WINTER PARK AND FRASER, COLORADO Winter Park Elev. 9060    Fraser Elev. 8560   High in the Rocky Mountains, just 90 miles from the Denver metropolitan area, are two communities that represent the diversity of Colorado’s history as well as the best of its present and future.    At the east end of the county at the western base of Berthoud Pass, the Winter Park and Fraser Valley area was originally a series of several small settlements founded in the 1880's  by ranchers and lumbermen drawn by the lush timber and wide open meadows.  Some fifty years later, with rail access from Denver greatly improved with the completion of the Moffat Tunnel; skiers began discovering the quality of our snow and the speed of our slopes.    Today, two towns remain from that early history:   Winter Park sits among the pines, tucked up against the Continental Divide.  Downtown Winter Park occupies the original site of Hideaway Park, and is where visitors find shops, restaurants, and entertainment, all year ‘round.  The nearby slopes of Winter Park and Mary Jane ski areas have kept bringing riders up for primo Rocky Mountain powder and backcountry skiing for more than 60 years.  During the summer, these same slopes and parks host several home-grown and world-class music festivals. The area’s early history is also on display at the Cozens Ranch Museum, just on the edge of town.   Heading west, visitors find the town of Fraser out in the open meadows of the Fraser Valley, where cattle ranches and lumber mills originally operated.  Today, the valley is the commercial center of the area, where you’ll find the grocery, hardware and department stores, as well as shops and services such as banks, physical therapists, travel agencies, the public library, and the Amtrak station. The Walk Through History Park, at the west end of the Fraser Valley Trail, features a collection of life-size wooden sculptures portraying the early days of the American West, and on summer weekends, Fraser’s John Work Arena is home to the popular High Country Stampede Rodeo.    Along the highway between the two towns, you’ll get a glimpse of Colorado’s future, where new real estate developments include such amenities as golf courses and open meadowlands.   Lodging:  Whether it's in a rustic cabin, a guest ranch, a luxurious hotel or an economical motel, the wide range of accommodations in Winter Park and Fraser Valley provide the perfect mountain getaway.   Events: June 30 - July 1                   5th Annual Blues from the Top   July 7-8                                  Winter Park Folk Fest                                                 July 17-19                             Winter Park Salute to America's Veterans Motorcycle Rally..   July 28-29                             Winter Park Jazz Festival   August 11                              1st Annual Granby Bluegrass Festival   All Summer                          Winter Park Downtown Music Series   All Summer                          The Fraser Picnic in the Park Summer Concert Series.   Fun Facts: Byers Peak Ranch near Fraser was once known as the “Western White House.” President Eisenhower, President Hoover and other dignitaries visited the ranch to fly-fish and relax Colorado-style. At the High County Stampede Rodeo, a bull rider is required to stay on the bucking one-ton Brahma for eight seconds. 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.