Lake George, Colorado#History

File:Post Office - Lake George, Colorado.jpg

About {{convert|42.3|mi|km}} northwest of Colorado Springs and {{convert|7.3|mi|km}} northwest of Florissant,{{cite book | author=Colorado State Planning Commission | title=Colorado: A Guide to the Highest State | publisher=Hastings House | year=1941}}{{rp|231}} the town of Lake George was established in 1891{{cite web|url=http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~copark/Stownsgm.htm |title=Park County, Colorado Towns & Places|date= |accessdate=2009-09-03}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}} as a railroad stop for the Colorado Midland Railway (CM){{cite web|url=http://home.comcast.net/~rstamm4/Short_History_Page.html |title=Colorado Midland Railway |accessdate=2009-09-03 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20120630212435/http://home.comcast.net/~rstamm4/Short_History_Page.html |archivedate=2012-06-30 }} which had been completed in 1887.{{cite book | last=Cafky|first=Morris | title=Colorado Midland | publisher=Rocky Mountain Railroad Club | year=1965}}{{rp|16}} The nearby lake, to the town's west and fed by the South Platte River, was built by George Frost for the purpose of supplying ice to the railroad. The lake, originally called George's Lake, was later changed to Lake George when the post office opened. The lake freezes mostly solid in the wintertime, which made it ideal for railroad men to cut large blocks of ice from it in order to keep perishables cool. A privately owned ice company there supplied the needs of much of the Pikes Peak region. Ice cut during the winter was shipped on the CM to both Colorado Springs and the Cripple Creek, Colorado district.{{rp|289}} Also related to the town's railroading history, a short walk into the surrounding hills reveals Chinese bread ovens, from the period their labor was imported. At the turn of the century the community's population was 30.{{rp|289}} After 1900 some farmers and ranchers nearby began raising high-altitude potatoes on a limited scale. This furnished the CM with some additional traffic.{{rp|289}} However, the CM closed in August 1918. Other railways then provided service to certain shippers along the otherwise idle CM railway.{{rp|186}} Up to that time this had been the shortest rail route through the mountains. Keeping the track open during winter proved expensive, and when the mining of ore dwindled, the tracks were torn up. U.S. Route 24 follows the abandoned grade of the CM railway.{{rp|231}} By 1941 the population had grown to 100 and the town was the center of an extensive potato growing area.{{rp|231}} The community's population in 1965 was 100.{{rp|289}}

In 1995, the Orthodox Church in America female monastic community of Protection of the Holy Virgin moved from Calhan to Lake George, establishing a 10.3 acre monastery. In 1999, the monastery purchased an adjacent lot of 3.5 acres and added it to the monastery's grounds. The community publishes Eastern Orthodox Christian prayer books and hosts public Divine Services.{{cite web|url=https://www.oca.org/parishes/oca-we-boupvm|title=Protection of the Holy Virgin Monastery|publisher=Orthodox Church in America|work=oca.org|access-date=31 August 2020}}

The just under-{{convert|140000|acre|km2|adj=on}} Hayman Fire, the largest fire in Colorado's recorded history, started near Lake George on June 8, 2002.{{cite web|url=http://www.summitpinebeetle.org/Hayman%20Fire.htm |title=Area will take 600 years to recover from huge wildfire |accessdate=2009-09-03 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090105201014/http://www.summitpinebeetle.org/Hayman%20Fire.htm |archivedate=January 5, 2009 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.disastersupportvolunteers.com/templates/lakegeorge.html|title="Lake George - A Call To Action " by Susan Lamphear |date= |accessdate=2009-09-03}}

A tornado caused minor damage in the Lake George area on Aug. 18, 2009. Another tornado damaged cabins in 2014.{{cite web|url=http://www.2thedeuce.com/news/kdvr-park-county-tornado-081809,0,6836463.story |title=Tornado touches down in Park County|date= |accessdate=2009-09-03}}{{cite web|url=http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-65410|title=Tornado less than 1.5 miles away from campsite!|date=|accessdate=2009-09-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080910150002/http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-65410|archive-date=2008-09-10|url-status=dead}}

Nearby is Camp Alexander,{{cite web|url=http://pikespeakbsa.org/campa/|title=Camp Alexander|accessdate=2009-09-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090525011638/http://www.pikespeakbsa.org/campa/|archive-date=2009-05-25|url-status=dead}} the camp for the Pikes Peak Council of the Boy Scouts, as well as the Elevenmile Reservoir.{{cite web|url=http://www.colorado-directory.com/fishing/fishing_elevenmile.html |title=Elevenmile Reservoir|date= |accessdate=2009-09-03}} Also nearby, an original homestead still stands, a remnant from potato farmers. It’s now a dude ranch called the M Lazy C Guest Ranch.

File:Lake George Lake panorama.jpg{{clear left}}

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Lake George has a cold semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.

