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Rocky Mountain National Park is a veritable treasure trove of trails, most of which are related to historical themes. Most of the buildings are rustic in style, conveying a sense of the time, including some buildings constructed during the early 1900s by the Park superintendents and later by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the 1930s New Deal work program. Consequently there are over 600 buildings that are presently listed, or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places due to either their architectural significance or their early origins as ranches and their relationship to tourism prior to being purchased to become part of the National Park System.
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The Park is filled with archeological finds, ancient trails, Indian hunting grounds in the form of game drives, cattle ranches and the beginnings of the "tourist trade" almost a century ago, when ranchers began to build lodges, "havens" for the new tourism that arose. The region contains cultural resources dating back thousands of years, beginning with the indigenous peoples that occupied this immense area in addition to the more recent events during the 20th century. Rocky Mountain National Park in the state of Colorado was originally established to preserve its scenic and natural resources however, as time passed it became clear that the Park contained numerous historical resources as well as wondrous awe-inspiring panoramas capable of overwhelming the visual senses.
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