Fondis, Colorado facts for kids

Fondis is a small, quiet place in Elbert County, in the U.S. state of Colorado. It's what we call an "unincorporated community." This means it's not officially a city or town with its own local government. Instead, it's just a group of homes and buildings in a specific area.

Fondis: A Look Back in Time

The history of Fondis goes back to the late 1800s. Fondis got its own post office on November 25, 1895. This was a big deal because it meant people could send and receive mail right there! The very first person to run the post office was a woman named Ella Cox.

People aren't completely sure how Fondis got its name. Some say it was named after a place called Fondi in Italy. Others believe it was named after an Italian hotel, the Fondide Italia.

Around the year 1900, Fondis was a busy little spot. About 40 people lived there. It had several shops where people could buy things. George Conarroe ran Harper's General Store, which probably sold everything from food to tools.

There were also two blacksmith shops. Blacksmiths were important back then because they made and fixed metal tools and horse shoes. Fondis even had its own hotel, called the Fondis Hotel. Will Conarroe owned and ran the hotel.

Will Conarroe also had a cheese factory! He made a lot of cheese, about 250 pounds every single day. Imagine all that cheese! For a short time in 1902, Fondis even had its own newspaper, the Fondis Herald. Fred A. Coan was the person who ran it for about 10 weeks.

Today, Fondis is much quieter than it used to be. It's a reminder of the small communities that helped Colorado grow.