High Country Adventures: Troll hunting in Victor & Breckenridge
VICTOR, Colo. (KRDO) – KRDO 13’s Julia Donovan ventured into troll territory for this week’s High Country Adventures.
Locals say Rita the wooden troll has brought so much life to the small mining town of Victor since she was built by Danish artist, Thomas Dambo, a year and a half ago.
“It’s sort of the forgotten town in Teller County, but it’s a wonderful town,” Teller County Commissioners Chairman, Dan Williams, described Victor.
Atop a dirt road just outside of Downtown Victor, Rita the Rock Planter has her work cut out for her.
“The troll kind of put Victor on the map again,” Dan said. “The whole Rita theme and healing the earth and putting everything back in – it really attracted a lot of folks.”
The idea is that she’s filling the old gold mines out there, according to Dambo.
Commissioner Williams says she’s doing a lot more than that for the town of Victor!
“The hope is, if they look at Rita, they’ll take some time to do the whole mine tour and look at some of the history that’s down here, too, and then stop in some of the shops,” said Williams.
Boy, have their hopes been fulfilled – with Rita already bringing in an estimated 70,000 visitors since she was built in 2023.
She’s a true masterpiece, made of recycled materials to show the beauty of sustainability.
That beauty, perfectly complimenting the picturesque vistas and natural beauty of Colorado!
“Colorado - 75 percent of it is rural or frontier, and this is one of the closest destinations where you can actually experience, you know, real Colorado,” Williams argued.
Meanwhile, Rita’s friend Isak Heartstone – just feet from the Stephen C. West Ice Arena in Breckenridge – gets plenty of attention, too.
If you’re looking for a fun, accessible winter activity, go troll hunting! The kids enjoy their goofy faces and fascinating stories, and adults admire Dambo’s craftsmanship.
Thomas Dambo has built more than a hundred trolls all across the world.
Click here to check out an interactive map of Dambo’s creations.
