Pingree Park, Colorado
Encyclopedia
Pingree Park, Colorado, is currently the mountain campus for Fort Collins, Colorado
, based Colorado State University
. Pingree Park is situated in the mountains of the Mummy Range
at 9053 ft (2,759.4 m) It is located northwest of the city of Fort Collins, 25 miles (40.2 km) up Highway 14
in the Poudre Canyon
and then another 16 miles (25.7 km) on the dirt Pingree Park access road in Larimer County. During the summer it is home to a variety of conferences from around the country ranging from CSU students enrolled in Natural Resource and Forestry classes to corporate groups using its ropes course and finally Elderhostel
groups organized through the Pingree office.
Challenge Ropes Course
A popular program at Pingree Park is the Challenge Ropes Course operated on the campus. Many groups use the facilities including students from both Colorado State University
and Poudre School District
. Additionally many recreational and corporate groups include a stop at the Ropes Course for use in team building exercises. The course consists of several low and high elements built in 1989 with a large climbing wall and adjoining "Giant Swing" built in 2005. In the Hourglass Fire of 1994 the course was damaged severely but was rebuilt in the following years.
Academics at Pingree Park
Since 1915 the Pingree Park campus has hosted summer sessions for students with programs in the mountains. Students stay in four person cabins on the campus grounds with heat provided by a wood burning stove. NR-220 is a required four-week field camp for undergraduate students in the College of Natural Resources. The Forestry program, F-230, is a one-week program for Forestry majors, required in addition to the NR-220 program.
Elderhostel Programs
Throughout the summer various Elderhostel
groups make their way up to Pingree Park. Pingree trips began in 1983 and now include Intergenerational, Watercolor, Musical programs and intensive Hiking trips.
Conferences
6 Bedroom conference cabins constructed in 1995 after the old structures burnt in the 1994 fire. They can house various private organizations that go to Pingree Park for retreats, workshops and meetings.
Five mountains among the mummy range hold particular attention to the students and staff of Pingree Park. It is often a goal to hike all of the summits in one season and there is even a trip that tackles them all in 24 hours. These summits are:
Signal Mountain - 11262 ft (3,432.7 m)
Stormy Peaks - 12148 ft (3,702.7 m)
Fall Mountain - 12258 ft (3,736.2 m)
Comanche Peak - 12702 ft (3,871.6 m)
Hagues Peak - 13560 ft (4,133.1 m)
The area that is Pingree Park has been home to many different communities over its history before becoming the campus that it is today.
Early History
The original inhabitants of Pingree Park, as determined through early interaction and artifacts recovered were Native Americans of the Arapaho
, Mountain Ute
and Cherokee
tribes. White settlers began to arrive in the 1830s as fur trappers, interested primarily in beaver pelts. In the 1850s prospectors came through the region in search of gold.
George W. Pingree
In 1867 George W. Pingree traveled up the South Fork of the Poudre River and into the park looking for trees to make suitable railroad ties for the Union Pacific Railroad
. In 1868, George Pingree established a logging camp in the valley that now bears his name. 30 to 40 "Tie-hacks" were paid 10¢ per railroad tie and hunters were employed to provide food. The "Tie-hacks" had to walk 25 miles (40.2 km) in and out of the valley to the nearest wagon track. The lumberjacks could hew up to 50 ties a day. In the springs of 1869 and 1870 the ties were taken out and hauled by wagon to Tie Siding, Wyoming
. Pingree moved to Wyoming in 1870 when the camp closed because the railroad no longer needed railroad ties, having moved past the Nebraska and Wyoming section the camp had serviced.
1890 Fire
In 1890, a forest fire engulfed most of the area around the park destroying the Ponderosa pine
forest and resulting in the proliferation of Lodgepole pine
and Aspen
(the current dominant species in the park). Remnants of the original forest can be found along the ridge south of the Pingree Valley.
The Ramsey and Koenig Era
In 1897, two brothers, Hugh and Charles Ramsey, homesteaded the present southern portion of the campus. The homesteads were officially deeded in 1903. The Ramsey’s made a living ranching and operating a sawmill. In 1912, Hugh Ramsey hired Frank Koenig. Koenig spent the winter with the Ramsey family and helped build a road over Pennock Pass. In 1913, Ramsey, Koenig, and a helper Tom Bennett built a road to Twin Lakes. Frank Koenig and Hazel Ramsey were married that year. Hugh Ramsey moved to the upper ranch and sold to Frank Koenig most of the property except for 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) which he gave to Hazel as a wedding present.
