Guffey Colorado August 2020
You must see it to believe it. Yup, they have an annual Chicken flying contest. They claim that after more than 1,000 flights no chicken has been injured and the record flight is 138 Feet. As I wandered around the town I spoke to several residents and was greeted warmly with friendly conversations and interesting history. I also met numerous deer that were not afraid of humans. Some are in the photos.
Established in 1895 as Freshwater. When they citizens applied for a Post Office it was denied because there already was a Freshwater in California. So, the named changed to Idaville and a year later finally called Guffey. Apparently if you give the town money for street improvements, they will name the town after you. At least they did for the rich oil man James Guffey that came to Colorado via PA and TX oil. Although originally founded as a mining community the economic base changed to ranching when it was discovered the ore bodies were not rich enough to sustain operations. During the boom years it even had four stage lines, a lawyer and two Physicians. That is along with four saloons, three hotels, a sawmill and stamp mill. The Main Street was lined with businesses including a newspaper that operated from 1897 to 1903.
The citizens have a good sense of humor and for years they have elected a local cat, dog, bird or other pet as the town Mayor. Some have even been featured on CNN and Americas greatest Pets. It was a hub of mining activity and even had a sawmill but eventually fell prey to low grade ore and little of it. The town gradually went from a mining community to ranching.