Buckskin Joe

{{short description|Former theme park in Fremont County, Colorado, United States}} {{about|the theme park||Buckskin Joe, Colorado (disambiguation)}} {{Use American English|date=July 2025}} {{infobox amusement park | name = Buckskin Joe | image = 200px|Main Street in Buckskin Joe | caption = Buckskin Joe | resort = Buckskin Joe, Colorado, United States | location = | location2 = | location3 = | coordinates = {{Coord|38.476|-105.326|type:landmark_region:US-CO|display=inline,title}} | theme = | homepage = | owner = | general_manager = | operator = | opening_date = {{Start date|df=y|1957}} | closing_date = {{Start date|df=y|2010}} | previous_names = | season = | visitors = | area = | rides = | coasters = | water_rides = | slogan = | status = | footnotes = }} {{refimprove|date=June 2009}}

'''Buckskin Joe''' was a Western-style theme park and railway in Fremont County, Colorado, United States, about {{convert|8|mi|km}} west of Cañon City.

==Description== thumb|left|Horace Tabor's store was brought from the ghost town of Buckskin Joe to its namesake theme park The park was located {{convert|1|mi|km}} south of U.S. Route 50 along the road to the Royal Gorge Bridge. Features of the park included gun fights, 30 authentic buildings from the Colorado 19th century frontier, themed entertainment, full service saloon and restaurant. There was also the Mystery House and a horse-drawn trolley ride. The town featured a donkey as the mayor. The mayor of Buckskin Joe resided in a small building and was allowed free range of the park.

Buckskin Joe was built as a film set in 1957 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer director Malcolm F. Brown, by bringing together old buildings from around central Colorado, and assembling them into an old western-style town.<ref>Associated Press, [http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_15989062 "Happy trails to "town" Buckskin Joe,"] ''Denver Post'', 4 September 2010.</ref> The name was taken from the former mining town, now ghost town, of Buckskin Joe, west of Fairplay, Colorado. The only building in the theme park from the original Buckskin Joe is the general store originally owned by Colorado pioneer Horace Tabor. In 1958 the owners began admitting tourists between filmings, and developed the location into a western theme park.

The Town of Terror, a later addition, was voted the best Halloween haunted attraction in Colorado two years in a row.{{Citation needed|date = November 2008}} Every October the staff of Buckskin Joe would transform the mild mannered attraction into a haunted attraction, capitalizing on the town's real haunted history. The town was also featured on the History Channel's "Haunted Rockies Series" for its unexplained happenings.{{Citation needed|date = November 2008}}

On September 2, 2010, owner Greg Tabuteau announced the sale of Buckskin Joe and its associated attraction the "Royal Gorge Scenic Railway", to an anonymous purchaser.<ref>Charlotte Burrous [https://web.archive.org/web/20110718221618/http://www.canoncitydailyrecord.com/Top-Story.asp?ID=14541 Buckskin Joe saddles up with a new owner]. The Daily Record (2010-9-2) canoncitydailyrecord.com</ref> The owner was later identified as Florida billionaire William Koch who plans to move the historic ghost town to his ranch near Gunnison.<ref>[http://www.gazette.com/articles/buyer-124103-koch-mystery.html Mystery buyer for Buckskin Joe revealed to be billionaire Koch brother | buyer, koch, mystery – Colorado Springs Gazette, CO] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120902025038/http://www.gazette.com/articles/buyer-124103-koch-mystery.html |date=2012-09-02 }}. Gazette.com (2011-08-29). Retrieved on 2012-05-02.</ref> The final day of operation for the town was September 12, 2010.

==Film location== The town was a western movie filming location with more than 21 films to its credit, including ''Cat Ballou'', ''The Cowboys'' and ''The Sacketts''. The 1991 television feature ''Conagher'' starring Sam Elliott, Katharine Ross, Ken Curtis and Barry Corbin was filmed at Buckskin Joe. ''Conagher'' was the last film in which Curtis appeared. The final movie to be filmed at Buckskin Joe was "Cactus Creek"; filming concluded just before the sale of the town was announced.<ref>Carie Canterbury [https://web.archive.org/web/20110718221549/http://www.canoncitydailyrecord.com/Top-Story.asp?ID=14420 Lights, Camera, Action]. The Daily Record (2010-8-18) canoncitydailyrecord.com</ref>

===Partial list of films=== * ''Cat Ballou'' (1965) Jane Fonda, Lee Marvin * ''True Grit'' (1969) John Wayne, Glen Campbell, Kim Darby *'' Barquero'' (1970) Lee Van Cleef, Warren Oates, Forrest Tucker * ''The Cowboys'' (1972) John Wayne, Roscoe Lee Browne, Bruce Dern, Slim Pickens * ''The Brothers O'Toole'' (1973) John Astin * ''Mr. Majestyk'' (1974) Charles Bronson * ''The Dutchess and the Dirtwater Fox'' (1976) George Segal, Goldie Hawn * ''The White Buffalo'' (1977) Charles Bronson, Jack Warden * ''How the West Was Won'' (1977 TV mini-series) James Arness, Eva Marie Saint * ''Comes a Horseman'' (1978) James Caan, Jane Fonda, Jason Robards * ''True Grit: A Further Adventure'' (1978 TV movie) Warren Oates * ''Silverado'' (1985) Kevin Kline, Scott Glenn, Kevin Costner, Danny Glover, John Cleese * ''Conagher'' (1991) Sam Elliott, Katharine Ross, Ken Curtis, Barry Corbin. * ''The Sacketts'' (1991) two-part television movie, Sam Elliott, Tom Selleck * ''Cannibal! The Musical'' (1993) Trey Parker * ''Lightning Jack'' (1994) Paul Hogan, Cuba Gooding Jr.

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== {{sister project links|auto=yes}} *[https://www.colorado.gov/ State of Colorado] **[https://www.historycolorado.org/ History Colorado] {{Fremont County, Colorado|collapse_state=expanded}} {{Colorado}} {{authority control}}

Category:Defunct amusement parks in the United States Category:Amusement parks in Colorado Category:1957 establishments in Colorado Category:2010 disestablishments in Colorado Category:Buildings and structures in Fremont County, Colorado Category:Amusement parks opened in 1957 Category:Amusement parks closed in 2010 Category:Western (genre) theme parks