Terrible hardships struck the residents of Pingree Park in the early years. In 1907 diphtheria struck killing one son and two infant daughters. In 1919, Frank and Hazel Koenig’s twin infants died of whooping cough while the family was snow bound. The children were buried in a plot next to their cousins. The original homestead cabin was burned to the ground and the present structure was built. In addition to the many structures that still stand of the original ranch community, the Koenig's retain their legacy in the region through many geographical names. In 1915, Rocky Mountain National Park
was created through an act of Congress. Frank Koenig was selected as one of the initial three park rangers and went on to name many of the surrounding geographic features. (Emmaline Lake after his mother, Hazeline Lake after his wife, and Ramsey Peak after his father-in-law).
Integration into Colorado State University
As early as 1910, Pingree park was the interest of the fledgling University. Through the work of Professor B.O. Longyear, a special act of Congress allowed Colorado Agricultural College (now Colorado State University
) the right to select tracts of federal land for biologic research and practical study. In 1912, Colorado Agricultural College President, Charles A. Lory; Colorado National Forest Supervisor, N.M. Wheeler; State Forester and Professor, B.O. Longyear; President Edwards of the State Board of Agriculture; and Colorado Governor, E.M. Ammons, selected 1600 acres (6.5 km²) of land, including the present campus land in Pingree Park. The group traveled by Stanley Steamer
and then by horse through Pennock Pass. While selecting the land, they stayed at Hazel and Frank Koenig’s cabin.
A functional campus was erected quickly with the first building completed in 1913 to serve as bunkhouse, cafeteria and classroom. During construction, Hazel Koenig cooked for construction workers at the site. In 1915 the first Civil Engineering
class was held and then in 1917 the first Forestry
field camp was held under Professor Longyear with one student in attendance.
The campus expanded slowly with a bunkhouse built in 1927 (now the present day Store and Recreation Area) and smaller buildings being constructed for faculty and daily operation. The first automobile to make it to Pingree Park was a Stanley Steamer
in 1919. Telephone lines were installed to the campus in 1928 and electrical lines installed in 1964. Forestry and Natural Resource students have been in attendance every summer with the exception of several years during World War II. In 1976 a conference center was completed that currently attracts 6,000 visitors per season. In 1972 the University purchased the remaining 163 acre (0.65963818 km²) of land in the valley from Frank and Hazel Koenig. Hazel Koenig died in Loveland, Colorado
in 1975, followed by her husband Frank in 1980. In 1997, the Colorado Historical Society named 80 acres (323,748.8 m²) of the Ramsey/Koenig Ranch as a State Historic District. Grants from the Society helped to restore the ranch’s log barn in 1998 and the homestead in 1999.
Fort Collins, Colorado
Fort Collins is a Home Rule Municipality situated on the Cache La Poudre River along the Colorado Front Range, and is the county seat and most populous city of Larimer County, Colorado, United States. Fort Collins is located north of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. With a 2010 census...
, based Colorado State University
Colorado State University
Colorado State University is a public research university located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The university is the state's land grant university, and the flagship university of the Colorado State University System.The enrollment is approximately 29,932 students, including resident and...
. Pingree Park is situated in the mountains of the Mummy Range
Mummy Range
The Mummy Range is a mountain range in the Rocky Mountains of northern Colorado in the United States. The range is a short subrange of the Front Range located in southwestern Larimer County northwest of the town of Estes Park...
at 9053 ft (2,759.4 m) It is located northwest of the city of Fort Collins, 25 miles (40.2 km) up Highway 14
Colorado State Highway 14
State Highway 14 in the U.S. state of Colorado is an east–west state highway approximately long. One of the longest state highways in Colorado, it traverses four counties along the northern edge of the state, spanning a geography from the continental divide in the Rocky Mountains to the...
in the Poudre Canyon
Poudre Canyon
The Poudre Canyon is a narrow verdant canyon, approximately 40 mi long, on the upper Cache la Poudre River in Larimer County, Colorado in the United States...
and then another 16 miles (25.7 km) on the dirt Pingree Park access road in Larimer County. During the summer it is home to a variety of conferences from around the country ranging from CSU students enrolled in Natural Resource and Forestry classes to corporate groups using its ropes course and finally Elderhostel
Elderhostel
Elderhostel is a not-for-profit organization established in 1975 that allows senior citizens to travel and take educational programs in the United States and around the world...
groups organized through the Pingree office.
