The Stanley Hotel, where Jack Nicholson acted in “The Shining,” was the first fully electric hotel. It was built by F.O. Stanley, of steam car fame. And it’s right here in Estes Park.
The ailing Stanley had moved to the Estes Park heights for refreshment and to bolster his health. He decided to stay and harness the electric-producing capabilities of hydroelectric engineering to power his hotel. Furthering the efforts of Nikola Tesla at Niagara Falls in 1888, Stanley built the Fall River Hydroelectric Plant just northeast of town in 1909.
No bigger than a house, the Fall River Hydroelectric Plant originally contained a 200-kilowatt generator driven by a water main that siphoned from Cascade Lake, all to feed power to the hotel. The equipment and subsequent additions made to meet burgeoning demand were rendered useless during a 1982 flood, but have been preserved as an important historic resource in a state where renewable energy is a big topic. The Stanley Hotel remains open, as well!
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Things to know:
Region: Estes Park
Average temperature: Low 18 degrees, high 79 degrees F.
Average population: Approximately 6,270
Number of resorts: 74
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