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.
About Bishop Castle:
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?
Young Jim dropped out of high school after an argument with one of his teachers, who told him “You’ll never amount to anything, Jim Bishop!” Jim knew he would prove this teacher wrong! The words stuck with him, and helped fuel his determination to do something great, something the world had never seen before. As people came along to see what he was doing, many of them doubted he would actually accomplish it. They would tell him “What are you doing Jim? You’re never going to pull this off!” The more they told him he couldn’t do it, the greater his will became to prove them all wrong! In one interview, he declared “I want to see how long I can live and what I can build with my hands… It drives me on. It makes me say ‘Oh ya? You say I can’t do this? Well watch me!’”
Jim was never a wealthy man, so one might wonder how he was able to afford this project. Early in the Castle’s construction, Jim funded the project with his own money, a sacrifice that he believed would be worth it in the long run. Eventually, he decided to begin accepting donations. Despite many people’s suggestions that he could be making a lot of money on the place, he did not want to charge admission or allow the place to become a tourist trap. Creating a place that anyone could enjoy no matter how much or how little they had was of utmost importance! Jim always welcomed people to visit and tour the Castle without charging them any kind of fees or dues. He only asked that they donate what they could afford, and he would build as much as the visitors provided for. Most importantly, by keeping it on a donation basis, Jim could ensure that Bishop Castle would always be a place of true American freedom.
Jim Bishop’s Legacy
In 2019, Jim Bishop unknowingly did the last work on his monument, setting small rocks into place along parts of the Great Wall, without using any concrete, as he was physically incapable of mixing the mortar and hauling it in buckets. He said in an interview one day, “I pray to God every day that I get back to my old self”, as Parkinson’s Disease had robbed him of his strength little by little. However, he continued to welcome visitors, answer questions, and tell stories every chance he had. He often reminisced about his “gal” Phoebe, who had passed away in 2018, and shared photos of her with everyone he met.
His son, Daniel, and daughter-in-law Sage took care of Jim for several years, even moving into his home to care for him. The family watched him decline slowly, but continued to bring him to the Castle often, because everyone knew that’s where he wanted to be. Then one day in 2023, after landing in the hospital for a bout of dehydration, it was decided that a long-term care facility would be in his best interest. By then, Jim was only a shadow of the man he once was, and he acclimated to his new surroundings easily. He drew pictures of castles almost every day, and gave them away to whoever came to visit; generously giving just like he had always done.
As Jim grew weaker, he no longer wanted to visit the castle, as the experience, the altitude, and the long drives were exhausting for him. He was happy to know that his son, Daniel, was the Castle Caretaker now, and would make sure his father’s legacy remain a true place of freedom, a place for the people. On November 21, 2024, Jim Bishop passed away, surrounded by loved ones, and assured that his gift to the world would remain long after his time here on earth. Daniel Bishop now cares for his father’s work, and has been the Castle Caretaker since about 2018 when his mother passed away and his father’s health began to decline more rapidly. Daniel plans to keep his father’s legacy alive, and even has plans to finish Roy’s Tower, among other projects on the property. Above all, he would like to preserve Jim Bishop’s masterpiece as it stands.