By Denver Gazette, KUSA-TV, Denver | Bishop Castle canceled its inaugural Bishop Castle Medieval Fair, scheduled for Aug. 7-9, after Daniel Bishop, the castle’s caretaker, was seriously injured while working on a structure next to the castle. In a Facebook post from Bishop Castle, it was announced that Daniel Bishop, the son of Jim Bishop and caretaker of Bishop Castle, suffered multiple broken bones and is looking at several weeks of recovery after having an accident while working on a structure next to the castle.
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According to Bishop Castle, the festival was planned as a fundraiser for the Foundation for Newborn Heart Surgery.
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Go here to read more and to donate to the Foundation:
https://www.denvergazette.com/outtherecolorado/2026/06/27/bishop-castle-cancels-festival-after-caretaker-is-seriously-injured/?ana=9news
About Bishop Castle – From their website:
Bishop Castle is located at 12705 Highway 165, Rye, CO 81069. Visitors are welcome every day of the year, from sun-up to sun-down, as long as they agree to enter at their own risk and take complete responsibility for their own safety and the safety of any children or pets they bring with them.
Nestled in the Wet Mountains of Colorado, just above 9000 ft elevation, stands a marvel of its time: the world’s largest one-man project, The Bishop Castle. From 1969 until 2019, this monument was constructed one stone, one log, one weld at a time, by one man, James Roland Bishop, aka “Jim Bishop, the Castle Builder”. This man followed his dream to create something beautiful, astounding, and one-of-a-kind. Above all, he wanted this creation to be a place of true freedom that could be enjoyed by everyone on a true donation basis. The attraction has drawn millions of people over the years, from all over the world. Many articles, documentaries, and other works have been created and circulated, inspired by this amazing story.
How did it start?
Jim Bishop had always been captivated by the majestic mountains rising up to the southwest of Pueblo, where he grew up. One day in 1959, while he was riding bicycles with friends along a mountain road (Highway 165) in the San Isabel National Forest, Jim found a little slice of heaven for sale at 9,000 ft elevation. This 2 ½ acre parcel of land was surrounded on three sides by national forest. He had put away $450 in savings from mowing lawns, delivering newspapers, and working with his father Willard in the family ornamental iron business, and as Jim was only 15, too young to buy the land himself, he convinced his parents to buy it for him using his savings. For the next 10 summers, Jim and his father camped out on the land and prepared the area for the construction of a family cottage. This proved to be a rewarding experience that allowed Jim to discover his affinity for hands-on work, such as swinging an axe and wielding a shovel.
Then in June of 1969, he and his father began building a rock cottage, which included a water tank surrounded by a rock wall and some arched windows. Friends and family would come up to visit, and many of them commented that it looked like a castle. By 1972, rumors had spread in the local communities of a castle being built near San Isabel in Colorado. One day, a couple traveling in a storm stopped at the property seeking directions to the castle they had heard about. When they saw the arched windows and round tower-like structure, they were ecstatic to have found the castle! This planted the seed in Jim’s mind, and it swiftly took root. The next spring in 1973, Jim began digging a hole down to bedrock out in front of the cottage-to-be, a spot that would become the literal foundation for something remarkable. When Willard asked “Jim, what are you doing now?”, Jim replied “The people want a castle and I’m gonna’ build them a castle!” Willard threw his hands up and said “That’s just too much work! We came to the mountains to get away from people, and now you want to build them a castle?” He wasn’t going to have anything to do with it. But Jim kept right on with his newfound endeavor, and what began as a one-room cottage was now on its way to becoming the world’s largest one-man project!
Why did Jim build a castle?
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Find more information about Bishop Castle here.
https://thebishopcastle.com/
Photo: Bishop’s Castle
