Bishop's Castle

Location:
United States

medieval castles, Colorado, propaganda

V!VA User‘s Description

“Ain’t no football player ever done anything like this! No lawyer, no businessman and especially ain’t no politician ever done something like this!” My compliments to Jim Bishop feed his ego, and his pride responds the only way it knows how; with angry arrogance. Jim Bishop has dedicated his life to a baffling cause. He is constructing an inspiring landmark for the average joe and is a self-proclaimed testament to what one man is capable of accomplishing in a lifetime. Jim Bishop is building his own castle, complete with a fire-breathing dragon. In 1969, Jim purchased a small stone cottage on a plot of land in the San Juan National Forest. Surrounded by pine trees, fresh air and government land, neighboring farmers began referring to his stone cottage as ‘the Castle’. Jim recognized this as an opportunity to put his carpentry skills to good use by building a castle that would inspire the working man and allow him to consistently provoke the local government by using rock from their surrounding land. Jim has been working on his castle for nearly forty years. A hardworking man, he has constructed most of the tools he uses. Jim has hand-mixed the mortar, transported the rock and crafted the wrought iron balconies that wrap around the twin castle towers. Every stone was thoughtfully placed by his right hand, the hand of an imaginative artist, while his left hand, the hand of an experienced carpenter, spread the mortar. His castle stands hundreds of feet high with views over the surrounding forested mountains. Giant archways beckon you to enter, where you’ll find spiraling staircases that crawl up the bellies of the towers. Steep steps lead upwards, winding towards the neck of the dragon. The dragon’s chest is colorfully opaque with stained glass windows commemorating the lives of people who have been impacted by the castle in one way or another. The dragon’s neck arches out over the entrance and if Jim has his way, the dragon will breathe fire in an impressive welcome for visitors. On the weekends, the castle is explored by families and travelers from all over the world. Nobody is really sure how internationals, or even travelers from outside of southern Colorado, hear about Bishop’s Castle, but they arrive from all over. They are there to see this magnificent castle that every man once dreamed of having as a little boy. They are there to witness the crazy outbursts of Jim Bishop, the proud architect. They are there for a lot of reasons, but what they may not be expecting, is the angry, anti-government propaganda that litters the property. These rants add an interesting element to the castle and encourage visitors to probe deeper into the mind of Jim Bishop. Inspiring in its commitment to basic human rights, and intimidating in its overly lunatic rants, no visitor to Bishop’s Castle leaves without thinking twice about the control they may or may not have over their own life. Having grown up hearing the stories of Bishop’s Castle and the crazy man that built it, my boyfriend and I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to have lunch with Jim and try to understand his castle and his life. As we sat down to lunch, we were treated to an onslaught of government conspiracy theories and all the different ways that we are constantly denied our basic human rights. He tried to impress upon us the little loopholes he has found in the law books, and how he was able to gain back some control over his life. I struggled with how seriously to take him. He was obviously extremely knowledgeable and knew the ins and outs of our country’s laws, but delivered this information with such spitting anger and lunacy that I became lost in his dramatic rants. By the end of the meal, I had decided to keep the magnificence of Bishop’s Castle very separate from Bishop’s Insanity. Bishop’s Castle is the product of what one man’s imagination and determination can dream up. It is inspiring evidence of one man’s desire to leave a legacy. I recommend it to anyone who finds them self surrounded by the beauty of the Rocky Mountains in southern Colorado. Personally, I cannot wait to see that dragon breathe fire.

Further Information

Travel tips: Way off the beaten path but you can make a day of it and visit surrounding National Parks.

Must see/do at this place: Talk with Jim Bishop if he is there.

You should avoid here: The bathrooms.