Park County Local History Archive

The Park County Local History Archive (PCLHA) is a local heritage archive and digital repository documenting the cultural history of Park County, Colorado. It was established in 2001 by a group of dedicated volunteers interested in the western history of the county, who began collecting photographs, manuscripts, and other records to preserve and share the region's past. The Archive is currently housed in the Park County building in Fairplay, Colorado, and is managed by the Park County Department of Heritage, Tourism, & Community Development. Its digital archive is available online at pclha.cvlcollections.org. The Archive primarily serves the community of Park County, which includes the towns of Fairplay and Alma as well as the unincorporated communities of Bailey, Como, Grant, Lake George, and several others. Park County is one of Colorado's original 17 territorial counties and is known for its mining, railroad, and ranching histories. PCLHA is dedicated to acquiring and preserving materials that document the region's history and community resilience, illustrating how residents dealt with the challenges of pioneer and rural life. Since its inception, the collection has grown to include thousands of materials: photographs, oral histories, maps, newspapers, letters, books, manuscripts, business records, ledgers, and other items of the high country. The digital archive currently provides access to selected items from the photographic collection and the oral history collection. Digitization is undertaken as a collaborative project between the Park County Department of Heritage, Tourism, & Community Development and the University of Denver's Library and Information Science program, a partnership established in 2019 and supported by the Public Good Fund from the University of Denver Center for Community Engagement to advance Scholarship.

The Park County Local History Archive (PCLHA) was started in 2001 by a group of dedicated volunteers interested in the western history of Park County, Colorado. The group began collecting photographs, manuscripts, and other records to preserve and share the history of the county. The Archive has been housed at various county locations over time and is currently located in the Park County building in Fairplay, Colorado. It is managed by the Park County Department of Heritage, Tourism, & Community Development. PCLHA primarily serves the community of Park County, which includes the towns of Fairplay and Alma, in addition to the unincorporated communities of Bailey, Como, Grant, Lake George, and several others. Park County is one of Colorado's original 17 territorial counties and is known for its mining, railroad, and ranching histories. The Archive is dedicated to the acquisition and preservation of materials documenting the region's history and community resilience, as well as illustrating how residents of Park County dealt with the challenges of pioneer and rural life. Since its inception, the collection has grown to include thousands of materials, including photographs, oral histories, maps, newspapers, letters, books, manuscripts, business records, ledgers, and other items of the high country. PCLHA is working to digitize many parts of its collection. In 2019, a partnership was established between the Park County Department of Heritage, Tourism, & Community Development and the University of Denver's Library and Information Science program to assist with digitization efforts and to build a digital archive. This collaborative project has been supported by the Public Good Fund from the University of Denver Center for Community Engagement to advance Scholarship. The digital archive, available at pclha.cvlcollections.org, currently provides access to selected items from the photographic collection and the oral history collection.

• 2019

  A partnership is established between the Park County Department of Heritage, Tourism, & Community Development and the University of Denver's Library and Information Science program to assist with digitization and build a digital archive.

• 2001

  A group of dedicated volunteers establishes the Park County Local History Archive and begins collecting photographs, manuscripts, and other records.

A volunteer-founded, county-managed local heritage archive and digital repository preserving the cultural heritage of Park County, Colorado.

• Park County Local History Digital Archive

  Online digital archive providing access to selected items from the photographic collection and oral history collection.

1. 1Homepage · Park County Local History Digital Archivepclha.cvlcollections.org
2. 2About · Park County Local History Digital Archivepclha.cvlcollections.org
3. 3Park County Local History Archive - Wikidatawikidata.org