Lake George, Colorado

Last updated

Lake George, Colorado
Unincorporated community
Lake George, Colorado.JPG
U.S. Route 24 in Lake George, December 2018
Coordinates: 38°58′47″N105°21′27″W / 38.97972°N 105.35750°W / 38.97972; -105.35750
Country United States
State Colorado
County Park [1]
Elevation
[1]
7,993 ft (2,436 m)
Time zone UTC-7 (MST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP code [2]
80827
GNIS feature ID191146 [1]

Lake George is an unincorporated community and a U.S. Post Office in Park County, Colorado, United States. The Lake George Post Office has the ZIP Code 80827. [2] It lies along U.S. Highway 24 northwest of Colorado Springs, and several miles north of Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. [3]

Contents

History

Henry and Adella Rockett stand outside the Lake George Post Office and General Store in Lake George, 1916. The old Post Office is now part of Granite Canyon General Store located in the heart of Lake George. Post Office - Lake George, Colorado.jpg
Henry and Adella Rockett stand outside the Lake George Post Office and General Store in Lake George, 1916. The old Post Office is now part of Granite Canyon General Store located in the heart of Lake George.

About 42.3 miles (68.1 km) northwest of Colorado Springs and 7.3 miles (11.7 km) northwest of Florissant, [4] : 231  the town of Lake George was established in 1891 [5] as a railroad stop for the Colorado Midland Railway (CM) [6] which had been completed in 1887. [7] : 16  The town and nearby lake—to its west and fed by the South Platte River—The man made lake 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 itself 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 here 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. [7] : 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. [7] : 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. [7] : 289  However, the CM closed in August 1918. Other railways then provided service to certain shippers along the otherwise idle CM railway. [7] : 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. [4] : 231  By 1941 the community had grown to 100 persons and was the center of an extensive potato growing area. [4] : 231  The community's population in 1965 was 100. [7] : 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 add it to the monastery's grounds. The community publishes Eastern Orthodox Christian prayer books and hosts public Divine Services. [8]

The just under-140,000-acre (570 km2) Hayman Fire, the largest fire in Colorado's recorded history, was started near Lake George on June 8, 2002. [9] [10]

A tornado caused minor damage in the Lake George area on Aug. 18, 2009. An additional tornado caused damage to cabins in 2014. [11] [12]

Geography

Nearby is Camp Alexander, [13] the Scout camp for Pikes Peak Council, as well as the Elevenmile Reservoir. [14] 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.

Lake George, the town's eponymous lake, September 2007 Lake George Lake panorama.jpg
Lake George, the town's eponymous lake, September 2007

Climate

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

Climate data for Lake George, Colorado, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1960–present
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Record high °F (°C)61
(16)		60
(16)		68
(20)		73
(23)		83
(28)		88
(31)		88
(31)		88
(31)		85
(29)		79
(26)		65
(18)		58
(14)		88
(31)
Mean maximum °F (°C)48.5
(9.2)		50.8
(10.4)		60.3
(15.7)		65.6
(18.7)		74.4
(23.6)		82.9
(28.3)		84.8
(29.3)		81.8
(27.7)		78.4
(25.8)		71.3
(21.8)		59.6
(15.3)		50.0
(10.0)		85.8
(29.9)
Average high °F (°C)32.7
(0.4)		35.8
(2.1)		44.5
(6.9)		50.7
(10.4)		60.5
(15.8)		72.3
(22.4)		77.1
(25.1)		74.5
(23.6)		68.7
(20.4)		57.4
(14.1)		44.5
(6.9)		33.5
(0.8)		54.4
(12.4)
Daily mean °F (°C)16.1
(−8.8)		19.2
(−7.1)		28.9
(−1.7)		36.7
(2.6)		46.3
(7.9)		56.4
(13.6)		61.8
(16.6)		59.9
(15.5)		52.8
(11.6)		41.6
(5.3)		29.7
(−1.3)		17.8
(−7.9)		38.9
(3.9)
Average low °F (°C)−0.6
(−18.1)		2.6
(−16.3)		13.2
(−10.4)		22.7
(−5.2)		32.0
(0.0)		40.5
(4.7)		46.4
(8.0)		45.3
(7.4)		36.8
(2.7)		25.8
(−3.4)		14.9
(−9.5)		2.1
(−16.6)		23.5
(−4.7)
Mean minimum °F (°C)−20.0
(−28.9)		−17.1
(−27.3)		−6.5
(−21.4)		8.1
(−13.3)		20.5
(−6.4)		32.2
(0.1)		40.0
(4.4)		39.4
(4.1)		26.9
(−2.8)		13.6
(−10.2)		−2.9
(−19.4)		−16.9
(−27.2)		−24.7
(−31.5)
Record low °F (°C)−50
(−46)		−42
(−41)		−30
(−34)		−14
(−26)		10
(−12)		24
(−4)		26
(−3)		30
(−1)		8
(−13)		−6
(−21)		−33
(−36)		−40
(−40)		−50
(−46)
Average precipitation inches (mm)0.30
(7.6)		0.27
(6.9)		0.57
(14)		0.92
(23)		1.41
(36)		1.20
(30)		2.17
(55)		2.16
(55)		1.09
(28)		0.57
(14)		0.36
(9.1)		0.27
(6.9)		11.29
(285.5)
Average snowfall inches (cm)6.0
(15)		5.9
(15)		9.9
(25)		9.1
(23)		2.4
(6.1)		0.1
(0.25)		0.0
(0.0)		0.0
(0.0)		0.8
(2.0)		4.1
(10)		5.3
(13)		6.8
(17)		50.4
(126.35)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in)3.54.05.56.47.17.411.712.26.74.73.74.076.9
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in)2.83.64.54.01.40.00.00.00.31.72.73.424.4
Source 1: NOAA [15]
Source 2: National Weather Service [16]

See also

Flag of Colorado.svg  Coloradoportal

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References

  1. 1 2 3 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Lake George, Colorado
  2. 1 2 "ZIP Code Lookup". United States Postal Service. December 28, 2006. Archived from the original (JavaScript/HTML) on November 22, 2010. Retrieved December 28, 2006.
  3. ↑ Rand McNally. The Road Atlas '06. Chicago: Rand McNally, 2006, p. 40.
  4. 1 2 3 Colorado State Planning Commission (1941). Colorado: A Guide to the Highest State. Hastings House.
  5. ↑ "Park County, Colorado Towns & Places" . Retrieved September 3, 2009.[ dead link ]
  6. ↑ "Colorado Midland Railway". Archived from the original on June 30, 2012. Retrieved September 3, 2009.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Cafky, Morris (1965). Colorado Midland. Rocky Mountain Railroad Club.
  8. ↑ "Protection of the Holy Virgin Monastery". oca.org. Orthodox Church in America. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Area will take 600 years to recover from huge wildfire". Archived from the original on January 5, 2009. Retrieved September 3, 2009.
  10. ↑ ""Lake George - A Call To Action " by Susan Lamphear" . Retrieved September 3, 2009.
  11. ↑ "Tornado touches down in Park County" . Retrieved September 3, 2009.
  12. ↑ "Tornado less than 1.5 miles away from campsite!". Archived from the original on September 10, 2008. Retrieved September 3, 2009.
  13. ↑ "Camp Alexander". Archived from the original on May 25, 2009. Retrieved September 3, 2009.
  14. ↑ "Elevenmile Reservoir" . Retrieved September 3, 2009.
  15. ↑ "U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  16. ↑ "NOAA Online Weather Data". National Weather Service. Retrieved August 9, 2022.

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