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UNITED STATES | Aspen, Colorado Travel Guide
Thursday, April 25, 2024
A Brief History of Aspen
A Brief History of Aspen
Aspen's contemporary history began more than a century ago, when silver prospectors braved the wilderness of the Roaring Fork River, long a favorite hunting ground of the Ute Indians, to discover one of the richest silver lodes in the world. They came from Leadville, the second largest city in Colorado at the time, crossing the 13,000-foot Independence Pass on snowshoes. Thirteen hardy sourdoughs endured the rough winter of 1879 to protect their claims. They called their tent community Ute City. But as more miners arrived in the spring, the name was changed to Aspen, a tribute to the graceful trees prevalent in the valley.
By 1890, thousands of fortune seekers had arrived in Aspen to stake their claims. Aspen’s silver mines produced nearly a quarter of a billion dollars, including the largest silver nugget ever found. It weighed over a ton and was 93% pure. The 14 daily trains were not enough and the ore, awaiting shipment, was stacked in the streets like high gray snow drifts. In 1890, there were 12,000 inhabitants in Aspen, six newspapers, three schools, 10 churches, a modern hospital, an opera house, 70 bars, first-class hotels and a flourishing brothel district.
Aspen’s fortunes fell with the end of the silver standard in 1893. Many of the larger mines shut down. As mining declined, the local economy became more dependent upon ranching and farming. By the 1930s, Aspen’s population had shrunk to approximately 700 people. But by the mid-1930s, a new group of pioneers came to the Roaring Fork Valley in search of the ideal location for a ski resort. They even hired a famous Swiss avalanche expert, Andre Roch. A group of investors constructed a lodge with plans to build a complete resort. But, following the outbreak of World War II, their plans had to be cancelled.
Meanwhile, skiing in the Roaring Fork Valley was actually spurred on by the presence of the Army’s 10th Mountain Division, training in nearby Leadville. Many of the soldiers would go over to Aspen to ski on weekends. Several of those early 10th Mountain troopers came to Aspen and began buying up mining claims and surface rights with the idea of building a ski area. Chicago industrialist Walter Paepcke supported the resort plan. Paepcke, chairman of Container Corporation of America, was interested in the community’s prospects as a summertime cultural haven, but he also recognized the skiing potential. In 1945, Paepcke and other investors created the Aspen Skiing Corporation. One year later, the resort was officially opened, and in 1950 Aspen held America’s first World Alpine Ski Championships.
Walter Paepcke became interested in Aspen for his planned Institute for Humanistic Studies, primarily a cultural, educational and rest center for business executives. Paepcke died in 1960, but not before he had translated his idea into fact. The town now attracts artists, musicians, sportsmen, statesmen and writers of international fame. An important music festival takes place here every summer.
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