| Show Plat Drawn Drawl Aspen Town Begins Growth A plat of the town was eventually eventually event event- drawn and Ute We City settled seWed down to being a town History docs does not el clearly artl reveal just why and when whet the towns town's name was changed f fro from r o m mUte Ute City to Aspen However Caroline Bancroft writes in her short historical his book Famous Aspen that a II representative of a large eastern investor had legally changed the name of the town through filing of a town plat In Leadville in 1880 There were many hardships In Inthe inthe the lives of the miners who stayed stayed stay stay- ed cd at Aspen through the harsh winter months many periods of depression scurvy from lack of proper clothing and food food all all the deprivations experienced by early settlers In almost any western community But Dut remain they did held by an overwhelming desire to to obtain riches from the silver sliver In the surrounding mountains Some of the mines produced as much as 15 15 million dollars worth ol of silver ore and yesterdays yesterday's poverty ridden poverty ridden riddeD prospector may have been wealthiest man in town Men became millionaires millionaires million- million aires one day and paupers the next their wealth controlled by the slender thread that was the silver vein in their mines Eventually Aspen became a city of people and the Railroad built a line to serve the thriving city and to haul out its ore to the smelter at Leadville Aspens Aspen's own silver smelter was not large enough to process all the ore brought down from the dozens of mines Later the Colorado Colorado Colo Colo- rado Midland built a line into Aspen Aspen As As- pen over difficult terrain and street brawls between crews of the and the Midland were frequent t. t Then in July of 1893 the worst happened A depression had started started started start start- ed earlier but Aspen was not seriously seriously seriously ser ser- affected Then Congress removed removed re- re moved silver as the standard for currency and tragedy struck the town below Independence Pass Eighteen hundred miners were thrown out of work banks failed and people started abandoning the town and heading for the gold camps Many Aspen millionaires tried to hang on to their fortunes and the mines which had brought them wealth by retaining their property and later attempting to reopen their claims But in most cases they had thrown good money after bad and silver never lIever came back During the and the Aspen was an almost dormant town There were a stubborn few Cew people who remained there held by farming and agricultural Investments in investments in- in vestments and the money some had made much earlier In the I boom days of silver While the town slept t. t a new generation generation gen Ren arose and cultural tastes changed Radio had made the la borer conscious of his likes for other than jazz music and Introduced Introduced introduced intro Intro- II him to symphony sV forums and town hall ball meetings had aroused the common man to fresh mental pursuits In about 1934 Colorado as a whole began to sense its Importance Importance Import Import- ance as a winter sports paradise especially skiing and within two years the slopes west of Denver were frequented by many skiing parties In 1935 at Aspen the Swiss skiIng ski ski- Ing expert Andre Roch found what he described as the ideal ski area of North America After ACter that discovery discovery discovery dis dis- covery Aspen needed only the stimulus of venture capital to launch its bid for stardom And it came in the person of or Walter P. P Pa Paepcke visionary and energetic board chairman of the Container Corp of or America This Chicago Industrialist whose affection affection af af- for lor Colorado had already established him as a rancher at Larkspur came to Aspen and andton ton toured red the region talking to natives natives na na- tives young skiers and business men In January Paepcke formed formed formed form form- ed the Aspen Company and Aspens Aspen's Aspens Aspen's Aspens Aspen's As As- pens pen's years of dormancy were soon to end Paepcke's ideas ol of development of Aspen went much further than thana a ski center He was thinking of an ide community ideal for year round living with cultural and recreational opportunities In all seasons For Icor many years Aspen Aspen As As- pen had been a favorite summer summer- time haunt for trout fishermen mountain pack trail riders ranchers ranch ranch- ers and the autumn hunting ground for small game and deer So with the year round sports the Aspen Co planned year round cultural activities as well featuring featuring featuring ing good music fine theater graduate graduate graduate grad grad- study opportunities good schools and the equable pleasant year round climate Potentially Aspen has bas the unusual unusual unusual unus unus- ual opportunity of becoming Americas America's Americas America's Americas America's Amer Amer- ica's most livable city Planned for the near future are a famous European opera season in the summer summer summer sum sum- mer as well as study groups headed by Yale Princeton Chicago Chica Chica- go and Colorado University scholars scholars scholars schol schol- ars a summer repertory theater and new crafts and nd businesses Indeed Aspen is once more a thriving community The silver miner is gone replaced by people people people peo peo- with imagination and the stamina and courage to put over their ideas Aspen is growing once more morel |