Programs At Pingree Park
A popular program at Pingree Park is the Challenge Ropes Course operated on the campus. Many groups use the facilities including students from both Colorado State University
Colorado State University
Colorado State University is a public research university located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The university is the state's land grant university, and the flagship university of the Colorado State University System.The enrollment is approximately 29,932 students, including resident and...
and Poudre School District
Poudre School District
The Poudre School District is K-12 public school district in Larimer County in northern Colorado. The district operates and manages the public schools in the city of Fort Collins, as well as in the towns of Wellington and Timnath, and unincorporated communities of Larimer County including Laporte...
. Additionally many recreational and corporate groups include a stop at the Ropes Course for use in team building exercises. The course consists of several low and high elements built in 1989 with a large climbing wall and adjoining "Giant Swing" built in 2005. In the Hourglass Fire of 1994 the course was damaged severely but was rebuilt in the following years.
Academics at Pingree Park
Since 1915 the Pingree Park campus has hosted summer sessions for students with programs in the mountains. Students stay in four person cabins on the campus grounds with heat provided by a wood burning stove. NR-220 is a required four-week field camp for undergraduate students in the College of Natural Resources. The Forestry program, F-230, is a one-week program for Forestry majors, required in addition to the NR-220 program.
Elderhostel Programs
Throughout the summer various Elderhostel
Elderhostel
Elderhostel is a not-for-profit organization established in 1975 that allows senior citizens to travel and take educational programs in the United States and around the world...
groups make their way up to Pingree Park. Pingree trips began in 1983 and now include Intergenerational, Watercolor, Musical programs and intensive Hiking trips.
Conferences
6 Bedroom conference cabins constructed in 1995 after the old structures burnt in the 1994 fire. They can house various private organizations that go to Pingree Park for retreats, workshops and meetings.
The Five Summits
Signal Mountain - 11262 ft (3,432.7 m)
Stormy Peaks - 12148 ft (3,702.7 m)
Fall Mountain - 12258 ft (3,736.2 m)
Comanche Peak - 12702 ft (3,871.6 m)
Hagues Peak - 13560 ft (4,133.1 m)
History Of Pingree Park
Early History
The original inhabitants of Pingree Park, as determined through early interaction and artifacts recovered were Native Americans of the Arapaho
Arapaho
The Arapaho are a tribe of Native Americans historically living on the eastern plains of Colorado and Wyoming. They were close allies of the Cheyenne tribe and loosely aligned with the Sioux. Arapaho is an Algonquian language closely related to Gros Ventre, whose people are seen as an early...
, Mountain Ute
Ute Tribe
The Ute are an American Indian people now living primarily in Utah and Colorado. There are three Ute tribal reservations: Uintah-Ouray in northeastern Utah ; Southern Ute in Colorado ; and Ute Mountain which primarily lies in Colorado, but extends to Utah and New Mexico . The name of the state of...
and Cherokee
Cherokee
The Cherokee are a Native American people historically settled in the Southeastern United States . Linguistically, they are part of the Iroquoian language family...
tribes. White settlers began to arrive in the 1830s as fur trappers, interested primarily in beaver pelts. In the 1850s prospectors came through the region in search of gold.
George W. Pingree
In 1867 George W. Pingree traveled up the South Fork of the Poudre River and into the park looking for trees to make suitable railroad ties for the Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
. In 1868, George Pingree established a logging camp in the valley that now bears his name. 30 to 40 "Tie-hacks" were paid 10¢ per railroad tie and hunters were employed to provide food. The "Tie-hacks" had to walk 25 miles (40.2 km) in and out of the valley to the nearest wagon track. The lumberjacks could hew up to 50 ties a day. In the springs of 1869 and 1870 the ties were taken out and hauled by wagon to Tie Siding, Wyoming
Tie Siding, Wyoming
Tie Siding is a tiny unincorporated community in far southeastern Albany County, Wyoming, United States, approximately eight miles north of the Colorado border. It was strategically located to service the expansion of railroad systems in the West from the late 1860s to early 1900s. Tie Siding...
. Pingree moved to Wyoming in 1870 when the camp closed because the railroad no longer needed railroad ties, having moved past the Nebraska and Wyoming section the camp had serviced.
