How old is aspen co

Gillespie in Aspen survived and eventually became a renowned center for the arts and culture, as well as a world-class ski destination. As of , Aspen had a population of nearly 7, It continues to draw not only thousands of visitors from Colorado and the United States but also celebrities and tourists from all over the world.

The Roaring Fork valley is the ancestral home of the Ute people , who used it as summer hunting grounds. These conflicts grew to a fever pitch in the late s, especially after Colorado was granted statehood in In the US government forcibly relocated the Ute population in western Colorado to a reservation in eastern Utah, allowing for the expansion of white mining and settlement. In the fall of , the Hayden Geological Survey published a report that noted the presence of promising geologic formations, possibly containing silver and other precious minerals, in the Roaring Fork valley.

Prospectors who caught wind of the Hayden report braved treacherous mountain passes to explore the valley for silver and to stake claims on what would eventually prove to be one of the richest silver lodes in history. As one of the earliest American arrivals to the valley, Henry B. Gillespie established the first permanent mining camp along the Roaring Fork in He named it Ute City. Even though Gillespie petitioned federal officials in Washington, DC, for a post office, growth was slower than he had anticipated.

However, on July 4, , prospectors discovered the Independence Gold Lode not far from Ute City, and miners flooded into the valley. In B. Clark Wheeler and Charles A. The two men purchased several mining claims on Aspen Mountain, and Wheeler quickly surveyed the Ute City town site, renaming it Aspen.

Historic Building at Aspen. Mining picked up a bit through World War I, but Aspen really began to put itself on the map in when T. Flynn, Aspen resident, and Billy Fiske, a former U. Olympic bobsledder turned investment banker met at a polo club in California.

Fiske and other investors were impressed by the terrain and weather, and thought the area was similar to ski resorts in Switzerland. The decision was made to build what would be one of the first alpine resorts in the United States. The Historic Pitkin County Courthouse was built in The Bavarian Highland Lodge was built in at the confluence of Castle and Conundrum creeks, and quickly became a popular destination thanks to advertising efforts in the New Yorker magazine.

Locals constructed the first ski lift, known as the Boat Tow, out of an old car engine, some old mining hoists, and toboggans. Although World War II ended some of the grander plans for the Bavarian Highland Lodge, it still managed to get the towns's skiing boom started.

Over the decades, Aspen has attracted many celebrities including John Denver, who wrote two songs about the town, and writer Hunter S. Thompson who lived for a while in the Hotel Jerome, and unsuccessfully ran for Pitkin County Sheriff.

Historic building at Aspen. Postwar, several other resorts were built to meet demand of tourists flocking to this snowy playground. Aspen has been the host of many world-class sporting events including the X-Games and the World Cup. Western Mining History. Log In.

Aspen, Colorado. So it would be pretty fair to say that it kind of looks like swiss cheese in there. But, so far, it has not been a safety issue, and I hope that the mountain is more or less stable.

Search Query Show Search. Special Projects. Show Search Search Query. Play Live Radio. Next Up:. Available On Air Stations. Along with his wife, he invested in Aspen and in the summer of , organized the Goethe Bicentennial Convocations, the first event in the history of the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies. The longest chair lift in the world was built on Aspen Mountain and in , Aspen hosted the World Downhill Ski Championships, marking its emergence as one of the world's premier ski resorts.

Founded in , the Aspen Art Museum displays contemporary art from around the world. Aspen is home to one of the campuses of Colorado Mountain College.

Aspen opened its Citizens' Hospital in