Hartsel & Surrounds

The Hartsel area was a summer destination for Mountain Utes who frequented the natural hot springs. Sam Hartsel came to South Park in 1860 to mine but realized that he could make a better living raising food. Starting in 1862, his operations soon included a 10,000-acre ranch. Thirty years later the Colorado Midland Railroad shipped cattle and hay from Hartsel, and brought tourists to soak in the hot springs and gather wildflowers. The Hartsel School, Midland Depot, and Buckley Ranch National Historic District portray the evolution of Hartsel's Euro-American history.