Nederland: a Serendipitous Discovery | The Beachside Resident

By: Vern Hobbs

Article Category: Get Out Of Town Leave a Comment

Serendipity / n. the faculty of making happy discoveries by accident.

That describes our discovery of Nederland, Colorado, an intriguing hamlet plucked right out of the hardscrabble Old West.

We had no plans to visit Nederland. In fact, we had never heard of it and were actually lost when we found it. Our economical but underpowered rental car was gasping for breath as it clawed its way up the ten- percent grades of Highway 119, just west of Boulder. Certain we’d missed the trailhead we were searching for, we were now just hoping for a shoulder wide enough to allow me to turn around when the expanse of a mountain lake filled our frame of vision. At the far end of the lake, set against a backdrop of snowcapped mountains, was a tiny town. We pressed on, hung a left at the intersection, and found ourselves in downtown Nederland.

The feeling that we’d stumbled onto a unique place hit us immediately. I spotted the town hall — a weather-beaten structure of rough-cut, unpainted boards that seemed plucked from an old black and white Western set. At the base of the flagpole I spotted an unobtrusive granite marker. I parked and went to investigate, certain I’d find the grave of an early pioneer, perhaps even the founder of Nederland.

“Fred the Cat, The Legend of First Street, 1972–1989,” the inscription read.

“A monument to a cat,” I said to myself. “This is no ordinary town.”

Then, as if memorializing a cat on the lawn of the city hall weren’t evidence enough that Nederland leaned a bit toward the eccentric, a morbid poster grabbed my attention. “Frozen Dead Guy Days,” read words written in ghostly fashion above the image of a zombie. Oh, there are mysteries to be unraveled here, I surmised, and our earlier plans were completely forgotten as we set out to discover just what Nederland was all about.

I stopped by the Nordic-styled Visitor’s Center located at the corner of Highway 72 and First Street to learn a little more about this odd little town. There I made the acquaintance of Jeannette Smith, 53-year resident and consummate Nederlander.

“Your town looks just the way I imagined a Colorado mining town would look,” I told her.

“That’s because that’s exactly what it is,” Jeannette replied, noting that another wayward tourist had grasped the obvious. She went on to explain that Nederland had been built on veins of silver, and later, tungsten, the mining of both having ceased over 40 years ago.

“Why’s it called Nederland?” I asked, expecting an outlandishly fanciful explanation.

Jeannette explained that Nederland was derived from “Netherlands,” a moniker applied to the settlement by miners when a group of Dutch investors purchased the nearby Caribou Silver Mine in the 1870s. The Dutch investors left after a few fruitless years in the mining business, but the name stuck.

“Who’s ‘Fred the Cat’?” I queried.

“Oh, that goes back to the ‘hippie invasion,’” Jeannette answered. Another unexpected piece of Nederland’s tapestry revealed! During the early 1970s, droves of hippies fleeing the encroachment of establishment norms into former safe havens like San Francisco invaded Nederland, hoping its remoteness would preserve their unconventional lifestyle. Like the Dutch investors 100 years before them, the hippies, save for a few die-hards, did not stay. As for Fred, he was one free spirit who remained. Born behind the jukebox in a now defunct eatery on First Street, he lived out his long life exclusively on his own terms, beholden to no one. Such character traits are revered here in Nederland.

“And ‘Frozen Dead Guy Days,’ what’s that all about, Jeannette?” I inquired. That question struck a discordant nerve. My gracious host likened this annual event to a freak show and explained that many long established residents hope it will someday simply fade away. Nonetheless, Frozen Dead Guy Days, and the man that inspired it, remains part of the story of this most unordinary place.

Trygue Bauge, a Scandinavian immigrant who was later deported, arrived in Nederland many years ago with a very odd piece of baggage: His frozen grandfather, one Bredo Morstol. It seems Mr. Bauge was an early practitioner of the science of cryogenics and had frozen gramps with every intention of resurrecting him someday. Although Trygue tried to keep a low profile, secrets like that are tough to keep. Word got out, and soon a media frenzy engulfed Nederland. While many citizens considered the matter and the attention it got to be pure craziness, local officials embraced the notoriety and sought to preserve it long after Tygue and his stiff relative had left town. The result: Frozen Dead Guy Days, observed each March on the streets of Nederland.

If frozen corpses aren’t your idea of fun, don’t cross Nederland off your list of places to see just yet. It seems this town loves a party, and throws many throughout the year.

The High Peaks Art Fair kicks off festival season each June, showcasing the work of local and regional, as well as internationally known artisans. As would be expected of such an all-American town, the Fourth of July is celebrated with a parade and fireworks. The Independence Day bash serves as a warm-up for Nederland’s grandest party, the Old Timer’s Celebration and Miners’ Days, paying tribute to Nederland’s mining heritage each year in late July. Nedfest, a modern and traditional folk music festival is observed in August, followed closely by the Neder-Nederland 5 and 10K high altitude races in early September. The street parties take a break during the winter, until that is, Frozen Dead Guy Days marks the coming of spring.

Festivals are hardly the only reason to visit Nederland. There are of course unspoiled Rocky Mountain vistas galore. Colorado’s “Adventure Byway,” the Peak-to-Peak Highway often rated among the most scenic motoring routes in the world, winds down the spine of the Rockies from Estes Park in the north to Idaho Springs in the south, passing right through Nederland.

Opportunities for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, orienteering, and rock climbing at all experience levels are literally too numerous to mention. The Eldora Mountain Resort, two miles south of town offers over 40 kilometers of groomed Nordic trails for skiing and snowshoeing. All inclusive packages are popular and affordable.

Finally, there is Nederland itself — a town with a rich heritage and a curious collection of oddities, offering apologies for neither. It’s a place that draws you in with its one-of-a-kind persona. Start at Town Hall and walk down First Street. Stop at the Pioneer Inn for a beer and don’t be surprised if you find yourself engaged in a conversation about bull riding or bear hunting. Visit the mining museum and discover why the History Channel recently found it so interesting. Or, drop by the Visitors’ Center some morning and let Jeannette Smith remind you of what it means to take deep pride in one’s community.

Complete details of all Nederland events and activities may be found on the Chamber of Commerce web-site: www.nederlandchamber.org.