Buckskins Joe's Frontier Town was situated at the base of the Greenhorn Mountains in beautiful central Colorado was one of the few remaining authentic old west towns in existence. The town was brought to life with hourly gun fights, some historical and some humorous, exciting live entertainment, barnyard animals for the kids, and everything you could imagine in an old west town plus more. John Wayne was shooting movies here in the early 70's, and as recently as 2001 the History Channel was filming a documentary entitled "The Haunted Rockies" on location. The town sits on the edge of the Royal Gorge canyon, and has a mountain gauge train that takes you to the edge to view the Royal Gorge canyon and the famous Royal Gorge Bridge.
Buckskin Joe Frontier Town
Imagine, stepping back into an 1860's frontier town today! Inspired by the original town of Buckskin Joe, the old west explodes to life at Buckskin Joe Frontier Town & Railway. Keeping the feel of the original town, costumed characters roam through the town to greet guests. Watch out and head for cover when gunfights break out throughout the day. The Buckskin Joe Gunfighters perform shows, some which are actual reenactments of gunfights that took place on the Colorado Frontier. The park has a long history of producing award winning family entertainment including saloon and magic shows.
The H.A.W. Tabor Store is the last remaining building from the original town of Buckskin Joe, which was located 2 miles from Alma, Colorado. Transplanted into the heart of Royal Gorge Country, history and fun are melded together to provide visitors with an "edutaining" experience. Antiques dating back to the 1800's enhance the town's authenticity by providing character to the 30 buildings that make up Buckskin Joe.
Helping to create a complete Wild West experience, the Gold Nugget Restaurant cooks up Buffalo Burgers and a wide variety of western style meals while others will "belly up to the bar" and order a sarsaparilla or a shot of Red Eye, in the Silver Dollar Saloon. Those prospectors, who try their hand at panning for gold, may end up staking a claim with actual gold at the assay office. A ride on the horse-drawn trolley will give guests an idea of what traveling was like back in the wild west.
Another fascinating aspect of Buckskin Joe is its "long time residents". Many staff members and visitors to the town have had unusual experiences, which are attributed to the residents who were moved with the buildings. The History Channel highlights these experiences in their "Haunted Rockies" series. Whether visitors stay an hour or the whole day, Buckskin Joe Frontier Town and Railway, is a must see, while visiting the Royal Gorge area.
Frontier Town Railway
Visitors can start their day's adventure with a ride on the Royal Gorge Scenic Railway and take in the clear Colorado morning, featuring brilliant blue skies and breathtaking scenery, as the town of Buckskin Joe prepares for a rip-roaring day of fun.
This value added bonus for visitors is being able to see the Royal Gorge and bridge from Point Alta Vista at the upper north rim of the Royal Gorge. The Royal Gorge Scenic Railway was built right along side of Buckskin Joe, the same year. Since 1958, this "Little Train with the Big View", has been treating visitors to the fantastic scenery that surrounds the Royal Gorge Region. The climax of your 3 mile, 30 minute round trip ride is the best view of the Royal Gorge and bridge available anywhere! Standing out at the point reality sets in with visitors as to the magnitude of the monumental task it took to build the bridge over the Royal Gorge Canyon.
The railway is a true Cañon City attraction. The trains were made in Cañon City by Royal Gorge Fabricators. The engines are 1952 model, 6 cylinder Spitfire flatheads. The train cars are open-air and run on a 15-inch narrow gauge track called "Mountain Gauge". This type of track was used in mines where standard width was too large for the narrow passages.