun snow days = 0.1

|Jul snow days = 0.0

|Aug snow days = 0.0

|Sep snow days = 0.4

|Oct snow days = 2.5

|Nov snow days = 2.8

|Dec snow days = 4.8

|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=USC00053652&format=pdf

|title = Guffey 9SE, Colorado 1991-2020 Monthly Normals

|access-date = January 5, 2024

}}

|source 2 = XMACIS2 (records, monthly max/mins & 2006-2023 snow depth)

{{cite web

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

|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

|title = xmACIS

|access-date = January 5, 2024

}}

}}

Rocks from two distinct times in Earth's history, the Precambrian and the Paleogene, are exposed in the area. The Precambrian rocks, comprising both igneous intrusive and metamorphic rocks over one billion years old, host mineral deposits of minor economic significance. The relatively much younger Paleogene rocks were erupted by the Guffey volcanic center of the Thirtynine Mile volcanic area about 34 million years ago and are associated with the fossil deposits at Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument.{{cite web

|url=http://geoinfo.nmt.edu/museum/minsymp/abstracts/view.cfm?aid=332

|author1=Veatch, Steven W. |author2=Alfrey, Dan |author3=Beckwith, Jo |author4=Blair, Becky |author5=Peterson, Chris L.| author6=Johnston, Wayne |author7=Hammond, Maury |author8=Loest, Maury

|date=November 8–9, 2008

|title=Mineral Strike to Meteor Strike: Guffey and the Freshwater Mining District

|work=Abstracts of the 29th Annual New Mexico Mineral Symposium

|publisher=New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources

|accessdate=September 24, 2013}}

File:Guffey meteorite - The American Museum journal (c1900-(1918)) (17539305393).jpg

In 1907, a 309 kilogram (681.2-lb.) meteorite was found near Guffey by two cowboys, although the exact location was not recorded. To date, this is the largest meteorite ever recovered in the state of Colorado. It is classified as an ungrouped iron meteorite, sometimes considered an ataxite due to its high nickel content and lack of Widmanstätten patterns. Most of the meteorite resides in New York City at the American Museum of Natural History, although the Denver Museum of Nature and Science has acquired a slice. No samples are available for public viewing in Guffey itself.{{cite web

|url=http://www.cloudbait.com/science/guffeymet.html

|author=Peterson, Chris

|title=The Guffey Meteorite

|publisher=Cloudbait Observatory

|year=2002

|accessdate=September 24, 2013

|archive-date=September 27, 2013

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927172412/http://www.cloudbait.com/science/guffeymet.html

|url-status=dead

}}{{cite web

|url=http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meteor/index.php?code=11441

|work=Meteoritical Bulletin Database

|title=Guffey

|publisher=The Meteoritical Society

|accessdate=September 24, 2013}}

{{clear|left}}

{{Historical populations

|title = Guffey CDP, Colorado

|type = US

|align = left

|source = United States Census Bureau

|2010|98

|2020|111

}}

The United States Census Bureau initially defined the {{nowrap|Guffey CDP}} for the {{nowrap|United States Census 2010.}}{{clear left}}

{{stack|{{portal|Colorado}}}}

• Census-designated places in Colorado

{{reflist|22em}}

{{commons category||Guffey, Colorado}}

• [https://www.guffeycolorado.com/ Guffey, Colorado]
• [http://www.guffeynews.com/ Guffey Community Association]
• [https://www.colorado.com/co/guffey/attractions-entertainment Guffey @ Colorado.com]
• [https://www.uncovercolorado.com/towns/guffey/ Guffey @ UncoverColorado.com]
• [https://westernmininghistory.com/towns/colorado/guffey/ Guffey @ WesternMiningHistory.com]
• [https://thediggings.com/places/co0932629988 Guffey, Colorado Mining Claims And Mines]
• [http://www.guffeyfire.net Southern Park County Fire Protection District]
• [https://www.parkco.us/ Park County website]

{{Park County, Colorado}}

{{authority control}}

Category:Census-designated places in Park County, Colorado

Category:Census-designated places in Colorado