{{Weather box

|location = Lake George, Colorado, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1960–present

|single line = Yes

|Jan record high F = 61

|Feb record high F = 60

|Mar record high F = 68

|Apr record high F = 73

|May record high F = 83

|Jun record high F = 88

|Jul record high F = 88

|Aug record high F = 88

|Sep record high F = 85

|Oct record high F = 79

|Nov record high F = 65

|Dec record high F = 58

|Jan avg record high F = 48.5

|Feb avg record high F = 50.8

|Mar avg record high F = 60.3

|Apr avg record high F = 65.6

|May avg record high F = 74.4

|Jun avg record high F = 82.9

|Jul avg record high F = 84.8

|Aug avg record high F = 81.8

|Sep avg record high F = 78.4

|Oct avg record high F = 71.3

|Nov avg record high F = 59.6

|Dec avg record high F = 50.0

|year avg record high F = 85.8

|Jan high F = 32.7

|Feb high F = 35.8

|Mar high F = 44.5

|Apr high F = 50.7

|May high F = 60.5

|Jun high F = 72.3

|Jul high F = 77.1

|Aug high F = 74.5

|Sep high F = 68.7

|Oct high F = 57.4

|Nov high F = 44.5

|Dec high F = 33.5

|year high F =

|Jan mean F = 16.1

|Feb mean F = 19.2

|Mar mean F = 28.9

|Apr mean F = 36.7

|May mean F = 46.3

|Jun mean F = 56.4

|Jul mean F = 61.8

|Aug mean F = 59.9

|Sep mean F = 52.8

|Oct mean F = 41.6

|Nov mean F = 29.7

|Dec mean F = 17.8

|year mean F =

|Jan low F = -0.6

|Feb low F = 2.6

|Mar low F = 13.2

|Apr low F = 22.7

|May low F = 32.0

|Jun low F = 40.5

|Jul low F = 46.4

|Aug low F = 45.3

|Sep low F = 36.8

|Oct low F = 25.8

|Nov low F = 14.9

|Dec low F = 2.1

|year low F =

|Jan avg record low F = -20.0

|Feb avg record low F = -17.1

|Mar avg record low F = -6.5

|Apr avg record low F = 8.1

|May avg record low F = 20.5

|Jun avg record low F = 32.2

|Jul avg record low F = 40.0

|Aug avg record low F = 39.4

|Sep avg record low F = 26.9

|Oct avg record low F = 13.6

|Nov avg record low F = -2.9

|Dec avg record low F = -16.9

|year avg record low F = -24.7

|Jan record low F = -50

|Feb record low F = -42

|Mar record low F = -30

|Apr record low F = -14

|May record low F = 10

|Jun record low F = 24

|Jul record low F = 26

|Aug record low F = 30

|Sep record low F = 8

|Oct record low F = -6

|Nov record low F = -33

|Dec record low F = -40

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation inch = 0.30

|Feb precipitation inch = 0.27

|Mar precipitation inch = 0.57

|Apr precipitation inch = 0.92

|May precipitation inch = 1.41

|Jun precipitation inch = 1.20

|Jul precipitation inch = 2.17

|Aug precipitation inch = 2.16

|Sep precipitation inch = 1.09

|Oct precipitation inch = 0.57

|Nov precipitation inch = 0.36

|Dec precipitation inch = 0.27

|year precipitation inch =

|Jan snow inch = 6.0

|Feb snow inch = 5.9

|Mar snow inch = 9.9

|Apr snow inch = 9.1

|May snow inch = 2.4

|Jun snow inch = 0.1

|Jul snow inch = 0.0

|Aug snow inch = 0.0

|Sep snow inch = 0.8

|Oct snow inch = 4.1

|Nov snow inch = 5.3

|Dec snow inch = 6.8

|year snow inch =

|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in

|Jan precipitation days = 3.5

|Feb precipitation days = 4.0

|Mar precipitation days = 5.5

|Apr precipitation days = 6.4

|May precipitation days = 7.1

|Jun precipitation days = 7.4

|Jul precipitation days = 11.7

|Aug precipitation days = 12.2

|Sep precipitation days = 6.7

|Oct precipitation days = 4.7

|Nov precipitation days = 3.7

|Dec precipitation days = 4.0

|unit snow days = 0.1 in

|Jan snow days = 2.8

|Feb snow days = 3.6

|Mar snow days = 4.5

|Apr snow days = 4.0

|May snow days = 1.4

|Jun snow days = 0.0

|Jul snow days = 0.0

|Aug snow days = 0.0

|Sep snow days = 0.3

|Oct snow days = 1.7

|Nov snow days = 2.7

|Dec snow days = 3.4

|source 1 = NOAA

{{cite web

|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USC00054742&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL

|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

|title = U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access

|access-date = August 9, 2022

}}

|source 2 = National Weather Service

{{cite web

|url = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=bou

|publisher = National Weather Service

|title = NOAA Online Weather Data

|access-date = August 9, 2022

}}

}}

{{portal-inline|Colorado}}

{{reflist|22em}}

{{commons category-inline|Lake George, Colorado}}

{{Park County, Colorado}}

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Category:Unincorporated communities in Park County, Colorado

Category:Unincorporated communities in Colorado