Guffey, the Mining Town That Elects a Cat

Tucked into the south end of Park County, off Highway 9 toward Cañon City, Guffey started the way a lot of Colorado towns did: with prospectors chasing gold. Founded around 1890 as Idaville, then Freshwater, it became the center of the Freshwater Mining District before taking the name of an oilman, James McClurg Guffey. The county notes that the Guffey Cemetery was established in 1897 “in response to the rapid development of the Freshwater mining camp.” The big strike never really came, but ranching kept the place going, so it never fully emptied out.

What it’s known for now is its sense of humor. Guffey has a long, affectionate habit of electing animals as honorary mayor: a golden retriever named Shanda served in the 1990s, followed by a line of cats, including Monster, who took office in 1998. The contests run on a town joke about two parties, the Democats and the Repuplicans, and the office carries no real authority. The old garage, which no longer fixes cars, has become a folk-art collection of oddities that fits the spirit of the place.

It is a small town with an outsized personality, and it leans on visitors who come to see it. For the historic sites around town, start with Park County’s Guffey Area page.