Yampa Valley's Lost Egeria Park

Routt County's Forgotten Settlement

Called the "Last Frontier," the "Land of the Last Pioneers" and the "Place that Time Forgot," Routt County was among the last places settled in the continental United States. Between 1820 and 1845, notable people such as Kit Carson, Jim Baker and Jim Bridger were all known to visit the Yampa Valley. But it wasn't until the removal of the Utes in 1881 that Egeria Park flourished. Stagecoaches, railroads, cattle, grain and sawmills followed. And despite the remote location, it grew into an agricultural and economic hub, the exact boundaries of which are still contested. Alas, Egeria Park dissolved with time.

Author Rita Herold uncovers sketches of lost heroes, scoundrels and everyday characters who made history here.