Founded in 1880, Hartsel is close to the geographic center of the state, and is often referred to as "The Heart of Colorado". The namesake of the community is Samuel Hartsel,[5] a local farmer and cattle rancher who came to Park County in 1860 and left in 1908. He developed the Hartsel hot springs and built a sawmill, blacksmith shop, and a trading post to lay the groundwork for the town.[6]
Geography
The Hartsel CDP has an area of 123 acres (0.498 km2), including 3.0 acres (0.012 km2) of water.[2]
Summers are warm with chilly nights in the 30s and 40s (°F) and some thunderstorm activity during the months of July and August. Winters are cold and dry with lows below zero.[8][9] A climate writeup consisting of interpolated data is below.
Climate data for Hartsel, Park County, CO. Elevation 8901 ft.
^Laura King Van Dusen, "Samuel Hartsel: 1860s Pioneer Rancher, One of Colorado's First Cattlemen. Founded Town of Hartsel", Historic Tales from Park County: Parked in the Past (Charleston, South Carolina: The History Press, 2013), ISBN978-1-62619-161-7, pp. 21-27.