It took one man 60 years to build this castle in southern Colorado
DENVER (KDVR) — The stone structure along the San Isabel National Forest known as Bishop Castle started with a 15-year-old, an argument with an English teacher and a heavily wooded plot of land.
This history of the stone castle lies on the monument’s website, where the Bishop family said it all started with a fight Jim Bishop had with an English teacher.
Teen buys plot of land
According to the Bishop family, the castle’s story truly started when Jim decided to drop out of high school following an argument with his teacher.
“You’ll never amount to anything, Jim Bishop!” said the teacher to Jim, according to the Bishop family.
It wasn’t until Jim went on a weekend bicycle trip where he found his next calling. When Jim discovered the plot of land in southern Colorado, he convinced his parents to sign the deal for him, as he was too young to do it himself.
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In 1959, Jim paid $450 for a two-and-a-half-acre piece of land after saving money from mowing lawns, delivering newspapers and working in the family’s ornamental ironworks, said the Bishop family.
From a cabin to a castle
While the castle is equivalent to 16 stories, it didn’t start that way.
As the story goes, the first 10 summers, Jim laid the groundwork for what was supposed to be the family cabin, according to Dan Bishop, Jim’s son.
It wasn’t until 1969 when Jim decided to build a one-room stone cottage.
During the early stages of the cabin, Jim’s father helped with the advancement of the land and building the small stone cottage, that is, until locals put it in Jim’s head that the cabin in progress looked more like a castle.
“It was originally started as a rock cottage, and you could come and see the rock work that he (Jim’s father) did. Definitely a different style of rock work in the very beginning. My grandpa was helping for about three years, and when people said it looked like a castle, my dad decided to add on to it, and my grandpa didn’t want to have anything to do with it,” said Dan.
While the cottage, which lies in the middle of the castle, was made with the help of Jim’s father, the family said the castle itself was built entirely by one man.
Bishop Castle in Rye, Colorado (Courtesy of Bishop Castle) Bishop Castle in Rye, Colorado (Courtesy of Bishop Castle) Bishop Castle in Rye, Colorado (Courtesy of Bishop Castle) Bishop Castle in Rye, Colorado (Courtesy of Bishop Castle) Bishop Castle in Rye, Colorado (Courtesy of Bishop Castle) Bishop Castle in Rye, Colorado (Courtesy of Bishop Castle) Bishop Castle in Rye, Colorado (Courtesy of Bishop Castle)
Jim did everything from taking rocks from the state highway to mixing mortar, according to the website. Jim dug holes up to 12 feet deep for foundations, milled timber into lumber, constructed arches from railroad ties and built scaffolding all with his own hands.
Despite the colored glass paneling and the multi-story stone walls, Dan said the hardest part for his father was collecting rocks. According to the family, he handled each stone in the castle around six times before putting it in its final place.
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After 60 years of building, Jim stopped working on the castle and now resides in a nursing home. But the castle isn’t done just yet.
60 years later
As the castle stands, Dan considers his father the only one who built it, but Dan plans to get his hands on it this summer.
Dan’s favorite part of the castle is Roy’s Tower, which is named after his late brother who passed at five years old. Per his father’s plans, Dan will add some height to Roy’s Tower.
Jim also pictured the castle with a stone wall around the property. Dan said he will only get to it if he has time because just like his father, he plans on working on it alone.
While Jim is no longer in charge of the castle, Dan plans on keeping it the way it has always been.
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Entry to the castle in Rye has always been free, as the inspiration for the castle came from people visiting the property.
“I plan on keeping it going the way it always has because it works,” said Dan.
While the castle is free to enter, the Bishop family has a charity box that he uses to keep the castle up and running.
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