1890 Fire
In 1890, a forest fire engulfed most of the area around the park destroying the Ponderosa pine
Ponderosa Pine
Pinus ponderosa, commonly known as the Ponderosa Pine, Bull Pine, Blackjack Pine, or Western Yellow Pine, is a widespread and variable pine native to western North America. It was first described by David Douglas in 1826, from eastern Washington near present-day Spokane...
forest and resulting in the proliferation of Lodgepole pine
Lodgepole Pine
Lodgepole Pine, Pinus contorta, also known as Shore Pine, is a common tree in western North America. Like all pines, it is evergreen.-Subspecies:...
and Aspen
Aspen
Populus section Populus, of the Populus genus, includes the aspen trees and the white poplar Populus alba. The five typical aspens are all native to cold regions with cool summers, in the north of the Northern Hemisphere, extending south at high altitudes in the mountains. The White Poplar, by...
(the current dominant species in the park). Remnants of the original forest can be found along the ridge south of the Pingree Valley.
The Ramsey and Koenig Era
Terrible hardships struck the residents of Pingree Park in the early years. In 1907 diphtheria struck killing one son and two infant daughters. In 1919, Frank and Hazel Koenig’s twin infants died of whooping cough while the family was snow bound. The children were buried in a plot next to their cousins. The original homestead cabin was burned to the ground and the present structure was built. In addition to the many structures that still stand of the original ranch community, the Koenig's retain their legacy in the region through many geographical names. In 1915, Rocky Mountain National Park
Rocky Mountain National Park
Rocky Mountain National Park is a national park located in the north-central region of the U.S. state of Colorado.It features majestic mountain views, a variety of wildlife, varied climates and environments—from wooded forests to mountain tundra—and easy access to back-country trails...
was created through an act of Congress. Frank Koenig was selected as one of the initial three park rangers and went on to name many of the surrounding geographic features. (Emmaline Lake after his mother, Hazeline Lake after his wife, and Ramsey Peak after his father-in-law).
Integration into Colorado State University
As early as 1910, Pingree park was the interest of the fledgling University. Through the work of Professor B.O. Longyear, a special act of Congress allowed Colorado Agricultural College (now Colorado State University
Colorado State University
Colorado State University is a public research university located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The university is the state's land grant university, and the flagship university of the Colorado State University System.The enrollment is approximately 29,932 students, including resident and...
) the right to select tracts of federal land for biologic research and practical study. In 1912, Colorado Agricultural College President, Charles A. Lory; Colorado National Forest Supervisor, N.M. Wheeler; State Forester and Professor, B.O. Longyear; President Edwards of the State Board of Agriculture; and Colorado Governor, E.M. Ammons, selected 1600 acres (6.5 km²) of land, including the present campus land in Pingree Park. The group traveled by Stanley Steamer
Stanley Steamer
The Stanley Motor Carriage Company was a manufacturer of steam-engine vehicles; it operated from 1902 to 1924. The cars made by the company were colloquially called Stanley Steamers, although several different models were produced.-Early history:...
and then by horse through Pennock Pass. While selecting the land, they stayed at Hazel and Frank Koenig’s cabin.
A functional campus was erected quickly with the first building completed in 1913 to serve as bunkhouse, cafeteria and classroom. During construction, Hazel Koenig cooked for construction workers at the site. In 1915 the first Civil Engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
class was held and then in 1917 the first Forestry
Forestry
Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...
field camp was held under Professor Longyear with one student in attendance.
Stanley Steamer
The Stanley Motor Carriage Company was a manufacturer of steam-engine vehicles; it operated from 1902 to 1924. The cars made by the company were colloquially called Stanley Steamers, although several different models were produced.-Early history:...
in 1919. Telephone lines were installed to the campus in 1928 and electrical lines installed in 1964. Forestry and Natural Resource students have been in attendance every summer with the exception of several years during World War II. In 1976 a conference center was completed that currently attracts 6,000 visitors per season. In 1972 the University purchased the remaining 163 acre (0.65963818 km²) of land in the valley from Frank and Hazel Koenig. Hazel Koenig died in Loveland, Colorado
Loveland, Colorado
Loveland is a Home Rule Municipality that is the second most populous city in Larimer County, Colorado, United States. Loveland is situated north of the Colorado State Capitol in Denver. Loveland is the 14th most populous city in Colorado. The United States Census Bureau that in 2010 the...
in 1975, followed by her husband Frank in 1980. In 1997, the Colorado Historical Society named 80 acres (323,748.8 m²) of the Ramsey/Koenig Ranch as a State Historic District. Grants from the Society helped to restore the ranch’s log barn in 1998 and the homestead in 1999.