HISTORY
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SUSAN ANDERSON, M.D. is undoubtedly the most recognizable figure from
Fraser's past. She is just one of several local notables whose
lives are highlighted in a photo collection housed at the Fraser
Visitor Center. The Center is also home to a collection of sculptures.
These sculptures comprise the subject of the Walk
Through History Park; which was conceived to teach history
through art.
Doc Susie's life story as a female pioneer
physician is a fascinating one. Virginia Cornell provides a historically
accurate account of this life story in her book entitled Doc
Susie - The True Story of a Country Physician in the Colorado
Rockies. It is a wonderful book to read if you are interested
in learning more about Grand County in the early 1900s. Her story
is an inspiration to young women who seek a career in the medical
field. There has been some speculation as to what role her life
may have played in the television series, Doctor Quinn, Medicine
Woman, but no direct connection has been established. There are
many in Fraser who still remember this remarkable woman, who
lived to be 90 after coming to Fraser in 1907, at the age of
37, thinking she would die within the year of the tuberculosis
she contracted while nursing patients in Greeley, Colorado.
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David Moffat was a wealthy Denver businessman who saw the need
for a rail link between Denver and Salt Lake City. The Moffat
Tunnel, a 6.2 mile long tunnel beneath the Continental Divide
made this link possible. Although Moffat died before the tunnel
was complete, it was his effort to provide the link that made
the tunnel completion a reality. He in fact funded the majority
of the rail which went over the top of the Divide. This route
over "The Top of The World" was an unbelievable feat
for its day. It involved boring numerous tunnels through solid
granite, as well as constructing precarious timbered trestles
that bridged deep mountain gorges. The remains of the roadbed
comprise most of the popular summer driving tour route called
the Moffat Road. The Needle's Eye tunnel, along the Moffat Road
has collapsed; therefore, this route does not provide a motorized
vehicle connection to Rollinsville, Co. The west portal of the
Moffat Tunnel can be seen from the Winter Park Resort. |
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THE GERMAN POW CAMP existed in Fraser during the wartime years of
1945-January, 1946 to provide much needed labor for the production
of lumber. These particular prisoners were captured during the
battle at Anzio beachhead in Italy and shipped to the main Colorado
prison camp, in Greeley, Colorado. These enemy soldiers found
peace and kindness at the mountain camp in Fraser. After the
war, letters from Germany by those kept in the POW camp speak
of the good, understanding people and of their prison time as
an opportunity to learn about the free country of the United
States. Some 200 prisoners loaded an average of 25,000 feet of
lumber on rail cars every day. They were quick learners; doing
all phases of the work, from horseshoeing to bookkeeping. For
their hard work, they were paid 75 cents a day, which they could
spend at their PX. They were also rewarded with trips to the
local movie theater, allowed to form a dance band, utilitizing
homemade instruments, and were permitted to bake special German
pastries. Examples of the beautiful inlay woodworking skills
of the prisoners are on display at the Grand County Museum in
nearby Hot Sulphur Springs. |
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