Fraser, Colorado was originally named Easton, and was the railhead for a booming lumber industry. Lumber remained important to the local economy until the 1940s, at which time it was eclipsed by the recreation industry. Fraser benefited as the commercial center of the east end of the Fraser Valley, was incorporated in 1953, and today is a retail center along US Highway 40. This town in a mountain valley where frigid air settles (temperatures often reach 40 below during the winter) is perhaps best known for its slogan "Icebox of the Nation," earned during the 1950s when Fraser was routinely cited on the evening news as the coldest spot in the United States.
One interesting episode in the history of Fraser was the operation of a local German POW camp from 1945 until 1946 to provide labor for
the production of lumber. Such use of prisoners of war was permissible under the Geneva Conventions as long as the POWs were compensated
for their labor, which they were, at the rate of 75 cents per day spendable at their own PX.
Sources: city-data.com, frasercolorado.com, grand-county.com, politicalgateway.com |