Amid the spread of the devastating Aspen Acres fire that’s now reached 91,523 acres with 12 percent containment, a frequent point of discussion was how the iconic Bishop Castle would fare. As Watch Duty showed the perimeter inching closer to this attraction, concern about its fate became widespread.

Painstakingly created by Jim Bishop between 1969 until his death in 2024 to become what would be known as one of the largest and most elaborate one-man construction projects in the country, it’s looking like the 160-foot-tall castle may have survived the blaze as of now.

“Many have asked about Bishop’s Castle,” read an early July 5 report from the Custer County Sheriff’s Office. “Even though Bishop’s Castle is inside the fire boundary, and surrounded by smoke, as of today it is still standing and appears to be whole. We are hoping that assessments can begin in this area tomorrow [July 6].”

The area of the castle was evacuated on June 29, with Jim Bishop’s son and the castle’s current caretaker quoted as saying “if the floors are burned and the roofs are gone, if the worst has happened, there will still be a piece of history, a monument for them to visit, and we will be there picking up the pieces and trying to keep it going” in an interview with KKTV.

Bishop Castle has had a rough go as of late, with a June 26 announcement prior to the Aspen Acres fire evacuation indicating that the attraction’s first Bishop Castle Medieval Fair set for August 7 to August 9 would have to be canceled after caretaker Daniel Bishop was seriously injured while working on a structure next to the castle, suffering broken bones and set to face multiple weeks of recovering. At last report, Daniel was reportedly doing very well in terms of physical recovery, aiming to leave the hospital and come back home by July 8.

There’s been an outpour of support from the public for Bishop Castle, related to both the wildfire and injuries that Daniel sustained. A key part of Jim Bishop’s drive to create the castle was to build a destination worthy of attracting the masses that was also accessible in terms of cost – the castle was long free to visit and has remained free to visit following his death.

Follow along with updates related to Bishop Castle here.

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