Something interesting about our blog is that we have readers from all over the world, and it’s all written by freshmen here at the Fruita 8/9. So, I chose to write this post about our town, Fruita. Read on for some history and some current things going on here.
In 1884, Fruita was founded by someone named William E Pabor. For a long time, the only people here were a couple of fruit farmers and their families, hence the name. It didn’t really become a town until the 1930’s when 34 families were relocated here, and houses started getting built, new shops, markets, and a school were constructed. After this, Fruita started steadily growing, the plentiful land and bustling new town attracting more people moving west. A large contribution to Fruita’s growth was the proximity to the colorado river, providing water to everyone. Fruita was a part of the construction of Rim Rock Drive, which allows access to the Colorado National Monument, an attraction for people all over the world.
People love to go on hikes on and around the monument. The blend of colors there are very unique and makes for an amazing experience. Another local activity, and also something we are known for worldwide is our mountain biking. 18 road trails, Kokopelli trails, and lunch loops are all great places to mountain bike. Need to cool off during the hot summer? Head over to the colorado river and float the river, or go to Highline lake for swimming, boating, and camping. Also in our area, we have horseback riding and rodeos every Tuesday of the summer at Rimrock Rodeo. Some other things to do here is to come to our festivals. In April, come to the Fat Tire Festival, one of the largest mountain biking conventions in the world. In May, we celebrate something we are known for, which is mike the headless chicken. Mike the chicken lived for 18 months without a head, and he was fed using an eyedropper as he traveled around as an extra for a circus. Mike the headless chicken festival features food trucks and live music at the park in the middle of town. Lastly, during the last week of September, the Fruita Fall Festival is held which includes three days of events with music, carnival rides, a parade, a bed race, a baking and canning contest, a youth pet show, and talent show, and arts and crafts vendors.
Finally, some of the local sites. Just south of Fruita lies Dinosaur Hill, which is where Paleontologist Elmer Riggs discovered the first brachiosaurus fossil skeleton. It’s popular to go hike up and around the hill exploring family-friendly dinosaur facts. In town, there’s the dinosaur museum with more dinosaur fun. If you make your way downtown then you can visit some local restaurants/bars like Subs brewery, Camillas Cafe, The Hot Tomato, and more. Cool off with a soda from Quench Drinks, and finally, head into one of the mountain bike shops. That’s just a small part of what your day might look like here in Fruita. Whatever you do, it will be a great experience in this great place to be.
So there’s a little bit about Fruita, and if you’re not from here you should definitely come to visit.
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