Aspen was the summer hunting grounds for the Native American Ute tribes for thousands of years. The Spanish Conquistadors found their way into the area in the late 1500’s. The discovery of gold during the 1850’s in the foothills of the Front Range brought additional miners to the heart of the Rocky Mountains.
In 1879, the miners dared to enter the Ute territory surrounding today’s Aspen and discovered silver – the richest discovery of silver in the United States. Ute City was established and renamed Aspen in 1880. As with most mining towns, Aspen’s is a tale of rags to riches to rags to riches. At one time, Aspen boasted a population of 12,000, second only to Denver. As the price of silver dropped, so did the fortunes of Aspen.
It was during World War II that the 10th Mountain Division was created as an elite corps of winter soldiers based on skis. Their training took place at Leadville. A number of these soldiers returned to the Aspen area after the war leading to the opening of Aspen Mountain in 1947. As with many of Colorado’s ski towns, gold or silver was replaced with “white gold” as the economic engine.
Walter Paepcke, a founder of Aspen Mountain, organized the Goethe Bicentennial Convocation in Aspen in 1949 in celebration of the German philosopher. The gathering attracted artists, musicians and nationally known speakers. The social consciousness of Aspen continues today with the workings of the Aspen Institute and other organizations.
Aspen’s attraction is international in scope. Aspen has few small town rivals in its ability to attract the rich and the famous. The streets of Aspen are lined with Italian and French designer boutiques and fine dining. Natural beauty and cultural innovation are the cornerstones to Aspen’s charisma.