A Brief History of Grand Lake
Grand Lake developed from a lakeside settlement into a mining-era town laid out in 1879. A brief mining boom helped it secure the Grand County seat in 1881, beginning a bitter rivalry with Hot Sulphur Springs. The dispute culminated in a deadly shooting in 1883, and the county seat returned to Hot Sulphur Springs in 1888. Stores, lodging and later tourism sustained the community beyond the mining years. The local historical society’s walking tour preserves that story through surviving buildings, including James Cairns’s mercantile site and the former county clerk’s office.